Pebble, the e-ink smartwatch that refuses to die, just went fully open source Pebble, the e-ink smartwatch with a tumultuous history, is making a move sure to please the DIY enthusiasts that make up the bulk of its fans: Its entire software stack is now fully open source, and key hardware design files are available too. Pebble creator Eric Migicovsky announced the move on Monday in a blog post and video …
I have an original Kickstarter Pebble somewhere, in one of these drawers*. Hopefully, its charging cable as well (but chewing gum and bellwire can be substituted, if necessary). Something to help fill January's long winter evenings.
* Stopped wearing it, replaced by an el cheapo Casio watch, shortly after the Fitbit thing happened and the Pebble lost a big chunk of its fun. Never really caught up Rebble, but now I have a bit nore time to play...
I had the Pebble Steel, which I loved. Such a great watch and always a talking point when anyone spotted it.
After about a year it started having screen corruption issues. Not all the time, just once every now and again and it would go away with a press of a button. This did seem to be a common problem on the Steel. Fair play to Pebble though, I sent them a photo of the screen corruption and they just sent me a brand new Pebble Time. Didn't even ask for the Steel back.
I loved the Time even more than the Steel and was gutted when the FitBit takeover happened.
I have both in a drawer somewhere. I may have to get them out and see if there's any life left in them.
Haven't worn a watch for years, just use a phone instead.
Have to say if I bought a smart watch it'd probably be a Garmin. They have round bezels and physical buttons. Plus enough features to tell me what I already know - that if I want better running times I need to push myself harder.
Despite being very geeky by nature it just seems a step too far even if supporting open source hardware is tempting. Shades of having an actual watch form factor Game and Watch in the 80s when of course I was completely cool, and wouldn't want to return to that to overshade my former glory *cough*.
Is there anything it is really compelling for, when you already have a phone in your pocket?
For me (bangle.js not pebble) the advantages of a watch form factor are
1) monitoring things like pulse rate
2) the ability to check who is calling/messaging without the disruption of getting the phone out. Meetings are the obvious example, but a more dubious example (that no-one here would condone, I'm sure) is that it is not normally illegal to look at your watch when driving.
Go back in time, people used to carry a pocket watch which had to be retrieved from a pocket, they were put on a chain to help find them.
Then, the military worked out it was better to strap them on the wrist and it caught on. The pocket watched all but disappeared.
Now, decades later, some haven’t figured out why and regressed back to fishing in the pocket.
I too like a mechanical watch, automatics preferred. No batteries, no charging all the time and they do what I need, tell the time.
I believe in the Unix philosophy, do one thing and do it well, so I don't have a smart phone, with all its distractions that they call apps. When I am out and about I don't want to be at the beck and call of all and sundry. Just leave me a voice message on my land line. I do have a thirty five year old Casio digital watch but there again it just tells the time.
Like Neil Barnes I too am old.
"I too like a mechanical watch, automatics preferred."
I rather fell for the Citizen Eco·Drive† as the automatics were a bit heavy on my slender wrist and wind-ups always stop at the most inconvenient (and hence thereafter, unknown) time due to my forgeting to wind them.
† Imagine the Seiko Solar are equally functional.
"do one thing and do it well, " — Just indicates the time.
The date is too small for my aging eyes so I don't now bother fiddling with it on the first day of Mar, May, Jul, Oct & Dec.
When your phone displays daylight saving time in a non DST region because of a telco cockup, a reliable wristwatch is appreciated.
and wind-ups always stop at the most inconvenient (and hence thereafter, unknown) time due to my forgeting to wind them.
I know this is pedantic, and I'm really really sorry... but the programmer in me can't help it.... Surely the time it stopped is the one thing you do know?
'Yet for some of us, (a) the phone could be lying around anywhere in the house, or occasionally forgotten in the car, and (b) we like the mechanical intricacies of a watch.'
I find one of the very useful thins about my watch, which is almost alwasy on my wrist is for finding the phone!
Now, decades later, some haven’t figured out why and regressed back to fishing in the pocket.
This was one of the main drivers for me for getting a smartwatch.
"I just use my phone" people say... but that was always inconvenient....
Sure, it's since saved my life with all it's health based nagging, but that's a side effect.
I'm not seeing any great advantages here! Even my fairly low end 2016 car has Bluetooth, and can pair to a phone. I'd have to check if it actually displays the caller though, it's very basic and is the generation before Android Auto - which certainly would do what you want.
Is there anything it is really compelling for, when you already have a phone in your pocket?
Even if my phone is in my pocket (and not in the other room or something), just lifting my wrist to read the time is much easier.
Mind you, I've worn a watch since well before I had my first mobile phone, so my wrist feels weird if there's not something strapped to it.
If you are a runner, then yes. I do use an Apple myself, in part because it means I have a telephone with me (eSim) and don't have to lug around the enormous phone (bought for th sie of the screen and the camera) when getting out, although by SO loves her Garmin. I find the interface a bit clunky on it, but if you are used to it it works very well for running and swimming.
We could just pass a law requiring suppliers of any product to release all the information necessary for third parties to repair it (including properly-annotated engineering drawings and software Source Code) or manufacture one like it, the moment they cease supporting it.
If you are not taking proper care of the things you have been trusted with the custody of, they should be taken from you and given to someone who can make better use of them.
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