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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

#81
post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Human rights? That's kind of a tenuous link at best. You could make the case that buying more increases the opportunities for those at the bottom. I'm not even necessarily making a factual statement here, but personally I don't feel that there's anything to reconcile.

A lot of raw materials that go into modern electronics are produced using slave labor, and the “recycled” devices tend to end up poisoning the environments of people in similarly disadvantaged communities. I don’t know enough about these things to know whether buying more or less of these devices directly helps enslaved people, but I don’t think it’s a stretch to observe that rampant consumerism does fuel the postcol…

It's also important to recognize consumerism has driven a lot of innovation which has benefited humanity. I venture to say one of the most impactful advancements in human history is providing access to the internet in almost every spot on the globe. That was influenced at least in part by so many people owning smart phones.

A sufficiently technologically advanced human species might be the only thing capable of stopping the next extinction event. Something that will almost certainly occur naturally without any intervention.

Re: Over 16k people still use a Pebble smartwatch

#82

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…

> Buttons

This is the killer feature for me and why I still use mine daily. I don't know why nobody else is doing this. With media controls on a shortcut slot I can pause whatever media I'm playing, switch songs, etc without even looking at the screen. No other smartwatch I've used comes close to that convenience.

Re: Over 16k people still use a Pebble smartwatch

#84
post #51
post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know a guy that bought every new Samsung flagship device as soon as they hit stores. He said he just has to upgrade.

I wonder sometimes how can people reconcile buying a new X every Y and still be concerned about human rights and the environment, etc.

I wonder sometimes how can people reconcile buying a new X ever and still be concerned about human rights and the environment, etc.

Re: Over 16k people still use a Pebble smartwatch

#85
post #78
post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know a guy that bought every new Samsung flagship device as soon as they hit stores. He said he just has to upgrade.

I know a guy who does this with Apple products. Half monthly salary for a phone for a year sounds extreme to me. Plus all the gimmicks that come with the phone - pad, phones and watch.

Admittedly there are tradeins. I know someone who does a fair bit of reviewing of camera gear including smartphone cameras. His approach seems to generally be to effectively rent a phone for a year.

With that said, I generally go for 3 years and use the older phone to drive my stereo, sometimes act as a travel spare, etc.

Re: Over 16k people still use a Pebble smartwatch

#86
post #35

I use 5 of them! And I have one more with a wasted battery that I intend to replace. And I'll still buy some more, because I want to have them available for the rest of my life. There are things that only the Pebble does: - button only interface that you can handle in the dark without glasses - a screen that barcode scanners can easily read for authentication into the gym and library - a TOTP app (authentication toke…

> a screen that barcode scanners can easily read for authentication into the gym and library Only Pebble can do this? Apple Watch does that too, like literally I use mine for the same cases you described

I think the above posted was saying more that the Pebble is the only smartwatch with all of those features.

Re: Over 16k people still use a Pebble smartwatch

#87
post #35

I use 5 of them! And I have one more with a wasted battery that I intend to replace. And I'll still buy some more, because I want to have them available for the rest of my life. There are things that only the Pebble does: - button only interface that you can handle in the dark without glasses - a screen that barcode scanners can easily read for authentication into the gym and library - a TOTP app (authentication toke…

> a screen that barcode scanners can easily read for authentication into the gym and library Only Pebble can do this? Apple Watch does that too, like literally I use mine for the same cases you described

I don't get it, many smartphones and smartwatches can be read by Barcode scanners never had any problems with it. (I used a few different samsung phones and watches)

Re: Over 16k people still use a Pebble smartwatch

#88
post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Human rights? That's kind of a tenuous link at best. You could make the case that buying more increases the opportunities for those at the bottom. I'm not even necessarily making a factual statement here, but personally I don't feel that there's anything to reconcile.

A lot of raw materials that go into modern electronics are produced using slave labor, and the “recycled” devices tend to end up poisoning the environments of people in similarly disadvantaged communities. I don’t know enough about these things to know whether buying more or less of these devices directly helps enslaved people, but I don’t think it’s a stretch to observe that rampant consumerism does fuel the postcol…

> A lot of raw materials that go into modern electronics are produced using slave labor,

Can you confirm this for Apple products? I couldn't find anything recent.

Re: Over 16k people still use a Pebble smartwatch

#89
post #78
post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know a guy that bought every new Samsung flagship device as soon as they hit stores. He said he just has to upgrade.

I know a guy who does this with Apple products. Half monthly salary for a phone for a year sounds extreme to me. Plus all the gimmicks that come with the phone - pad, phones and watch.

Wouldn’t be my choice for sure. But he presumably sells the old one.

Re: Over 16k people still use a Pebble smartwatch

#90
post #35

I use 5 of them! And I have one more with a wasted battery that I intend to replace. And I'll still buy some more, because I want to have them available for the rest of my life. There are things that only the Pebble does: - button only interface that you can handle in the dark without glasses - a screen that barcode scanners can easily read for authentication into the gym and library - a TOTP app (authentication toke…

> a screen that barcode scanners can easily read for authentication into the gym and library Only Pebble can do this? Apple Watch does that too, like literally I use mine for the same cases you described

Apple Watch is arguably not a general purpose "smartwatch" since it's actually only usable by those who happen to use iPhones.
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