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Over 16k people still use a Pebble smartwatch

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Re: Over 16k people still use a Pebble smartwatch

#291

Post by falcolas »

rrrrrrrrrrrryan wrote: post #284
falcolas wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not in my opinion. The closest I’ve found are hybrid watches which will forward alerts (but generally with no text), but certainly nothing with the screen, battery life, and OSS vibe.

I picked up an older Fossil Hybrid HR a few months ago for $100. I've been rocking it every day and it's been great - battery lasts a couple weeks.

I had a fossil hybrid for awhile, and actually rather enjoyed it (gods below it was huge though - 44mm face). The problem was, if it wasn't my daily driver (that is to say, always within communication range of my phone), the battery would drain so fast. And it was a relatively uncommon coin battery, not a rechargeable battery.

I wish that hadn't been the case, but after replacing the battery 3x in one month because I swapped out watches occasionally, it went into retirement.

Re: Over 16k people still use a Pebble smartwatch

#292

Post by enobrev »

I'm genuinely surprised a similar alternative has never popped up. Every time Pebble comes up, there are so many people posting about how much they loved it and how they still keep theirs alive or how they had had to relucantly give up and go to a different watch due to it being out of support.

Seems like a giant hole wishing to be filled. I know I want one - but I don't want to revive one - I want a new one with active support.

Re: Over 16k people still use a Pebble smartwatch

#293

Post by etothepii »

Pfhortune wrote: post #290

Folks ITT will talk about watches that are similar in hardware, but what was magic about Pebble was the software and ecosystem. The OS was just a delight to use, fast, wonderfully animated, and let you sideload whatever you want. I've tried a couple of Garmin watches (Vivoactive 3 and Forerunner 55) and the Amazfit Bip, and this is where they all fall completely flat. The UX is just horrible by comparison. It's like…

I'll buy an Apple Watch, but I'd pay through the nose for an Apple Watch with four buttons.

Steve Jobs obsession that the mouse should have only one button was probably right for the computer, but the input device had over 80 buttons minimum. (Keyboard)

Clearly whoever makes the call about Apple Watch buttons doesn't swim, sprint or cycle.

All the marketing about "sports" is to make you feel sporty not because it's actually useful.

Of course, for the use Apple make money from (Apple pay) there is a tactile button dedicated for the purpose.

Re: Over 16k people still use a Pebble smartwatch

#294

Post by HWR_14 »

dont__panic wrote: post #265
rchaud wrote: post #209

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm sad that tech did away with replaceable batteries. I would love to use my 5-inch 16:9 Samsung phone from 2016. It still works fine, but the battery barely lasts an hour. Instead I have to use one of their gigantic replacement phones with a ridiculous 21:9 ratio.

As long as you have a phone that's reasonably well designed, it's usually not too much trouble to replace the internal battery every 2-3 years. I think our culture is really wasteful with batteries. I can't believe that my iphone doesn't have a built-in setting to cap charging at 80%. Studies show that you can decrease battery wear to negligible levels by doing this. Yet my Android e-ink tablet, my iphone, my smartwa…

> I can't believe that my iphone doesn't have a built-in setting to cap charging at 80%

They have a "smart charging" setting which is poorly defined. It says it limits charging to 80% sometimes using AI. I think the idea is it charges to 100% overnight, and 80% the rest of the time.

But i agree, it would be nice if it had a selector switch. Some laptops have a "aim for 60%, 80% or 100% battery charge" option.

Re: Over 16k people still use a Pebble smartwatch

#295

Post by DC-3 »

LeifCarrotson wrote: post #190
gnicholas wrote: post #165

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can the Garmin control music playback from your smartphone?

Yes, and better than that, most new Garmin watches can also store several GB of music on the device itself and play it over Bluetooth headphones, no need to carry your phone with you. Watches are a strange sort of luxury good, where some people will pay thousands of dollars, and Garmin aggressively price-segments their products. Use this comparison tool to see the different features: https://www.dcrainmaker.com/produ…

When people pay large amounts of money for watches, they are doing so for premium materials and exquisite workmanship (brand is often a large factor too, of course). It's not obvious that the same value proposition applies to mass-produced electronics, even if they also tell the time and sit on the wrist.

Re: Over 16k people still use a Pebble smartwatch

#296

Post by davidbanham »

Pfhortune wrote: post #290

Folks ITT will talk about watches that are similar in hardware, but what was magic about Pebble was the software and ecosystem. The OS was just a delight to use, fast, wonderfully animated, and let you sideload whatever you want. I've tried a couple of Garmin watches (Vivoactive 3 and Forerunner 55) and the Amazfit Bip, and this is where they all fall completely flat. The UX is just horrible by comparison. It's like…

I loved my pebbles and was very sad when my Time Steel finally died.

I now wear a Garmin Instinct. The UI isn’t as joyful and it’s not quite as pretty. It’s every bit as practical as the pebble and then some. Also you couldn’t kill it with a stick.

Re: Over 16k people still use a Pebble smartwatch

#297

Post by tdeck »

bitwrangler wrote: post #216
zeppelin101 wrote: post #213

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can still get those batteries replaced. It's just a lot more work.

There are many You-tube videos showing step by step. If you're slightly handy with small screws it's not hard. I've replaced my Samsung battery twice over the years. Look into it before you cast doubt and lose hope.

It depends on the phone. Some are constructed with glue as well as screws, or have plastic tabs that become brittle and can easily break when servicing the phone.

Re: Over 16k people still use a Pebble smartwatch

#298

Post by balfirevic »

etothepii wrote: post #293
Pfhortune wrote: post #290

Folks ITT will talk about watches that are similar in hardware, but what was magic about Pebble was the software and ecosystem. The OS was just a delight to use, fast, wonderfully animated, and let you sideload whatever you want. I've tried a couple of Garmin watches (Vivoactive 3 and Forerunner 55) and the Amazfit Bip, and this is where they all fall completely flat. The UX is just horrible by comparison. It's like…

I'll buy an Apple Watch, but I'd pay through the nose for an Apple Watch with four buttons. Steve Jobs obsession that the mouse should have only one button was probably right for the computer, but the input device had over 80 buttons minimum. (Keyboard) Clearly whoever makes the call about Apple Watch buttons doesn't swim, sprint or cycle. All the marketing about "sports" is to make you feel sporty not because it's a…

> Steve Jobs obsession that the mouse should have only one button was probably right for the computer

LOL. Mine has 12, of which I regularly use 10.

Re: Over 16k people still use a Pebble smartwatch

#299

Post by janef0421 »

bitwrangler wrote: post #216
zeppelin101 wrote: post #213

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can still get those batteries replaced. It's just a lot more work.

There are many You-tube videos showing step by step. If you're slightly handy with small screws it's not hard. I've replaced my Samsung battery twice over the years. Look into it before you cast doubt and lose hope.

That was likely true of models from the mid-2010s, but based on what I've seen of Hugh Jeffrey's work, most modern, high-end smartphones are held together with glue and require the disconnection of multiple fragile ribbon cables to replace the battery. It's a daunting task even for someone with experience working on computer components.

Re: Over 16k people still use a Pebble smartwatch

#300

Post by wlesieutre »

etothepii wrote: post #293
Pfhortune wrote: post #290

Folks ITT will talk about watches that are similar in hardware, but what was magic about Pebble was the software and ecosystem. The OS was just a delight to use, fast, wonderfully animated, and let you sideload whatever you want. I've tried a couple of Garmin watches (Vivoactive 3 and Forerunner 55) and the Amazfit Bip, and this is where they all fall completely flat. The UX is just horrible by comparison. It's like…

I'll buy an Apple Watch, but I'd pay through the nose for an Apple Watch with four buttons. Steve Jobs obsession that the mouse should have only one button was probably right for the computer, but the input device had over 80 buttons minimum. (Keyboard) Clearly whoever makes the call about Apple Watch buttons doesn't swim, sprint or cycle. All the marketing about "sports" is to make you feel sporty not because it's a…

You'll be excited to hear that for $800 you can now get an Apple watch with one more button to assign to a sports thing!
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