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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

#381

Post by Pfhortune »

TheKnack wrote: post #348
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 agree that Garmin watches are not good general purpose smart watches for most people, but their UX is actually perfect for their intended users. Once you develop the muscle memory, it's possible to perform many functions without being able to see the screen. This is necessary when it's cold and layers are covering the screen. I have cold weather running shirts which have sleeves that mostly cover your hands, and ca…

That's fair. I'm definitely not super interested in a fitness oriented device, so I'm probably chafing against a UI that wasn't built for me.

To me, I hated that everything was so huge on the display, leading to very low information density. I always enjoyed how the pebble could show a decently long text message on the display at once, when the font was set to small.

I also feel like, outside of the fitness functions, the menus are too deep/branching. Pebble got it right, in that the menus tended to be shallow, if a little long at times.

Re: Over 16k people still use a Pebble smartwatch

#382

Post by Pfhortune »

monsieurgaufre wrote: post #304
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've never had a Pebble and mostly wanted to comment on the Garmin/smartwatches part of your comment. I was gifted a Garmin Vivoactive 3 a few years ago. Like you, I've come to the exact same conclusion regarding the Garmin watches. It is slow and annoyingly needs to connect to their servers to do anything (couldn't even access my own data when they were hacked). I still use it mostly when i run/cycle but battery lif…

> For a lot of reasons (price, planned obsolescence, privacy), i'll probably get a g-shock that'll last years on a coin cell that's easily replaceable everywhere.

Definitely take a look at the Casio G-Shock GBD100/200 watches. They're for sure bulky and sporty, though the 200 a bit less so. I'm impressed in what they can do on a coin cell! I haven't tried the BT connection yet, but they seem to do step tracking, timers, and silent alarms quite well! The UI/UX definitely isn't Pebble-esque and is very utilitarian, but seems solid.

Re: Over 16k people still use a Pebble smartwatch

#383

Post by mod »

igorsantos07 wrote: post #367
etothepii wrote: post #293

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

I had a really, really hard time finding a decent smart watch when my Pebble drowned. Two years and five(!!!) Ticwatches later (first was too slow, the other 4 were drowning in different ways when I was swimming)... I felt in love with the Samsung Watch 4 classic. Not that expensive, slick UI, full of features, great Android integration and a wonderful dial/crown which is well used in a couple of apps to make it all…

I have the original galaxy watch still. I use it almost without ever touching the screen. Two buttons and a crown/dial pretty much make it four buttons, and yeah, I don't have to touch the screen really.

I'm also not a very hardcore watch user, though.

I was sold on the GW because the OS (Tizen) was supposed to be the best one. Everyone hated the google OS, which then in GW4 I think they switched to.

Re: Over 16k people still use a Pebble smartwatch

#384

Post by gkhartman »

ciceryadam wrote: post #366
c0wb0yc0d3r wrote: post #351

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What do you have? (Crossing my fingers you don't say Razor)

I'm using a Logitech G604 at work, I have 15 buttons of keyboard shortcuts on it.

I love this mouse. Logitech software could be better, but it's much better than Razer's. Synapse seems to ruin what would otherwise be great hardware for the money.

Re: Over 16k people still use a Pebble smartwatch

#385

Post by abstract_put »

idoh wrote: post #324
mmmlinux wrote: post #236

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sounds like you want a heart rate monitor and not a watch.

As far as I can tell there are no hr monitors that can connect to chest straps. If one did then instant purchase. But I like the other tracking and sync of Apple Watch too, that would be a bonus.

I have a Garmin Fenix 6 that definitely can do this, I do it all the time. You can customize the display so that it only displays the heart rate, or e.g. the heart rate and heart rate zones. While the Fenix 6 is expensive, I think there are a whole bunch of watches in that segment at different price points that will do what you want.

I think the general category you're looking for is devices that support ANT+.

Re: Over 16k people still use a Pebble smartwatch

#387

Post by JohnFen »

davidbanham wrote: post #296
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.

The Instinct is what I replaced my Pebble with, too. I agree that it's a good stand-in for the Pebble (especially with the battery life) and I also use it to do things the Pebble could never have done (it is my bike computer, and I use it for navigation when out in the middle of the wilderness).

I still miss the Pebble, though.

I particularly miss being able to write custom apps.

Re: Over 16k people still use a Pebble smartwatch

#388

Post by JohnFen »

rchaud wrote: post #209
helsinkiandrew wrote: post #202

I've got a friend who still uses a Palm Pilot (circa 1998) as a daily calendar manager/notepad. Works at Google and delights in telling younger colleagues it's a Pixel 8 prototype.

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.

> I'm sad that tech did away with replaceable batteries.

This is one of the worst design trends (perhaps the worst) of modern-day devices.

Re: Over 16k people still use a Pebble smartwatch

#389

Post by sv7n »

solarkraft wrote: post #27

That few? I wasn't a huge fan of Pebble, the company - they didn't sell replacement parts, for instance (the watch for geeks? yeah, sure). For some crazy reason, though, to this day, this watch is still almost the only one that gets such a basic thing right: Telling the damn time. The formula is as simple as it is unreplicated: - Always telling the time - Good battery life - Buttons Why nobody else makes such a watch…

Garmin instinct - check - check - check

Re: Over 16k people still use a Pebble smartwatch

#390

Post by augasur »

fullstop wrote: post #154
augasur wrote: post #126

I was quite a fan of Pebble, but was not able to get it when it launched. I had Amazfit Bip for multiple years until it finally broke. After trying Android Wear, battery life if very bad, I am looking for alternatives. Is there any modern alternative to Pebble with all basic functions, such as eink display, battery life, notifications or call muting, but it also could reply to messages/notifications?

> I had Amazfit Bip for multiple years until it finally broke. The face fell off of mine, and the band snapped. The face was put back in with super glue and has been holding just fine for two years, and the band was replaced with a metal one which will last forever. How did yours break?

Mine broke same as yours. I was in a bath and the face fell off. Drying did not help. I had it over 2 years. RIP Amazfit.
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