15 ms·

Over 16k people still use a Pebble smartwatch

513 points by will0 4y ago

Daedren 4y ago
I was only forced to swap because the battery started inflating. Currently on an Amazfit Bip S, fills in all my needs really, and has even better battery life.
paulcole 4y ago
The smart watch market is just huge. If there are 100 million people who wear an Apple Watch, it’s not surprising that less than .02% of that number would like something as niche as the pebble. It’s like the iPod Classic people. Billions of people want music with them wherever they go. 12 of them like it in MP3 form on a little brick that’s not their phone.
- cptaj 4y ago
  Its me. I'm 12 of them.
- ghaff 4y ago
  It’s interesting to me that when the Apple Watch was coming out (and maybe more broadly when fitness bands etc. were becoming available) there was a pretty widespread sentiment that younger people didn’t want watches because why would they? They always had their phones.
  - andrepd 4y ago
    Honestly, I still don't see the value in a smartwatch. Paying with nfc with your wrist? That's probably the only use case I can see. But then it's not worth it having to charge yet another device daily
    - lotsofpulp 4y ago
      I like it because it lets me be on call without having my phone on me, which lets me avoid using my phone too much and give full attention to kids or whoever I am with. Also, the vibrate function for alarm or calls in the middle of the night does not disturb anyone else, but still gets me up.
    - JCharante 4y ago
      I like mine since I don't have to carry my heart rate monitor (HRM) around if I want to exercise. Some are good at sleep tracking too. It's a good pedometer and I can go on a run w/o my phone and the built in GPS keeps track of things. If my phone battery dies, I can still communicate with people (although many apps on the Apple Watch are badly designed to require a phone connection rather than just data). The notifications are nice if I'm on the subway and don't want to pull my phone out of my pocket to see what's up. It doesn't take long to charge the watch, whenever I take a shower I put it to charge and it's full battery by the time I'm back at my desk. I also like turning off alarms by using the watch rather than pulling out my phone.
    - david_allison 4y ago
      I don't own one, but I can also see the uses of: * Consuming notifications without potentially being distracted once you unlock your phone * Haptics for notifications - I'd like to be notified of some things, but 'vibrate' is a little too much * Fitness/sleep tracking
    - paulcole 4y ago
      I wear a Coros Apex Pro all day. Between notifications and GPS running ~40 miles a week I charge it about every 2.5 weeks.
      - xrd 4y ago
        Do you know what the developer story is for Coros? I'd never heard of it until you mentioned this, and it is an expensive device for sure.
        paulcole 4y ago
        Pretty locked down as far as I know. I really just use it stock out of the box and connect it to my Strava account. Strava does have a pretty cool API though. https://developers.strava.com/ https://developers.strava.com/ The Coros I have was around $400USD refurbished on Amazon. I considered the Apple Watch Ultra which was nearly 2x the price but wanted something made by a company focused on runners rather than a consumer products company making a running watch. Overall I’ve been extremely happy with it as a semi-serious runner.
    - ClassyJacket 4y ago
      I just like being able to customize the watch face basically, and see notifications without pulling out my phone.
    - ghaff 4y ago
      I have a use case for a watch. I like being able to just look at my wrist. Especially when traveling and doing activities like hiking, I do find watch modestly useful. Hiking distance etc. Apple Pay as you say. Calendar events and other notifications. It is for me modest benefit and I often wear a cheap Timex at home. And yes the charging is the big downside although there are quite a few things I do daily that are a routine.
    - Gigachad 4y ago
      Charging it isn’t really a difficultly. I don’t like to sleep with a watch on so I take it off and put it on my side table. Where the magnetic charger snaps on. Basically no more effort than not charging it.
    - mikepurvis 4y ago
      I was in this position as well but after about a year of a FitBit Luxe, I'm a convert. Fitness-wise, I like the heartrate and GPS tracking for walks and bike rides, and length-counting for lane swims. I like that it's an easy interface to input my weight and see that as a trend over time. And I like the sleep tracking and smart-wake alarms quite a bit. Notifications I could take or leave; they're not super reliable but have occasionally been useful. Battery life is IMO fine; I charge it once or twice a week while sitting at my desk or having a shower. I know I could cobble together these capabilities from a suite of other apps— Strava, Apple Health, whatever. And I get annoyed that certain things on the watch aren't more customizable. But the overall package is more than good enough for my basic needs, and has motivated me to make (and stick to) real lifestyle changes, which is ultimately the point, at least on the fitness side.
      - xrd 4y ago
        Can you write your own apps for a FitBit Luxe, i.e., can you pull the GPS data off using your own app, or get it off the device somehow?
        mikepurvis 4y ago
        No, you can't— it's only the large-screen devices that support custom JavaScript-based apps. For example, using https://github.com/200Tigersbloxed/FitbitHRtoWS https://github.com/200Tigersbloxed/FitbitHRtoWS to get realtime heartrate data, for example to display as a Twitch stream overlay. And it doesn't have its own GPS; it piggy-backs off the phone for that. Which is fine for cycling and running, but obviously doesn't work for open water swims where you could use GPS for position but wouldn't normally bring your phone.
    - hprotagonist 4y ago
      hr tracking, and listening to your own music with no sack-whacking in the gym.
    - robertlagrant 4y ago
      > But then it's not worth it having to charge yet another device daily This is why the Pebble was good. Charge it once a week.
    - ccouzens 4y ago
      I don't get it either. I do own a smart watch, but I don't use it in the typical manner. I don't ever want to see notifications on my wrist. People seem to think it's ok to read notifications in situations where looking at a phone would be rude, such as at dinner or whilst having a conversation. I wear mine when doing sport. I like that I can play music and track my activity without my phone. And I wear mine when navigating cities. I like that I can pay for public transport and check map directions without making myself a target by getting my phone out. Other than that, I don't wear mine. I don't see the point of wearing it day to day.
    - insane_dreamer 4y ago
      Best use case I've found is as a phone for kids. We recently got a cheap one for our 10-year old with a $10/mo plan so he can call/text us. Gave him a great sense of security, and us as well. (We can use FindMe to locate him if necessary, he can only test/get calls from contacts we add, so no robocalls, etc.) My mom, in her 70s, uses hers for calls a lot -- though in her case it's tethered to her phone so the phone has to be within range (I don't see how that's very useful, might as well use the phone).
    - dotnet00 4y ago
      Just as phones are conveniently charged overnight, a smartwatch usually charges fast enough that you can usually just put it on the charger for 30-40 minutes before bed (or overnight if you don't care for sleep tracking). For me telling the time is the least valuable aspect. It's convenient for email notifications, particularly since I don't tend to keep my phone in my pocket (or often even in sight), it's a convenient way to control music playback when out and about and things like weather reports are also neat info to have on a wrist. But even more valuable are the health related features, I tend to get too easily absorbed in work so the reminders to stretch when I've been sitting too long and the water consumption tracking is very useful. I also often have trouble sleeping, where the sleep coaching functionality is pretty useful for identifying what I need to do to fix things. Additionally having things like step count on my wrist has gotten me to try to walk more as it's a constant reminder of how little I walk. It's also a very convenient morning alarm since it stays on your wrist and can just use vibration to wake you instead of playing a loud sound and making you dig around for the phone while half asleep.
  - reaperducer 4y ago
    there was a pretty widespread sentiment that younger people didn’t want watches because why would they? I remember this, too. But good companies plan for the future, not the past. And all of those young people get older. That's one of the few certainties of life. So what Apple did (intentionally or unintentionally) is create a market, and then let its customers mature into it. Financial institutions do this all the time.
SentientAtom 4y ago
If it works for you, why would you migrate to a different product with features or performance outside of your needs? We are so deep into a disposable society that we eagerly await the NEXT BIG THING (TM) without ever evaluating what our need consists of or whether we have any need for an upgrade to begin with.
- dpcx 4y ago
  Well, the threat of the service going away is a pretty big one. Until we have devices that can work from our own hosted systems, this will always be a concern.
  - fsflover 4y ago
    > Until we have devices that can work from our own hosted systems We already do: https://pine64.org/pinetime https://pine64.org/pinetime.
    - hedora 4y ago
      Is that working yet? (I like my pine book pro; honest question.)
      - fsflover 4y ago
        It seems so: https://www.pine64.org/2022/10/18/infinitime-1-11/ https://www.pine64.org/2022/10/18/infinitime-1-11/.
- Gigachad 4y ago
  The pebble was a bit of a gimmick. It was the start of the future but on its own it was kind of worse than a regular watch. It looked ugly, had a terrible screen, didn’t have any of the stuff you mostly do with a smartwatch now. And half the features no longer work.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
emsimot 4y ago
I am one of those people! I'm scared of the day my pebble stops working, it's honestly the best peiece of electronics I've ever owned.
- brewdad 4y ago
  I had an original Pebble that I handed down to my son years ago when it stopped getting official support and I bought a smaller faced Garmin smartwatch to replace it. He still wears it most days today. Not sure if this is the software he's using today or not. I'll have to find out if he's one of the 16,000.
kojeovo 4y ago
Pebble was a game changer. Mine's in a drawer somewhere..
- Kaibeezy 4y ago
  Mine too. Would one or two of the 16k please make the pitch. What are the features that keep you using it? How much work to get it going again? This is timely for me as I’m now in the doghouse for missing a reminder to take my kid to the dentist yesterday :(
  - hobo_mark 4y ago
    Runs one week on a charge, I wrote a custom time-tracking app for it that I have been using for years, syncs with google calendar, shows TOTP auth codes, weather and notifications, controls music playback in the house, all without having to take my phone out...
- imdsm 4y ago
  As is mine. Loathe to throw it away, yet quite sure it doesn't work anymore.
  - popcalc 4y ago
    If you don't want it I'll gladly take it off your hands.
- ilyt 4y ago
  Same, I just got solar + radio sync watch as replacement, not having to do anything ever with it beats having to charge for some extra features, even if it is just once a week, "modern" one that I'd need to charge every day or two just sounds annoying...
- eptcyka 4y ago
  Can I buy it off you? Mine died this spring and I'm yet to recover.
ClassyJacket 4y ago
After the disaster that was the Galaxy Watch 4, I've given up completely on Android Wear - it is just too slow, even right out of the box, and the battery life is abysmal. Going flat at 7pm without anything extra installed and with 4G off is unacceptable. So I'm trying to move to a simpler watch with just basic smart features and longer battery life, but one where I can customize the watchface with code. I ended up going with Watchy: https://watchy.sqfmi.com/ https://watchy.sqfmi.com/ And it's cool, but it's extremely basic, a bit bulky and ugly, and has all the drawbacks of E-Paper. Pebble would have been perfect. If they still sold them I would buy one today. It's tragic the company went under so quickly. Maybe I should get a Pebble. But I don't really want to buy a second hand smartwatch, and I don't see the point in investing into something that will never be updated and has no official support. All this update does it make the phone companion app work on a Pixel 7. RIP Pebble. I hope someone makes something similar.
- lhoff 4y ago
  You might want to look into the Amazfit and Mi Band Devices that are supported by Gadgetbridge[1] I haven't looked into the process of watchface creation but there is a huge collection[2] that can be installed via Gadgetbridge. It also has the benefit that its privacy friendly without any cloud connections and fully opensource. [1]https://www.gadgetbridge.org/ https://www.gadgetbridge.org/ [2]https://amazfitwatchfaces.com/ https://amazfitwatchfaces.com/
- reaperducer 4y ago
  And it's cool, but it's extremely basic, a bit bulky and ugly, and has all the drawbacks of E-Paper. Can you elaborate a bit about the e-paper part? I always believed that watches were the perfect place for e-paper. Low power, durable, always-on, wide viewing angle, no need to constant refresh. I thought the smaller the display, the better suited it was for e-paper.
- dboreham 4y ago
  > After the disaster that was the Galaxy Watch 4 Wait...what?? I've used all the Samsung watches, with 3G/LTE, and the 4 is leaps and bounds better than anything that preceded it (and is for me quite usable and hassle-free).
emj 4y ago
I'm looking at buying readily available a cheap programmable smartwatch. PineTime was easy to write programs for and that Casio replacement board [0] discussed here earlier also hade a nice tool chain, but with shipping and taxes it's just too bothersome. [0] https://www.crowdsupply.com/oddly-specific-objects/sensor-watch https://www.crowdsupply.com/oddly-specific-objects/sensor-wa...
- anoonmoose 4y ago
  I bought into the Bangle.js 2 Kickstarter and I have to say, I'm incredibly happy with it. Granted, I've done nothing with it besides design my own watch face and take advantage of the GPS to set the time occasionally, but I know it's capable of a lot more. It was very easy to write the watch face code, and I feel like it would be pretty easy to do whatever I wanted to do. Ecosystem for it is probably a bit more developed than it was at launch, too- they were supposed to follow up with some apps that made interfacing it with your phone easier, dunno where that ended up. To be fair- I've also got PineTime bookmarked for if my Bangle.js 2 ever breaks, or I just want to mess around with some lower-level aspects of watch firmware. https://www.espruino.com/Bangle.js2 https://www.espruino.com/Bangle.js2
  - triyambakam 4y ago
    How easy is to write games for a Bangle.js 2? I want a hackable smart watch that I can make simple games for :)
    - emj 4y ago
      There is an emulator on the web, so develop something simple and the order one. I wanted to buy ten watches so Bangle.js was not an option, but if you just want something programmable I do recommend it. https://www.espruino.com/ide/?emulator https://www.espruino.com/ide/?emulator https://www.espruino.com/Bangle.js+First+App https://www.espruino.com/Bangle.js+First+App
    - anoonmoose 4y ago
      Their "app store" is online [0] and you can actually review the source code for all of the apps on it by clicking the github icon on each entry, here's one for example [1] [0] https://banglejs.com/apps/?c=game https://banglejs.com/apps/?c=game [1] https://github.com/espruino/BangleApps/tree/master/apps/blackjack https://github.com/espruino/BangleApps/tree/master/apps/blac...
diego_moita 4y ago
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 tokens) that you can access with only a button press, etc.
- haunter 4y ago
  > 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
  - Jackim 4y ago
    I think the above posted was saying more that the Pebble is the only smartwatch with all of those features.
  - jonas-w 4y ago
    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)
  - john-radio 4y ago
    Apple Watch is arguably not a general purpose "smartwatch" since it's actually only usable by those who happen to use iPhones.
  - diego_moita 4y ago
    Don't know about the Apple Watch, I'm out of Apple's walled garden. My experience with bright screens is that low density bar codes work ok mostly. But some high density codes don't work well. One of them is Plessey, still used in Europe.
    - 4y ago
FortiDude 4y ago
Count me in! In my mind my smartwatch doesn't need more computing power or complexity than your average microcontroller, so as long as it lasts I'm keeping mine in good use
naoru 4y ago
Count me two. Me and my esposa still use our Pebble Times. Once in a blue moon I buy a hot new smart watch, but nothing lasted more than a week before being resold.
keraf 4y ago
As a big Pebble fan, I was really sad to see the company go without any similar alternatives in the market (at the time). My watches ended up having various hardware issues over the years, so I switched to something else. The efforts Rebble has put in to keep these devices alive is amazing. If they grow bigger, I'd love to see them do hardware. In the meantime, I'm wearing a Withings ScanWatch [0]. Not as extendable as a Pebble, but it has some features I care about and doesn't distract me. [0] https://www.withings.com/ch/en/scanwatch https://www.withings.com/ch/en/scanwatch
- dcormier 4y ago
  Are there any comparable alternatives to Pebble even now? I’ve yet to see one, but I haven’t followed the market very closely since I stopped using one.
  - Belphemur 4y ago
    If I remember correctly, after Fitbit purchased pebble they released the Versa line up that had some similar functionalities. However it looks like Google is killing that in newer iterations...
    - happymellon 4y ago
      I got a Versa 3 after my Galaxy Active stopped working, after my Bip broke, and after my Pebble screen went bad. I've enjoyed it, although I am really missing the ability to write my own apps. Everything else is great. I understand that the Versa 4 is generally worse than the 3. Insane, why would you remove music controls?
      - sulam 4y ago
        You can absolutely write your own apps for the Versa 3.
        happymellon 4y ago
solarkraft 4y ago
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 is a mystery to me. The Amazfit Bip comes close, but it requires touch interaction and doesn't look as nice as the Pebble Time Steel. It's also supported by GadgetBridge though and also does heart rate tracking while having much better battery life (while being smaller!). When my Bip broke after a few months I bought another (5 years old at this point!) Pebble and am pretty happy with it. I could use some heart rate tracking, though.
- stardenburden 4y ago
  Most Garmin watches fit your formula
- capableweb 4y ago
  Basically the only reason I got the smartwatch I got, is because it always displays the time, even if it runs out of battery, that it can vibrate when I receive phone calls, it keeps track of my heart rate and sleeping activity. The battery also lasts days rather than hours, which is pretty nice. I don't exactly know which model it is, but it's a Garmin watch with the traditional hour/minute arms and a tiny little screen. But it really kicks ass at telling me the time :)
  - rypskar 4y ago
    Maybe a Garmin vivomove HR, I got mine for the same reasons
- will0 4y ago
  The actual number of Pebble users is likely far higher, this is just the count we get from our side at Rebble. There are more Pebble users out there using Gadgetbridge for example.
odiroot 4y ago
I'm one of them. Still love it. The built-in compass and the third-party app that integrates with Google Maps are priceless to me. Using physical buttons as opposed to touchscreen is another great feature. All these years, I haven't found a replacement.
- hobo_mark 4y ago
  Wait, which versions have a compass? My P2HR does not mention that anywhere.
  - 51Cards 4y ago
    My Time model has a compass and I use it quite a bit. There are several compass apps in the store.
  - odiroot 4y ago
    I have Pebble Time. The compass app is a factory one, I believe.
- esel2k 4y ago
  How or what do you integrate with google maps? I only see notifications and it stops after a while.
  - odiroot 4y ago
    I bought (ages ago) the _Nav Me_ companion app. It parses Google Maps notifications and shows you directions on the watch. Also vibrates and turns the light on for every step.
    - esel2k 4y ago
      But thats Android only right?
robg 4y ago
Wonder how many are still using an iPod nano as a watch. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1104350651/tiktok-lunatik-multi-touch-watch-kits https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1104350651/tiktok-lunat...
- reaperducer 4y ago
  Wonder how many are still using an iPod nano as a watch. I still use my iPod Shuffles a couple of days a week, so there's probably someone out there. Every time I upgrade macOS, I'm amazed that even the ancient iPods are still supported. I bunged my launch day Shuffle (17 years old) into my new Mac over the weekend, and it works fine, still syncs, and Finder even still shows the icon for it. Same with my also 17-year-old iPod Video. Man, 17 years went by quickly.
- maratc 4y ago
  My iPod nano battery expanded and cracked the whole device open. I almost literally cried, as I loved that little device too much. Getting a replacement is not an option as any iPod nano battery is about 10 years old now. A sign of what will happen to all the Apple Watches out there.
  - SanjayMehta 4y ago
    I loved my 80Gb classic iPod. When its hard drive finally died I couldn't bring myself to dispose of it.
    - hellomyguys 4y ago
      You can definitely replace the hard drive with parts online!
      - SanjayMehta 4y ago
        The SSD adapter and drive are available but I can't get hold of the iPod back. The instructions I saw say that the edges of the case get damaged ... and I'm clumsy.
jpswade 4y ago
That doesn’t seem that many, how many people use Fitbit or Apple Watch?
- p0pcult 4y ago
  For a watch that you can no longer buy from OEM or get OEM support from, it's a lot, no?
  - TeMPOraL 4y ago
    OG Pebble is how many years old now? (EDIT: ten. Ten years old.) Modern hardware rarely lasts that long, but this one does; my wife is still happily using it, and it is still better than Apple Watch in terms of UX / actually useful functionality.
    - p0pcult 4y ago
      I still have 3. They have everything I want in a watch: vibrating alarm, long battery life, calendar functionality. I also use an app that stores my 2FA tokens/passcodes, so that if i ever lose or am away from my phone, i still have access to critical accounts.
- gnicholas 4y ago
  Considering how many years it’s been since the devices have been sold, and the fact that the company no longer exists, it’s not bad!
bullen 4y ago
Yes; my Time, 2 and 2 HR still work. The final smartwatch. Sleep monitor is perfect and notifications really help so I never miss anything important without disturbing anyone else.
Markoff 4y ago
same here with Amazfit Bip, had few months stint with AMOLED smartwatch which was necessary to charge twice a week until I got fed up with that (plus unreadable display in sunlight unless maximum brightness) and bought again second Amazfit Bip (1st broke) which cost me less than 20USD used and I have to charge it once a month plus it has perfectly readable transreflective display not requiring any backlight, which looks better with more sunlight, it's shame almost all companies switched to nice looking but extremely power hungry AMOLED displays, I wish there were cheap options for simple watch with transreflective display or e-ink I would be perfectly content with something like Casio F91W if it could display notifications through bluetooth from my phone, I don't really need any sleep tracking or any other features just watch with notifications so I don't have to turn on phone screen
- insane_dreamer 4y ago
  > just watch with notifications so I don't have to turn on phone screen you might like the Withings
  - Markoff 4y ago
    they are anything but cheap, display to show notifications seem to have only expensive models
- TMWNN 4y ago
  I'm like you, down to getting a second Bip (Lite in my case) for $20 after the first one broke (Let me guess: Case popped open?). There is nothing else on the market with its combination of * incredible battery life * tens of thousands of watch faces * HR * always-on transflective display * notifications
  - Markoff 4y ago
    I mean there are watches with good battery life and transreflective display, BUT they are huge/thick (I like Bip size, would not mind even Casio F91W) AND expensive, Bip had great combo of amazing dimensions, amazing battery life and very reasonable price. If my Bip crap out and I won't be able another used one I might as well ditch smartchwatch completely and just move to F91W for time and check notifications on phone again, for sure not buying anything thicker than 10mm which needsa to be charged more than twice a month and display must be always readable at least since morning till evening without some dumb hand gestures.
ajolly 4y ago
I love my pebbles. Especially with notification center on Android, I can set complex regex filters for what messages get sent to my watch, vibration patterns etc.
mfashby 4y ago
16,001 once I manage to repair mine :)
m-p-3 4y ago
Sadly mine has a dead battery, and I'm afraid to replace it and damage the seal. I switched to multiple "cheap" smartwatches (Mi Band, Amazfit Bip) before settling on the bangle.js2, but despite the specs being similar, the OS on the Pebble feels way more responsible and faster. Hopefully that improves over time, and the main developer (Gordon Williams, who is also the main dev for Espruino upon which the bangle.js firmware is based on) is easy to reach out and talk to :) Loved my Pebble, and I appreciate my bangle.js2 more and more.
- troyvit 4y ago
  Yeah I've been agonizing about the bangle for months now (thanks HN) and I saw a recent post from Gordon[1] that says the cutting edge builds are getting much faster. [1] https://forum.espruino.com/conversations/381203/ https://forum.espruino.com/conversations/381203/
insane_dreamer 4y ago
Pebble was a great watch; mine's been in my drawer for years as I ran into some issues with updates after the company went away. Switched back to my trusty analog (Citizen World Time Eco Drive) for years, and recently got a Withings Scanwatch for the ECG feature (afib detection). It's pretty much what I want in a "smartwatch" -- analog, discrete notifications, HR during cycling/workouts, long battery life. I don't need a fully computer on my wrist.
- gnicholas 4y ago
  Can it control music playback from a linked smartphone?
  - insane_dreamer 4y ago
    No music features.
MereInterest 4y ago
I've wanted a smartwatch, but times I'd looked into smart watches, especially for activity/sleep tracking, I couldn't find a single one with a reasonable privacy policy. In the US, unless the data are self-hosted or covered by HIPAA, there's nothing binding about a privacy policy. Even if the privacy policy currently prevents the data from being sold, the policy can be changed, the company could be bought, or the company could go bankrupt with the databases sold at auction. Because HIPAA covers medical companies rather than medical data, it does nothing to prevent this. Until this loophole is closed (or a miracle happens and the US passes something akin to the GDPR), the lack of privacy prevents me from getting one. And every time I hear about the Pebble and self-hosting, I get disappointed that it no longer exists.
627467 4y ago
I have a pebble time and a og pebble steel in the drawer. Recently wanted to start using the steel but unfortunately it suffers from the dead button syndrome... I can even accept the onboarding pairing. Apparently I may be able to fix this if I try some soldering, but I'm an inexperienced solderer...
- atom058 4y ago
  Give it a try! The worst thing that can happen is that you destroy something that wasn't working anyway, and you learn something nee But more likely than not you will manage to wrangle it back together somehow :) Good luck!
nosecreek 4y ago
Seeing as several folks have recommended the Amazfit Bip as an alternative, and I’m considering getting one, I’m wondering if anyone who owns one can comment on: 1. How well it plays with iPhone and 2. Do you have any privacy concerns? I don’t know much about Amazfit as a company.
- 627467 4y ago
  Im ex-pebble user that now uses a GTS 2. For a while I only cared about personalized watchfaces and alarms on my wrist so that model was more than enough. But now I want some basic apps (ie TOTP) but this model doesn't support apps...
- fullstop 4y ago
  I have the Bip, but not an iPhone. I don't use the official app, which has mostly alleviated my privacy concerns.
- jmcphers 4y ago
  If you're at all concerned about privacy with the Bip, you can use the open source Gadgetbridge app[1] instead of Zepp for collecting metrics/syncing/uploading faces/etc. https://gadgetbridge.org/ https://gadgetbridge.org/
  - nosecreek 4y ago
    Thanks. Looks like it’s Android only, but I’ll look to see if there’s anything similar for iOS
rekoil 4y ago
Every time Pebble is brought up it brings a tear to my eye, and I wonder what would have happened to the brand if they had accepted the offer from Citizen, who were obviously interested in continuing the line. The Pebble Time 2 was so far ahead of its time, I promise you I would still be rocking it (or whatever came after it from Pebble) if they had shipped it to me.
- krono 4y ago
  Never got my Pebble Time 2 either and I'm still sad about it today. The continuous trickle of articles about how great these second generation Pebbles turned out, and my ongoing wait for an alternative that comes even close certainly haven't helped me forget! Just noticed the Kickstarter page is still up https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/getpebble/pebble-2-time-2-and-core-an-entirely-new-3g-ultra https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/getpebble/pebble-2-time...
  - rekoil 4y ago
    Ah man, it still looks great in comparison to the stuff in the market today :(
- drewzero1 4y ago
  I've seen a lot of smartwatches that can match maybe 80-90% of the functionality of the Pebble, but miss something important. I occasionally wish my Pebble Time Steel had a slightly larger screen and a heart rate monitor (like the Time 2 would have) but other than that it's been nearly perfect. If/when something happens to it I'll probably give up on smartwatches and go back to wearing mechanical or solar analog watches again.
- erohead 4y ago
  One of the dumbest Pebble rumours I heard after everything went down - 'Citizen was interested in buying us for $740m'. No one at the time noticed that this was more than Citizen's entire market cap https://twitter.com/ericmigi/status/1513737199287627779 https://twitter.com/ericmigi/status/1513737199287627779
augasur 4y ago
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?
- fullstop 4y ago
  > 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?
  - augasur 4y ago
    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.
rdschouw 4y ago
I use my Pebble Time Round or Pebble Time Steel daily on IOS using the official Pebble app. Every major IOS release I think this is the time my Pebble app stops working but it is still going strong on IOS16. Safe for another year. :)
- altintx 4y ago
  How's the battery holding on with your Round? I abandoned mine three years ago because of a combination of poor capacity and an unreliable charger but I miss it constantly.
  - rdschouw 4y ago
    Good actually. It still has 2 days life time but I tend to charge it daily for 15m to keep it running forever. When I am wearing my Pebble Time Steel, I make sure that it has 50% charge before switching it off. This tends to keep the battery level between 20 and 80% between charges. I think that's the sweet spot.
fattybob 4y ago
I have one somewhere, lived the idea and possibilities, sadly the watch (steel version) had scarily sharp edges i felt it was dangerous!!! But I still watched them closely hoping they could improve in the model
- chaostheory 4y ago
  I’ve owned two pebble steel watches. I didn’t notice this even with the one I kept
edejong 4y ago
There still is no good replacement for these properties of the Pebble 2 smartwatch: - > 7 days battery life - HR monitor (useful as a sports watch) - < 10 mm thickness - toned down to fit different clothing styles - hackable - high-contrast, always-on screen - buttons I am currently wearing a Garmin Fenix 7 Sapphire sportswatch, which comes close.
- system2 4y ago
  Garmin Instinct 2. Unlimited battery life, never needs charging. It is thicker than 10mm but it is nearly indestructible. No needs hacking because it would take all day to use all features it brings. It is nearly the perfect smartwatch.
  - alfiedotwtf 4y ago
    Came here to say the same thing. It's still hackable to some degree with Monkey C: https://developer.garmin.com/connect-iq/reference-guides/monkey-c-reference/ https://developer.garmin.com/connect-iq/reference-guides/mon...
  - imiric 4y ago
    That one fails the "toned down" aspect. It looks like one of those old G-Shock monstrosities. Definitely not the same aesthetic as the Pebble.
- INTPenis 4y ago
  Not hackable but I replaced my Pebble Time with a Fossil Collider HR and was very happy until it broke 1 week ago. Now I'm in a different country trying to get a replacement. It had a MONTH charge and it filled all my requirements which were mainly about getting notifications.
  - gnicholas 4y ago
    How did it break? I've read in forums that the screens go bad when exposed to to much sunlight, which seems like an odd weakness for a wearable.
RajT88 4y ago
It is a tragedy that I don't much enjoy wearing watches (I don't like the sweat under the band), because I loved my Pebble 2. I still wear it sometimes if I am doing something outdoorsy and likely to be covered in fish guts or river water or mud or whatever. Occasionally, I am one of those 16k.
throwaway2203 4y ago
I just want a watch that shows the time, lets me see and respond to notifications and set the occasional reminder/alarm.
51Cards 4y ago
I am one of those and every year I renew my Rebble subscription to keep my devices viable as long as possible. I currently have 4 of them, including 2 still "new in box". I still haven't found anything else that suits my use case as well. Still makes me sad though that the Time 2 model didn't release as it would have fixed the few (!) complaints I had about my Time.
helsinkiandrew 4y ago
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.
- rchaud 4y ago
  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.
  - zeppelin101 4y ago
    You can still get those batteries replaced. It's just a lot more work.
    - bitwrangler 4y ago
      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.
      - rchaud 4y ago
        I might go to a shop, but I'm not going to fiddle around with a screwdriver and a YouTube video for something manufacturers themsleves let you do in 5 seconds. However, that does not leave me with workable alternatives. I respect what Fairphone is trying to do, but €500 for a replaceable battery phone with internals several years old isn't the right choice for me.
        gambiting 4y ago
        >>but I'm not going to fiddle around with a screwdriver and a YouTube video But.....why? It's hardly any effort. Saying "I won't fiddle around with a screwdriver" is a stance as respectable as someone saying they are proud of not being able to do maths or know basic geography facts.
Cpoll 4y ago
I've always wanted a "watch" (bracelet) that doesn't show the time. Essentially a narrow bracelet with no display and a few buttons on it that I can program, and a vibrating function so I can leave my phone on silent. I already have a watch I like to wear. wearchronos.com seemed to hit my use case, but the reviews aren't great.
- dirtyid 4y ago
  Basically, except for media controls for winter where gloves+swipe don't work. I ended up using a bluetooth media remote for cars. But a simple fitness band with a few buttons and a silence slider would be great.
- idoh 4y ago
  Same - something like a headless Apple Watch would be ideal. I legit just want HR tracking and connecting to a chest strap HR monitor, and no watch display, other than the current HR.
  - mmmlinux 4y ago
    Sounds like you want a heart rate monitor and not a watch.
    - jrmg 4y ago
      I had an Epson Pulsense years ago. Looks like the PS-100 is still in sale and fits this description.
    - idoh 4y ago
      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.
      - sulam 4y ago
        Polar watch does this?
h4waii 4y ago
I've got a 2SE on my wrist right now, with a few in storage. For the cost of a brand new case ($30) and batteries, I plan to keep using them until the software fails spectacularly. There's really nothing that compares for my usage.
2OEH8eoCRo0 4y ago
I'm sad that I chucked my Pebble 2. The rubber on the watch itself started to deteriorate and I figured these services were never coming back. It's the only smartwatch I've owned and I loved it. I'm back to my $5 Casio now.
hnbad 4y ago
I still have one and wear it daily. I need a smartwatch that tells the time, gives me notifications, doesn't blind me in the dark but is readable in daylight and lasts days without charging. Calendar access and weather are a bonus. The pebble does all of that. I was somewhat excited when the Apple Watch was announced only to find out that it, of course, was going to be usable with iOS devices only and therefore not an option for Android users like me. I still haven't found a good alternative to the Pebble and all the lo-fi watches are primarily fitness trackers, which I have no use for.
danjoredd 4y ago
I completely understand. They were good watches. I almost bought one, then changed my mind because I didn't have the funds and didn't want to risk overdraft. They went out of business the week after, so I never got the chance to get one
dkasper 4y ago
I still daily drive an Apple Watch Series 3. I use it as a watch and a fitness tracker and have no complaints or reason to upgrade until it breaks. Battery life is still well over 1 day with my usage.
modeless 4y ago
I'd still be using mine if the battery (and its replacement) hadn't worn out. I was pretty hard on the battery, using a watch face that updated a lot. I plan to reluctantly get a Pixel Watch. It's the first Android Wear watch since the Moto 360 that looks decent. Still way too thick though and still with a garbage outdated SoC (which wouldn't matter if the software was efficient like Pebble, but...)
breck 4y ago
I loved the Pebble and went to the first developer conference. They treated devs right. Then I moved to Microsoft Band, Microsoft Band 2, FitBit Charge, Fitbit Ionic, Fitbit Versa, Fitbit Sense, and now on FitBit Sense 2 (definitely a big leap forward). I view Pebble as a huge success, even if it wasn't an immediate financial windfall for the team, as they pioneered something critical for humans.
Watchwatcher 4y ago
I basically want an old school style mp3 player with bluetooth and a GPS tracker that I can just plug into a computer and grab the gpx data, and copy mp3s to its disk. No apps, no locked down ecosystems. If it tells the time and shows a calendar, great.
- brewdad 4y ago
  I used to run with a Sansa Clip. It was perfect for that use case. Tiny, practically weightless, and could store many hours of music. My computer treated it like any USB drive, so it was easy to update. One of mine (I think I burned through 3 of them over the years even had an FM radio. Today, when I run, I just carry my phone. It ends up doing everything the old clip did but in a much larger and more cumbersome package. I'd probably carry my phone anyway these days after having a run, years ago, where my IT band told me I was done NOW but I was 8 miles from home. It was early Sunday morning and I ended up walking 2 miles on country roads and then through an empty office park before I found some place with a phone to call for a ride. That sucked.
  - Watchwatcher 4y ago
    I do the phone thing, too. It's just kinda clunky but you're right, probably safest way to be out.
jbj 4y ago
in addition to these, there may be watches without a rebble subscription being used with gadgetbridge which can work without internet
centro 4y ago
Maybe Rebble is a new brand that can start production of e-ink based smart watches that don't try do to everything.
efields 4y ago
that is… a small number
- TeMPOraL 4y ago
  It's undercounting a lot - there are many people who use Gadgetbridge instead of Rebble, and I'd argue that most people use neither - the OG stock app and stock firmware forks perfectly fine to this day, even with the very first generation that's few months shy of a decade old, and which my wife still happily uses today. So, a fraction of users using alternate firmware to the watch that's up to 10 years old - an eternity for modern electronics - and whose vendor shut down 6 years ago. I'd say it's quite a big number.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
Pfhortune 4y ago
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 these companies have no regard for designing the OS UX and are just trying to cram features in. And the fact that companies want to make touchscreen watches is just with few/no buttons is baffling to me. Tapping tiny buttons on a tiny screen is a horrible experience. And there's tons of moving targets because of the tiny amount of real-estate. Pebble _just got it_ with the 2.0 OS and beyond. They were a joy to use. I begrudgingly have gone back to using an Apple Watch, because despite being subpar, the UX is somewhat together these days, just enough to be tolerable. When I move away from iOS again, I'll probably either pull out an old Pebble that still has some battery life, or a Casio GBD200, which isn't really a smartwatch but ticks some major boxes for me (always-on-display, silent vibration alarm, and timers, chief among them). The GBD200 runs on a coin cell too, so I never have to worry about charging or a replacement being difficult to find!
- etothepii 4y ago
  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.
  - balfirevic 4y ago
    > 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.
    - 4y ago
enobrev 4y ago
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.
fny 4y ago
Another really cool toy we need to start hacking is the Sony FES U [0]. This thing has e-ink on its strap, and it runs Free RTOS. It's the sickest watch concept I've seen in years. [0]: https://fashion-entertainments.com https://fashion-entertainments.com [1]: https://fashion-entertainments.com/fes-watch-u/fw/oss.html https://fashion-entertainments.com/fes-watch-u/fw/oss.html
mrinterweb 4y ago
Pebble understood what a smartwatch should be. Everyone else was trying to make a nearly phone independent device, and pebble's take was more of a phone accessory. Also the battery life was incredible. You had an always on display with a week long battery. There was a lot of love about Pebble. I still have two in my drawer, and I had no idea the devices were still usable. I might dust one off now.
- system2 4y ago
  Garmin Instinct 2 has forever battery life doesn't even need charging once after purchasing.
WesternWind 4y ago
People ask me about my Pebble fairly regularly. I think they mostly notice the rainbow watch band I have, then realize it doesn't look like a Apple Watch.
rrdharan 4y ago
From some of the other comments here seems like it’s more like about 160 people with 100 watches each…
oldgradstudent 4y ago
A friend of mine did some design work for them and got one of their top of the line models. He tried to gift it to multiple people (including me) and they all returned it to him after a week or so.
wanderingmind 4y ago
As an aside can someone tell me where can I buy old pebble phones. I boutht my first pebble watch in 2015. It worked for a long time but I lost it and would love to get one now, just to keep it in a safe
themoonisachees 4y ago
Plugging the Watchy by sqfmi because I have one and it's awesome.
JohnFen 4y ago
This is exciting! I still have a couple of Pebbles kicking around. I really miss them -- to this day, no other smartwatch meets my needs as well. I should dig them out.
fennecfoxy 4y ago
The Pebble Time Round is the best smartwatch I ever used. I have a Samsung GW4 now though - there are a few things I would've liked to see pebble add to upper tier models, for example a sports one with GPS etc, along with being able to store/play Spotify/other music providers stuff over bluetooth (for going on runs). I think the Apple Watch, with all it's flashy animations and bright, beautiful screen contributed to the issue; people only see the shiny, they don't realise they don't need all of those features/oled screen and that they're sacrificing a week long (or more!) battery life for them. I regularly got like 4-5 days out of the Round and it was super thin! I imagine had they done a model as thick as the GW4 it would've lasted 2 weeks or so! I really wish smart watches had gone in the Pebble direction, always on displays should be the primary feature for people. MIP LCD, not oled. Then again, I really can't wait until we _finally_ get some properly commercialised AR glasses as I'd rather use those over a phone or watch or anything else at this point.

513 points by will0 4y ago

I was only forced to swap because the battery started inflating. Currently on an Amazfit Bip S, fills in all my needs really, and has even better battery life.

paulcole 4y ago

The smart watch market is just huge. If there are 100 million people who wear an Apple Watch, it’s not surprising that less than .02% of that number would like something as niche as the pebble. It’s like the iPod Classic people. Billions of people want music with them wherever they go. 12 of them like it in MP3 form on a little brick that’s not their phone.

cptaj 4y ago
Its me. I'm 12 of them.
ghaff 4y ago
It’s interesting to me that when the Apple Watch was coming out (and maybe more broadly when fitness bands etc. were becoming available) there was a pretty widespread sentiment that younger people didn’t want watches because why would they? They always had their phones.
- andrepd 4y ago
  Honestly, I still don't see the value in a smartwatch. Paying with nfc with your wrist? That's probably the only use case I can see. But then it's not worth it having to charge yet another device daily
  - lotsofpulp 4y ago
    I like it because it lets me be on call without having my phone on me, which lets me avoid using my phone too much and give full attention to kids or whoever I am with. Also, the vibrate function for alarm or calls in the middle of the night does not disturb anyone else, but still gets me up.
  - JCharante 4y ago
    I like mine since I don't have to carry my heart rate monitor (HRM) around if I want to exercise. Some are good at sleep tracking too. It's a good pedometer and I can go on a run w/o my phone and the built in GPS keeps track of things. If my phone battery dies, I can still communicate with people (although many apps on the Apple Watch are badly designed to require a phone connection rather than just data). The notifications are nice if I'm on the subway and don't want to pull my phone out of my pocket to see what's up. It doesn't take long to charge the watch, whenever I take a shower I put it to charge and it's full battery by the time I'm back at my desk. I also like turning off alarms by using the watch rather than pulling out my phone.
  - david_allison 4y ago
    I don't own one, but I can also see the uses of: * Consuming notifications without potentially being distracted once you unlock your phone * Haptics for notifications - I'd like to be notified of some things, but 'vibrate' is a little too much * Fitness/sleep tracking
  - paulcole 4y ago
    I wear a Coros Apex Pro all day. Between notifications and GPS running ~40 miles a week I charge it about every 2.5 weeks.
    - xrd 4y ago
      Do you know what the developer story is for Coros? I'd never heard of it until you mentioned this, and it is an expensive device for sure.
      - paulcole 4y ago
        Pretty locked down as far as I know. I really just use it stock out of the box and connect it to my Strava account. Strava does have a pretty cool API though. https://developers.strava.com/ https://developers.strava.com/ The Coros I have was around $400USD refurbished on Amazon. I considered the Apple Watch Ultra which was nearly 2x the price but wanted something made by a company focused on runners rather than a consumer products company making a running watch. Overall I’ve been extremely happy with it as a semi-serious runner.
  - ClassyJacket 4y ago
    I just like being able to customize the watch face basically, and see notifications without pulling out my phone.
  - ghaff 4y ago
    I have a use case for a watch. I like being able to just look at my wrist. Especially when traveling and doing activities like hiking, I do find watch modestly useful. Hiking distance etc. Apple Pay as you say. Calendar events and other notifications. It is for me modest benefit and I often wear a cheap Timex at home. And yes the charging is the big downside although there are quite a few things I do daily that are a routine.
  - Gigachad 4y ago
    Charging it isn’t really a difficultly. I don’t like to sleep with a watch on so I take it off and put it on my side table. Where the magnetic charger snaps on. Basically no more effort than not charging it.
  - mikepurvis 4y ago
    I was in this position as well but after about a year of a FitBit Luxe, I'm a convert. Fitness-wise, I like the heartrate and GPS tracking for walks and bike rides, and length-counting for lane swims. I like that it's an easy interface to input my weight and see that as a trend over time. And I like the sleep tracking and smart-wake alarms quite a bit. Notifications I could take or leave; they're not super reliable but have occasionally been useful. Battery life is IMO fine; I charge it once or twice a week while sitting at my desk or having a shower. I know I could cobble together these capabilities from a suite of other apps— Strava, Apple Health, whatever. And I get annoyed that certain things on the watch aren't more customizable. But the overall package is more than good enough for my basic needs, and has motivated me to make (and stick to) real lifestyle changes, which is ultimately the point, at least on the fitness side.
    - xrd 4y ago
      Can you write your own apps for a FitBit Luxe, i.e., can you pull the GPS data off using your own app, or get it off the device somehow?
      - mikepurvis 4y ago
        No, you can't— it's only the large-screen devices that support custom JavaScript-based apps. For example, using https://github.com/200Tigersbloxed/FitbitHRtoWS https://github.com/200Tigersbloxed/FitbitHRtoWS to get realtime heartrate data, for example to display as a Twitch stream overlay. And it doesn't have its own GPS; it piggy-backs off the phone for that. Which is fine for cycling and running, but obviously doesn't work for open water swims where you could use GPS for position but wouldn't normally bring your phone.
  - hprotagonist 4y ago
    hr tracking, and listening to your own music with no sack-whacking in the gym.
  - robertlagrant 4y ago
    > But then it's not worth it having to charge yet another device daily This is why the Pebble was good. Charge it once a week.
  - ccouzens 4y ago
    I don't get it either. I do own a smart watch, but I don't use it in the typical manner. I don't ever want to see notifications on my wrist. People seem to think it's ok to read notifications in situations where looking at a phone would be rude, such as at dinner or whilst having a conversation. I wear mine when doing sport. I like that I can play music and track my activity without my phone. And I wear mine when navigating cities. I like that I can pay for public transport and check map directions without making myself a target by getting my phone out. Other than that, I don't wear mine. I don't see the point of wearing it day to day.
  - insane_dreamer 4y ago
    Best use case I've found is as a phone for kids. We recently got a cheap one for our 10-year old with a $10/mo plan so he can call/text us. Gave him a great sense of security, and us as well. (We can use FindMe to locate him if necessary, he can only test/get calls from contacts we add, so no robocalls, etc.) My mom, in her 70s, uses hers for calls a lot -- though in her case it's tethered to her phone so the phone has to be within range (I don't see how that's very useful, might as well use the phone).
  - dotnet00 4y ago
    Just as phones are conveniently charged overnight, a smartwatch usually charges fast enough that you can usually just put it on the charger for 30-40 minutes before bed (or overnight if you don't care for sleep tracking). For me telling the time is the least valuable aspect. It's convenient for email notifications, particularly since I don't tend to keep my phone in my pocket (or often even in sight), it's a convenient way to control music playback when out and about and things like weather reports are also neat info to have on a wrist. But even more valuable are the health related features, I tend to get too easily absorbed in work so the reminders to stretch when I've been sitting too long and the water consumption tracking is very useful. I also often have trouble sleeping, where the sleep coaching functionality is pretty useful for identifying what I need to do to fix things. Additionally having things like step count on my wrist has gotten me to try to walk more as it's a constant reminder of how little I walk. It's also a very convenient morning alarm since it stays on your wrist and can just use vibration to wake you instead of playing a loud sound and making you dig around for the phone while half asleep.
- reaperducer 4y ago
  there was a pretty widespread sentiment that younger people didn’t want watches because why would they? I remember this, too. But good companies plan for the future, not the past. And all of those young people get older. That's one of the few certainties of life. So what Apple did (intentionally or unintentionally) is create a market, and then let its customers mature into it. Financial institutions do this all the time.

SentientAtom 4y ago

If it works for you, why would you migrate to a different product with features or performance outside of your needs? We are so deep into a disposable society that we eagerly await the NEXT BIG THING (TM) without ever evaluating what our need consists of or whether we have any need for an upgrade to begin with.

dpcx 4y ago
Well, the threat of the service going away is a pretty big one. Until we have devices that can work from our own hosted systems, this will always be a concern.
- fsflover 4y ago
  > Until we have devices that can work from our own hosted systems We already do: https://pine64.org/pinetime https://pine64.org/pinetime.
  - hedora 4y ago
    Is that working yet? (I like my pine book pro; honest question.)
    - fsflover 4y ago
      It seems so: https://www.pine64.org/2022/10/18/infinitime-1-11/ https://www.pine64.org/2022/10/18/infinitime-1-11/.
Gigachad 4y ago
The pebble was a bit of a gimmick. It was the start of the future but on its own it was kind of worse than a regular watch. It looked ugly, had a terrible screen, didn’t have any of the stuff you mostly do with a smartwatch now. And half the features no longer work.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]

emsimot 4y ago

I am one of those people! I'm scared of the day my pebble stops working, it's honestly the best peiece of electronics I've ever owned.

brewdad 4y ago
I had an original Pebble that I handed down to my son years ago when it stopped getting official support and I bought a smaller faced Garmin smartwatch to replace it. He still wears it most days today. Not sure if this is the software he's using today or not. I'll have to find out if he's one of the 16,000.

kojeovo 4y ago

Pebble was a game changer. Mine's in a drawer somewhere..

Kaibeezy 4y ago
Mine too. Would one or two of the 16k please make the pitch. What are the features that keep you using it? How much work to get it going again? This is timely for me as I’m now in the doghouse for missing a reminder to take my kid to the dentist yesterday :(
- hobo_mark 4y ago
  Runs one week on a charge, I wrote a custom time-tracking app for it that I have been using for years, syncs with google calendar, shows TOTP auth codes, weather and notifications, controls music playback in the house, all without having to take my phone out...
imdsm 4y ago
As is mine. Loathe to throw it away, yet quite sure it doesn't work anymore.
- popcalc 4y ago
  If you don't want it I'll gladly take it off your hands.
ilyt 4y ago
Same, I just got solar + radio sync watch as replacement, not having to do anything ever with it beats having to charge for some extra features, even if it is just once a week, "modern" one that I'd need to charge every day or two just sounds annoying...
eptcyka 4y ago
Can I buy it off you? Mine died this spring and I'm yet to recover.

ClassyJacket 4y ago

After the disaster that was the Galaxy Watch 4, I've given up completely on Android Wear - it is just too slow, even right out of the box, and the battery life is abysmal. Going flat at 7pm without anything extra installed and with 4G off is unacceptable. So I'm trying to move to a simpler watch with just basic smart features and longer battery life, but one where I can customize the watchface with code. I ended up going with Watchy: https://watchy.sqfmi.com/ https://watchy.sqfmi.com/ And it's cool, but it's extremely basic, a bit bulky and ugly, and has all the drawbacks of E-Paper. Pebble would have been perfect. If they still sold them I would buy one today. It's tragic the company went under so quickly. Maybe I should get a Pebble. But I don't really want to buy a second hand smartwatch, and I don't see the point in investing into something that will never be updated and has no official support. All this update does it make the phone companion app work on a Pixel 7. RIP Pebble. I hope someone makes something similar.

lhoff 4y ago
You might want to look into the Amazfit and Mi Band Devices that are supported by Gadgetbridge[1] I haven't looked into the process of watchface creation but there is a huge collection[2] that can be installed via Gadgetbridge. It also has the benefit that its privacy friendly without any cloud connections and fully opensource. [1]https://www.gadgetbridge.org/ https://www.gadgetbridge.org/ [2]https://amazfitwatchfaces.com/ https://amazfitwatchfaces.com/
reaperducer 4y ago
And it's cool, but it's extremely basic, a bit bulky and ugly, and has all the drawbacks of E-Paper. Can you elaborate a bit about the e-paper part? I always believed that watches were the perfect place for e-paper. Low power, durable, always-on, wide viewing angle, no need to constant refresh. I thought the smaller the display, the better suited it was for e-paper.
dboreham 4y ago
> After the disaster that was the Galaxy Watch 4 Wait...what?? I've used all the Samsung watches, with 3G/LTE, and the 4 is leaps and bounds better than anything that preceded it (and is for me quite usable and hassle-free).

emj 4y ago

I'm looking at buying readily available a cheap programmable smartwatch. PineTime was easy to write programs for and that Casio replacement board [0] discussed here earlier also hade a nice tool chain, but with shipping and taxes it's just too bothersome. [0] https://www.crowdsupply.com/oddly-specific-objects/sensor-watch https://www.crowdsupply.com/oddly-specific-objects/sensor-wa...

anoonmoose 4y ago
I bought into the Bangle.js 2 Kickstarter and I have to say, I'm incredibly happy with it. Granted, I've done nothing with it besides design my own watch face and take advantage of the GPS to set the time occasionally, but I know it's capable of a lot more. It was very easy to write the watch face code, and I feel like it would be pretty easy to do whatever I wanted to do. Ecosystem for it is probably a bit more developed than it was at launch, too- they were supposed to follow up with some apps that made interfacing it with your phone easier, dunno where that ended up. To be fair- I've also got PineTime bookmarked for if my Bangle.js 2 ever breaks, or I just want to mess around with some lower-level aspects of watch firmware. https://www.espruino.com/Bangle.js2 https://www.espruino.com/Bangle.js2
- triyambakam 4y ago
  How easy is to write games for a Bangle.js 2? I want a hackable smart watch that I can make simple games for :)
  - emj 4y ago
    There is an emulator on the web, so develop something simple and the order one. I wanted to buy ten watches so Bangle.js was not an option, but if you just want something programmable I do recommend it. https://www.espruino.com/ide/?emulator https://www.espruino.com/ide/?emulator https://www.espruino.com/Bangle.js+First+App https://www.espruino.com/Bangle.js+First+App
  - anoonmoose 4y ago
    Their "app store" is online [0] and you can actually review the source code for all of the apps on it by clicking the github icon on each entry, here's one for example [1] [0] https://banglejs.com/apps/?c=game https://banglejs.com/apps/?c=game [1] https://github.com/espruino/BangleApps/tree/master/apps/blackjack https://github.com/espruino/BangleApps/tree/master/apps/blac...

diego_moita 4y ago

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 tokens) that you can access with only a button press, etc.

haunter 4y ago
> 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
- Jackim 4y ago
  I think the above posted was saying more that the Pebble is the only smartwatch with all of those features.
- jonas-w 4y ago
  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)
- john-radio 4y ago
  Apple Watch is arguably not a general purpose "smartwatch" since it's actually only usable by those who happen to use iPhones.
- diego_moita 4y ago
  Don't know about the Apple Watch, I'm out of Apple's walled garden. My experience with bright screens is that low density bar codes work ok mostly. But some high density codes don't work well. One of them is Plessey, still used in Europe.
  - 4y ago

FortiDude 4y ago

Count me in! In my mind my smartwatch doesn't need more computing power or complexity than your average microcontroller, so as long as it lasts I'm keeping mine in good use

naoru 4y ago

Count me two. Me and my esposa still use our Pebble Times. Once in a blue moon I buy a hot new smart watch, but nothing lasted more than a week before being resold.

keraf 4y ago

As a big Pebble fan, I was really sad to see the company go without any similar alternatives in the market (at the time). My watches ended up having various hardware issues over the years, so I switched to something else. The efforts Rebble has put in to keep these devices alive is amazing. If they grow bigger, I'd love to see them do hardware. In the meantime, I'm wearing a Withings ScanWatch [0]. Not as extendable as a Pebble, but it has some features I care about and doesn't distract me. [0] https://www.withings.com/ch/en/scanwatch https://www.withings.com/ch/en/scanwatch

dcormier 4y ago
Are there any comparable alternatives to Pebble even now? I’ve yet to see one, but I haven’t followed the market very closely since I stopped using one.
- Belphemur 4y ago
  If I remember correctly, after Fitbit purchased pebble they released the Versa line up that had some similar functionalities. However it looks like Google is killing that in newer iterations...
  - happymellon 4y ago
    I got a Versa 3 after my Galaxy Active stopped working, after my Bip broke, and after my Pebble screen went bad. I've enjoyed it, although I am really missing the ability to write my own apps. Everything else is great. I understand that the Versa 4 is generally worse than the 3. Insane, why would you remove music controls?
    - sulam 4y ago
      You can absolutely write your own apps for the Versa 3.
      - happymellon 4y ago

solarkraft 4y ago

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 is a mystery to me. The Amazfit Bip comes close, but it requires touch interaction and doesn't look as nice as the Pebble Time Steel. It's also supported by GadgetBridge though and also does heart rate tracking while having much better battery life (while being smaller!). When my Bip broke after a few months I bought another (5 years old at this point!) Pebble and am pretty happy with it. I could use some heart rate tracking, though.

stardenburden 4y ago
Most Garmin watches fit your formula
capableweb 4y ago
Basically the only reason I got the smartwatch I got, is because it always displays the time, even if it runs out of battery, that it can vibrate when I receive phone calls, it keeps track of my heart rate and sleeping activity. The battery also lasts days rather than hours, which is pretty nice. I don't exactly know which model it is, but it's a Garmin watch with the traditional hour/minute arms and a tiny little screen. But it really kicks ass at telling me the time :)
- rypskar 4y ago
  Maybe a Garmin vivomove HR, I got mine for the same reasons
will0 4y ago
The actual number of Pebble users is likely far higher, this is just the count we get from our side at Rebble. There are more Pebble users out there using Gadgetbridge for example.

odiroot 4y ago

I'm one of them. Still love it. The built-in compass and the third-party app that integrates with Google Maps are priceless to me. Using physical buttons as opposed to touchscreen is another great feature. All these years, I haven't found a replacement.

hobo_mark 4y ago
Wait, which versions have a compass? My P2HR does not mention that anywhere.
- 51Cards 4y ago
  My Time model has a compass and I use it quite a bit. There are several compass apps in the store.
- odiroot 4y ago
  I have Pebble Time. The compass app is a factory one, I believe.
esel2k 4y ago
How or what do you integrate with google maps? I only see notifications and it stops after a while.
- odiroot 4y ago
  I bought (ages ago) the _Nav Me_ companion app. It parses Google Maps notifications and shows you directions on the watch. Also vibrates and turns the light on for every step.
  - esel2k 4y ago
    But thats Android only right?

robg 4y ago

Wonder how many are still using an iPod nano as a watch. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1104350651/tiktok-lunatik-multi-touch-watch-kits https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1104350651/tiktok-lunat...

reaperducer 4y ago
Wonder how many are still using an iPod nano as a watch. I still use my iPod Shuffles a couple of days a week, so there's probably someone out there. Every time I upgrade macOS, I'm amazed that even the ancient iPods are still supported. I bunged my launch day Shuffle (17 years old) into my new Mac over the weekend, and it works fine, still syncs, and Finder even still shows the icon for it. Same with my also 17-year-old iPod Video. Man, 17 years went by quickly.
maratc 4y ago
My iPod nano battery expanded and cracked the whole device open. I almost literally cried, as I loved that little device too much. Getting a replacement is not an option as any iPod nano battery is about 10 years old now. A sign of what will happen to all the Apple Watches out there.
- SanjayMehta 4y ago
  I loved my 80Gb classic iPod. When its hard drive finally died I couldn't bring myself to dispose of it.
  - hellomyguys 4y ago
    You can definitely replace the hard drive with parts online!
    - SanjayMehta 4y ago
      The SSD adapter and drive are available but I can't get hold of the iPod back. The instructions I saw say that the edges of the case get damaged ... and I'm clumsy.

jpswade 4y ago

That doesn’t seem that many, how many people use Fitbit or Apple Watch?

p0pcult 4y ago
For a watch that you can no longer buy from OEM or get OEM support from, it's a lot, no?
- TeMPOraL 4y ago
  OG Pebble is how many years old now? (EDIT: ten. Ten years old.) Modern hardware rarely lasts that long, but this one does; my wife is still happily using it, and it is still better than Apple Watch in terms of UX / actually useful functionality.
  - p0pcult 4y ago
    I still have 3. They have everything I want in a watch: vibrating alarm, long battery life, calendar functionality. I also use an app that stores my 2FA tokens/passcodes, so that if i ever lose or am away from my phone, i still have access to critical accounts.
gnicholas 4y ago
Considering how many years it’s been since the devices have been sold, and the fact that the company no longer exists, it’s not bad!

bullen 4y ago

Yes; my Time, 2 and 2 HR still work. The final smartwatch. Sleep monitor is perfect and notifications really help so I never miss anything important without disturbing anyone else.

Markoff 4y ago

same here with Amazfit Bip, had few months stint with AMOLED smartwatch which was necessary to charge twice a week until I got fed up with that (plus unreadable display in sunlight unless maximum brightness) and bought again second Amazfit Bip (1st broke) which cost me less than 20USD used and I have to charge it once a month plus it has perfectly readable transreflective display not requiring any backlight, which looks better with more sunlight, it's shame almost all companies switched to nice looking but extremely power hungry AMOLED displays, I wish there were cheap options for simple watch with transreflective display or e-ink I would be perfectly content with something like Casio F91W if it could display notifications through bluetooth from my phone, I don't really need any sleep tracking or any other features just watch with notifications so I don't have to turn on phone screen

insane_dreamer 4y ago
> just watch with notifications so I don't have to turn on phone screen you might like the Withings
- Markoff 4y ago
  they are anything but cheap, display to show notifications seem to have only expensive models
TMWNN 4y ago
I'm like you, down to getting a second Bip (Lite in my case) for $20 after the first one broke (Let me guess: Case popped open?). There is nothing else on the market with its combination of * incredible battery life * tens of thousands of watch faces * HR * always-on transflective display * notifications
- Markoff 4y ago
  I mean there are watches with good battery life and transreflective display, BUT they are huge/thick (I like Bip size, would not mind even Casio F91W) AND expensive, Bip had great combo of amazing dimensions, amazing battery life and very reasonable price. If my Bip crap out and I won't be able another used one I might as well ditch smartchwatch completely and just move to F91W for time and check notifications on phone again, for sure not buying anything thicker than 10mm which needsa to be charged more than twice a month and display must be always readable at least since morning till evening without some dumb hand gestures.

ajolly 4y ago

I love my pebbles. Especially with notification center on Android, I can set complex regex filters for what messages get sent to my watch, vibration patterns etc.

mfashby 4y ago

16,001 once I manage to repair mine :)

m-p-3 4y ago

Sadly mine has a dead battery, and I'm afraid to replace it and damage the seal. I switched to multiple "cheap" smartwatches (Mi Band, Amazfit Bip) before settling on the bangle.js2, but despite the specs being similar, the OS on the Pebble feels way more responsible and faster. Hopefully that improves over time, and the main developer (Gordon Williams, who is also the main dev for Espruino upon which the bangle.js firmware is based on) is easy to reach out and talk to :) Loved my Pebble, and I appreciate my bangle.js2 more and more.

troyvit 4y ago
Yeah I've been agonizing about the bangle for months now (thanks HN) and I saw a recent post from Gordon[1] that says the cutting edge builds are getting much faster. [1] https://forum.espruino.com/conversations/381203/ https://forum.espruino.com/conversations/381203/

insane_dreamer 4y ago

Pebble was a great watch; mine's been in my drawer for years as I ran into some issues with updates after the company went away. Switched back to my trusty analog (Citizen World Time Eco Drive) for years, and recently got a Withings Scanwatch for the ECG feature (afib detection). It's pretty much what I want in a "smartwatch" -- analog, discrete notifications, HR during cycling/workouts, long battery life. I don't need a fully computer on my wrist.

gnicholas 4y ago
Can it control music playback from a linked smartphone?
- insane_dreamer 4y ago
  No music features.

MereInterest 4y ago

I've wanted a smartwatch, but times I'd looked into smart watches, especially for activity/sleep tracking, I couldn't find a single one with a reasonable privacy policy. In the US, unless the data are self-hosted or covered by HIPAA, there's nothing binding about a privacy policy. Even if the privacy policy currently prevents the data from being sold, the policy can be changed, the company could be bought, or the company could go bankrupt with the databases sold at auction. Because HIPAA covers medical companies rather than medical data, it does nothing to prevent this. Until this loophole is closed (or a miracle happens and the US passes something akin to the GDPR), the lack of privacy prevents me from getting one. And every time I hear about the Pebble and self-hosting, I get disappointed that it no longer exists.

627467 4y ago

I have a pebble time and a og pebble steel in the drawer. Recently wanted to start using the steel but unfortunately it suffers from the dead button syndrome... I can even accept the onboarding pairing. Apparently I may be able to fix this if I try some soldering, but I'm an inexperienced solderer...

atom058 4y ago
Give it a try! The worst thing that can happen is that you destroy something that wasn't working anyway, and you learn something nee But more likely than not you will manage to wrangle it back together somehow :) Good luck!

nosecreek 4y ago

Seeing as several folks have recommended the Amazfit Bip as an alternative, and I’m considering getting one, I’m wondering if anyone who owns one can comment on: 1. How well it plays with iPhone and 2. Do you have any privacy concerns? I don’t know much about Amazfit as a company.

627467 4y ago
Im ex-pebble user that now uses a GTS 2. For a while I only cared about personalized watchfaces and alarms on my wrist so that model was more than enough. But now I want some basic apps (ie TOTP) but this model doesn't support apps...
fullstop 4y ago
I have the Bip, but not an iPhone. I don't use the official app, which has mostly alleviated my privacy concerns.
jmcphers 4y ago
If you're at all concerned about privacy with the Bip, you can use the open source Gadgetbridge app[1] instead of Zepp for collecting metrics/syncing/uploading faces/etc. https://gadgetbridge.org/ https://gadgetbridge.org/
- nosecreek 4y ago
  Thanks. Looks like it’s Android only, but I’ll look to see if there’s anything similar for iOS

rekoil 4y ago

Every time Pebble is brought up it brings a tear to my eye, and I wonder what would have happened to the brand if they had accepted the offer from Citizen, who were obviously interested in continuing the line. The Pebble Time 2 was so far ahead of its time, I promise you I would still be rocking it (or whatever came after it from Pebble) if they had shipped it to me.

krono 4y ago
Never got my Pebble Time 2 either and I'm still sad about it today. The continuous trickle of articles about how great these second generation Pebbles turned out, and my ongoing wait for an alternative that comes even close certainly haven't helped me forget! Just noticed the Kickstarter page is still up https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/getpebble/pebble-2-time-2-and-core-an-entirely-new-3g-ultra https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/getpebble/pebble-2-time...
- rekoil 4y ago
  Ah man, it still looks great in comparison to the stuff in the market today :(
drewzero1 4y ago
I've seen a lot of smartwatches that can match maybe 80-90% of the functionality of the Pebble, but miss something important. I occasionally wish my Pebble Time Steel had a slightly larger screen and a heart rate monitor (like the Time 2 would have) but other than that it's been nearly perfect. If/when something happens to it I'll probably give up on smartwatches and go back to wearing mechanical or solar analog watches again.
erohead 4y ago
One of the dumbest Pebble rumours I heard after everything went down - 'Citizen was interested in buying us for $740m'. No one at the time noticed that this was more than Citizen's entire market cap https://twitter.com/ericmigi/status/1513737199287627779 https://twitter.com/ericmigi/status/1513737199287627779

augasur 4y ago

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?

fullstop 4y ago
> 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?
- augasur 4y ago
  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.

rdschouw 4y ago

I use my Pebble Time Round or Pebble Time Steel daily on IOS using the official Pebble app. Every major IOS release I think this is the time my Pebble app stops working but it is still going strong on IOS16. Safe for another year. :)

altintx 4y ago
How's the battery holding on with your Round? I abandoned mine three years ago because of a combination of poor capacity and an unreliable charger but I miss it constantly.
- rdschouw 4y ago
  Good actually. It still has 2 days life time but I tend to charge it daily for 15m to keep it running forever. When I am wearing my Pebble Time Steel, I make sure that it has 50% charge before switching it off. This tends to keep the battery level between 20 and 80% between charges. I think that's the sweet spot.

fattybob 4y ago

I have one somewhere, lived the idea and possibilities, sadly the watch (steel version) had scarily sharp edges i felt it was dangerous!!! But I still watched them closely hoping they could improve in the model

chaostheory 4y ago
I’ve owned two pebble steel watches. I didn’t notice this even with the one I kept

edejong 4y ago

There still is no good replacement for these properties of the Pebble 2 smartwatch: - > 7 days battery life - HR monitor (useful as a sports watch) - < 10 mm thickness - toned down to fit different clothing styles - hackable - high-contrast, always-on screen - buttons I am currently wearing a Garmin Fenix 7 Sapphire sportswatch, which comes close.

system2 4y ago
Garmin Instinct 2. Unlimited battery life, never needs charging. It is thicker than 10mm but it is nearly indestructible. No needs hacking because it would take all day to use all features it brings. It is nearly the perfect smartwatch.
- alfiedotwtf 4y ago
  Came here to say the same thing. It's still hackable to some degree with Monkey C: https://developer.garmin.com/connect-iq/reference-guides/monkey-c-reference/ https://developer.garmin.com/connect-iq/reference-guides/mon...
- imiric 4y ago
  That one fails the "toned down" aspect. It looks like one of those old G-Shock monstrosities. Definitely not the same aesthetic as the Pebble.
INTPenis 4y ago
Not hackable but I replaced my Pebble Time with a Fossil Collider HR and was very happy until it broke 1 week ago. Now I'm in a different country trying to get a replacement. It had a MONTH charge and it filled all my requirements which were mainly about getting notifications.
- gnicholas 4y ago
  How did it break? I've read in forums that the screens go bad when exposed to to much sunlight, which seems like an odd weakness for a wearable.

RajT88 4y ago

It is a tragedy that I don't much enjoy wearing watches (I don't like the sweat under the band), because I loved my Pebble 2. I still wear it sometimes if I am doing something outdoorsy and likely to be covered in fish guts or river water or mud or whatever. Occasionally, I am one of those 16k.

throwaway2203 4y ago

I just want a watch that shows the time, lets me see and respond to notifications and set the occasional reminder/alarm.

51Cards 4y ago

I am one of those and every year I renew my Rebble subscription to keep my devices viable as long as possible. I currently have 4 of them, including 2 still "new in box". I still haven't found anything else that suits my use case as well. Still makes me sad though that the Time 2 model didn't release as it would have fixed the few (!) complaints I had about my Time.

helsinkiandrew 4y ago

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.

rchaud 4y ago
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.
- zeppelin101 4y ago
  You can still get those batteries replaced. It's just a lot more work.
  - bitwrangler 4y ago
    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.
    - rchaud 4y ago
      I might go to a shop, but I'm not going to fiddle around with a screwdriver and a YouTube video for something manufacturers themsleves let you do in 5 seconds. However, that does not leave me with workable alternatives. I respect what Fairphone is trying to do, but €500 for a replaceable battery phone with internals several years old isn't the right choice for me.
      - gambiting 4y ago
        >>but I'm not going to fiddle around with a screwdriver and a YouTube video But.....why? It's hardly any effort. Saying "I won't fiddle around with a screwdriver" is a stance as respectable as someone saying they are proud of not being able to do maths or know basic geography facts.

Cpoll 4y ago

I've always wanted a "watch" (bracelet) that doesn't show the time. Essentially a narrow bracelet with no display and a few buttons on it that I can program, and a vibrating function so I can leave my phone on silent. I already have a watch I like to wear. wearchronos.com seemed to hit my use case, but the reviews aren't great.

dirtyid 4y ago
Basically, except for media controls for winter where gloves+swipe don't work. I ended up using a bluetooth media remote for cars. But a simple fitness band with a few buttons and a silence slider would be great.
idoh 4y ago
Same - something like a headless Apple Watch would be ideal. I legit just want HR tracking and connecting to a chest strap HR monitor, and no watch display, other than the current HR.
- mmmlinux 4y ago
  Sounds like you want a heart rate monitor and not a watch.
  - jrmg 4y ago
    I had an Epson Pulsense years ago. Looks like the PS-100 is still in sale and fits this description.
  - idoh 4y ago
    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.
    - sulam 4y ago
      Polar watch does this?

h4waii 4y ago

I've got a 2SE on my wrist right now, with a few in storage. For the cost of a brand new case ($30) and batteries, I plan to keep using them until the software fails spectacularly. There's really nothing that compares for my usage.

2OEH8eoCRo0 4y ago

I'm sad that I chucked my Pebble 2. The rubber on the watch itself started to deteriorate and I figured these services were never coming back. It's the only smartwatch I've owned and I loved it. I'm back to my $5 Casio now.

hnbad 4y ago

I still have one and wear it daily. I need a smartwatch that tells the time, gives me notifications, doesn't blind me in the dark but is readable in daylight and lasts days without charging. Calendar access and weather are a bonus. The pebble does all of that. I was somewhat excited when the Apple Watch was announced only to find out that it, of course, was going to be usable with iOS devices only and therefore not an option for Android users like me. I still haven't found a good alternative to the Pebble and all the lo-fi watches are primarily fitness trackers, which I have no use for.

danjoredd 4y ago

I completely understand. They were good watches. I almost bought one, then changed my mind because I didn't have the funds and didn't want to risk overdraft. They went out of business the week after, so I never got the chance to get one

dkasper 4y ago

I still daily drive an Apple Watch Series 3. I use it as a watch and a fitness tracker and have no complaints or reason to upgrade until it breaks. Battery life is still well over 1 day with my usage.

modeless 4y ago

I'd still be using mine if the battery (and its replacement) hadn't worn out. I was pretty hard on the battery, using a watch face that updated a lot. I plan to reluctantly get a Pixel Watch. It's the first Android Wear watch since the Moto 360 that looks decent. Still way too thick though and still with a garbage outdated SoC (which wouldn't matter if the software was efficient like Pebble, but...)

breck 4y ago

I loved the Pebble and went to the first developer conference. They treated devs right. Then I moved to Microsoft Band, Microsoft Band 2, FitBit Charge, Fitbit Ionic, Fitbit Versa, Fitbit Sense, and now on FitBit Sense 2 (definitely a big leap forward). I view Pebble as a huge success, even if it wasn't an immediate financial windfall for the team, as they pioneered something critical for humans.

Watchwatcher 4y ago

I basically want an old school style mp3 player with bluetooth and a GPS tracker that I can just plug into a computer and grab the gpx data, and copy mp3s to its disk. No apps, no locked down ecosystems. If it tells the time and shows a calendar, great.

brewdad 4y ago
I used to run with a Sansa Clip. It was perfect for that use case. Tiny, practically weightless, and could store many hours of music. My computer treated it like any USB drive, so it was easy to update. One of mine (I think I burned through 3 of them over the years even had an FM radio. Today, when I run, I just carry my phone. It ends up doing everything the old clip did but in a much larger and more cumbersome package. I'd probably carry my phone anyway these days after having a run, years ago, where my IT band told me I was done NOW but I was 8 miles from home. It was early Sunday morning and I ended up walking 2 miles on country roads and then through an empty office park before I found some place with a phone to call for a ride. That sucked.
- Watchwatcher 4y ago
  I do the phone thing, too. It's just kinda clunky but you're right, probably safest way to be out.

jbj 4y ago

in addition to these, there may be watches without a rebble subscription being used with gadgetbridge which can work without internet

centro 4y ago

Maybe Rebble is a new brand that can start production of e-ink based smart watches that don't try do to everything.

efields 4y ago

that is… a small number

TeMPOraL 4y ago
It's undercounting a lot - there are many people who use Gadgetbridge instead of Rebble, and I'd argue that most people use neither - the OG stock app and stock firmware forks perfectly fine to this day, even with the very first generation that's few months shy of a decade old, and which my wife still happily uses today. So, a fraction of users using alternate firmware to the watch that's up to 10 years old - an eternity for modern electronics - and whose vendor shut down 6 years ago. I'd say it's quite a big number.

deleted 4y ago

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Pfhortune 4y ago

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 these companies have no regard for designing the OS UX and are just trying to cram features in. And the fact that companies want to make touchscreen watches is just with few/no buttons is baffling to me. Tapping tiny buttons on a tiny screen is a horrible experience. And there's tons of moving targets because of the tiny amount of real-estate. Pebble _just got it_ with the 2.0 OS and beyond. They were a joy to use. I begrudgingly have gone back to using an Apple Watch, because despite being subpar, the UX is somewhat together these days, just enough to be tolerable. When I move away from iOS again, I'll probably either pull out an old Pebble that still has some battery life, or a Casio GBD200, which isn't really a smartwatch but ticks some major boxes for me (always-on-display, silent vibration alarm, and timers, chief among them). The GBD200 runs on a coin cell too, so I never have to worry about charging or a replacement being difficult to find!

etothepii 4y ago
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.
- balfirevic 4y ago
  > 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.
  - 4y ago

enobrev 4y ago

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.

fny 4y ago

Another really cool toy we need to start hacking is the Sony FES U [0]. This thing has e-ink on its strap, and it runs Free RTOS. It's the sickest watch concept I've seen in years. [0]: https://fashion-entertainments.com https://fashion-entertainments.com [1]: https://fashion-entertainments.com/fes-watch-u/fw/oss.html https://fashion-entertainments.com/fes-watch-u/fw/oss.html

mrinterweb 4y ago

Pebble understood what a smartwatch should be. Everyone else was trying to make a nearly phone independent device, and pebble's take was more of a phone accessory. Also the battery life was incredible. You had an always on display with a week long battery. There was a lot of love about Pebble. I still have two in my drawer, and I had no idea the devices were still usable. I might dust one off now.

system2 4y ago
Garmin Instinct 2 has forever battery life doesn't even need charging once after purchasing.

WesternWind 4y ago

People ask me about my Pebble fairly regularly. I think they mostly notice the rainbow watch band I have, then realize it doesn't look like a Apple Watch.

rrdharan 4y ago

From some of the other comments here seems like it’s more like about 160 people with 100 watches each…

oldgradstudent 4y ago

A friend of mine did some design work for them and got one of their top of the line models. He tried to gift it to multiple people (including me) and they all returned it to him after a week or so.

wanderingmind 4y ago

As an aside can someone tell me where can I buy old pebble phones. I boutht my first pebble watch in 2015. It worked for a long time but I lost it and would love to get one now, just to keep it in a safe

themoonisachees 4y ago

Plugging the Watchy by sqfmi because I have one and it's awesome.

JohnFen 4y ago

This is exciting! I still have a couple of Pebbles kicking around. I really miss them -- to this day, no other smartwatch meets my needs as well. I should dig them out.

fennecfoxy 4y ago

The Pebble Time Round is the best smartwatch I ever used. I have a Samsung GW4 now though - there are a few things I would've liked to see pebble add to upper tier models, for example a sports one with GPS etc, along with being able to store/play Spotify/other music providers stuff over bluetooth (for going on runs). I think the Apple Watch, with all it's flashy animations and bright, beautiful screen contributed to the issue; people only see the shiny, they don't realise they don't need all of those features/oled screen and that they're sacrificing a week long (or more!) battery life for them. I regularly got like 4-5 days out of the Round and it was super thin! I imagine had they done a model as thick as the GW4 it would've lasted 2 weeks or so! I really wish smart watches had gone in the Pebble direction, always on displays should be the primary feature for people. MIP LCD, not oled. Then again, I really can't wait until we _finally_ get some properly commercialised AR glasses as I'd rather use those over a phone or watch or anything else at this point.