How to help us build open source Pebble software
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How to help us build open source Pebble software
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Re: How to help us build open source Pebble software
#2As someone who didn't know much about or ever own a Pebble, can someone sell me on it and explain why it was so popular?
Re: How to help us build open source Pebble software
#3As someone who didn't know much about or ever own a Pebble, can someone sell me on it and explain why it was so popular?
I had a PebbleTime back in the day. It was such an awesome watch. 7ish days of battery with an always on display that had no glare (all because of e-ink). All the foundations of a smart watch, to me at least, like notifications, text response, weather, etc were just done so well.
Keep in mind that an always on smart watch that had good battery was (as far as I know) non-existent at the time. Now, the Apple Watch is fantastic and getting about a day and a half is plenty for me, but it wasn't until just recently that I had anything to fill the space that was left on my wrist after my Pebble left me.
I still have that Pebble Time, and I'll get it from my parent's home next time I visit. I absolutely loved that thing.
Would I switch back to it? Probably not, just because I'm a very happy Apple Watch user now, but if I was still on Android, I wouldn't think twice.
Edit: Thanks to the replies that clarify the difference between e-ink and e-paper. I always forget what the difference is, but I'll have to keep the insight in mind for the future!
Re: How to help us build open source Pebble software
#4As someone who didn't know much about or ever own a Pebble, can someone sell me on it and explain why it was so popular?
I owned a couple, with peak Pebble being the Pebble Round. It was the only smartwatch I owned that understood it was a watch meant to be worn on the wrist, and not a portal into a series of invasive micro notifications. It was helpful, without being obnoxious. It was slim and stylish, the kind of thing you'd wear even without the built in intelligence. It was there, but only when you wanted it.
Also the battery life was measured in days, when Apple couldn't go more than 12 hours.
Re: How to help us build open source Pebble software
#5As someone who didn't know much about or ever own a Pebble, can someone sell me on it and explain why it was so popular?
I loved that it was a fairly hackable watch with an always on display and battery life of more than a week. It did notifications and quick actions. No audio, touch screen, wifi, etc...
it did its job well.
Re: How to help us build open source Pebble software
#6As someone who didn't know much about or ever own a Pebble, can someone sell me on it and explain why it was so popular?
Battery life. Smart watches require lifestyle adaptations, which for many of us with ADHD are borderline absurd. Maintaining a smart watch battery is additional ceremony my life does not need.
Re: How to help us build open source Pebble software
#7As someone who didn't know much about or ever own a Pebble, can someone sell me on it and explain why it was so popular?
I look at the Pebble kind of like the musician Buddy Holly. Someone asked me, “what’s the big deal with Buddy Holly?” My short answer was that without Buddy Holly, he would not have influenced the Beatles (so said Lennon). No Beatles means modern music might be very different.
There would have been smartwatches without Pebble, but it was arguably the first practical smartwatch, and either paved the way for others, or at least had some influence. It might look simplistic now, but at the time it was the smartwatch equivalent of Buddy Holly.
I’m sure a little mythology helps, too. Like the “e-ink” display. Well, first off, Pebble never claimed it was “e-ink”, it was called “e-paper”. And if you want that display, Garmin still sells watches with the MIPS LCD displays. But the Pebble is still revered for having a unicorn display. Regardless, that display helped give it outstanding battery life.
The software was simple, and yet got the job done. The Pebble didn’t try and do more than it was capable of, making it responsive and simple to use. No touch screen, no gestures, just some buttons.
Re: How to help us build open source Pebble software
#8As someone who didn't know much about or ever own a Pebble, can someone sell me on it and explain why it was so popular?
Their time line UI was really good: Go back in time to see emails and texts. Go forward in time to see upcoming events and weather info.
I was never in doubt about was button to press. I have had my Apple Watch for many years now, but still fumble around with basic stuff like turning on the torch light.
You could select what apps you want to also trigger notifications on the watch. And easily pause notifications for an hour or for the rest of the day.
Re: How to help us build open source Pebble software
#9As someone who didn't know much about or ever own a Pebble, can someone sell me on it and explain why it was so popular?
It was really the first usable smartwatch in my mind.
My absolute favorite thing was that it gave developers the ability to create custom watch faces. I wrote a bunch of them and absolutely loved the dumb thing.
Re: How to help us build open source Pebble software
#10As someone who didn't know much about or ever own a Pebble, can someone sell me on it and explain why it was so popular?
I had a PebbleTime back in the day. It was such an awesome watch. 7ish days of battery with an always on display that had no glare (all because of e-ink). All the foundations of a smart watch, to me at least, like notifications, text response, weather, etc were just done so well. Keep in mind that an always on smart watch that had good battery was (as far as I know) non-existent at the time. Now, the Apple Watch is f…
> all because of e-ink
And yet the pebble used a transflective LCD, sharp marketed it as an eink display but it wasn't.