Pebble smartwatch gets colour display
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Pebble have been making Smartwatches for a while. The new one looks to be getting a colour display and seems a bit different from ones they have produced up to now. It will be unveiled on the 24th February.
http://www.engadget.com/2015/02/23/pebble-teases-color-smartwatch/
http://www.engadget.com/2015/02/23/pebble-teases-color-smartwatch/
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http://www.pcpro.co.uk/e-pebwearables/1000428/pebble-time-a-colour-screen-smartwatch-with-7-day-battery-life
If it was actually e-ink, the refresh rate would have been very poor and my Pebble refresh rate is very good - although constantly updating the screen to have animations and so on does mean a raised impact on the battery.
I'm around the 2,000 early adopter and am amazed at how it's now at over $8.3m, having reached its goal in 20 minutes!
I wasn't convinced at first about the Fisher Price look, but got in early anyway (knowing I can cancel later). Then over the coming hours, I read the press release, looked at all the photos and videos, and the new UI, and decided that it does what I want (and have always wanted from a smart watch) better than any of the others.
I want key notifications and an always-on watch, and will use said notifications to decide if and when I'll use my phone to respond or read in more detail. I've never wanted a watch that tries to replace my phone, as I'll never be leaving my phone at home and just using my watch.
This is why I think Pebble has it nailed, and I'm told there's more on the way - including perhaps some more accessories or even another watch design.
Looks good, i'll still be buying an iWatch for geeks sake.
I'm waiting for something I really like, I'll know it when I see it, but none have got me interested enough to buy one yet. Looking at the sales figures for smart watches I'm not alone in that!
The Moto one is by far the best looking.. just very limited and Android only.
I think I just leaked.
I've played with a range of Android Wear devices, plus the proprietary Samsung watches, and always come back to the Pebble.
I'm going to opt for the red strap/black faced watch and think that looks the least Fisher Price, and I doubt I'm going to be disappointed. I am not worried if people think I'm a geek, because those that know me know I am, and those that don't can **** ***!
LOL I just spat out my drink reading your remark!!!
I am inclined to agree in respect of Android Wear, the husband bought me a Galaxy Gear (1st Gen) for Christmas. It ran rather fluidly but lacked in a lot of fucntionality, as I learned it was a very stripped down version of Android, it wasn't even running the Wear version.
Anyway for some rather bizarre reason I fail to recall I connect it to the desktop and Kies booted up offering me an update.....funny it wasn't delivered by being connected to the phone it was paired to. It turns out much to my ignorance Samsung swapped it over to Tizen OS and as a result functionality improved, I now have the ability to customise notifications, install more apps etc. Interestingly battery life is in excess of 3 days, I like the fact I don't have to pull my phone out to view a notification. The most pleasant thing for me is multimedia control, changing tracks on the fly now doesnt warrant pulling my beast of a phone out.
I have seen the Gear Live and nice though it is, battery life according to a friend didn't really hlast more than 2/3 of a day before needing a charge. TBH I couldn't care what OS it was as long as it complimented my phone, which is what the 1st gen Gear does well
Whilst the Pebble was great at the time the original version looked a little clunky (very wide borders) and scrathed easily. Later versions improved on that. The new version looks quite nice but does seem rather "fisher price" as some have pointed out.
I have not used my Pebble since the arrival of the LG Watch R. The battery lasts two days (not one like most other watches) and the software is simple and intuitive. I suspect that for the Pebble to succeed with "round 2" they will need to price it quite aggressively. Battery life on the next generation of "Wear" models will improve further and start to close the gap with the 7 days suggested for Pebble.
If the Apple version only lasts a day (as rumoured) then its already playing catchup on that front with all other products.
I'd have got a Pebble Steel but given it's the same thing, it seemed silly to shell out again - especially as I doubt there's much of a second hand market for a Pebble. I decided to wait, and even though this new one isn't steel, the new UI impressed me enough to take a gamble. As an early adopter, it's hardly a massive risk and should cost me around £100 with shipping.
I would much prefer something looking like the LG Watch R, but with the Pebble UI and services. Sure, I'd also prefer a high PPI screen and snazzy animations too, but battery life is FAR more important to me. Good outdoor readability is important too.
Maybe Samsung, LG, HTC or Sony will come up with something stylish but with a simple 'e-paper' screen that gets the best of both worlds. Loyal as I might be today to Pebble, I'm always looking at what else is happening.
I have a black Pebble and think it looks great, you don't really notice the wider bezel. The biggest thing for me with the Pebble is the good battery life.
The Pebble Time actually looks okay to me (I'm going to pick the black/red model) but it's obviously subjective.
http://www.lgnewsroom.com/newsroom/contents/64948
It might in fact also be an LTE phone in itself if reports are to be believed.
Motorola are also bringing its Moto Maker to the 360, this launching in a week or so.
Time will tell if people will seek out high end watches or simply stay safe with cheaper builds more heavily covered in the main media.
As posted in post #7 in this thread.
That's what matters to me.
I know about the MotoMaker Moto360 but wished it was a new watch, not just Motorola trying to keep a watch - gorgeous as it is to look at - that's old tech going a while longer.
The LG looks great, but is still no good for me, yet.
:rolleyes:
I mean, how many will insist on Qi charging for fuller ease of use ?
However I remember when people argued they didn't need a colour screen on a phone or a camera. Time can do rather a lot to change perceptions and needs.
Notifications are fine for Twitter folk, if they want to be pestered every 2 seconds and be constantly fiddling, rather than catch up with a block of things at one time and then move on to other work.
When I get important things like texts from friends I'll respond straight away, but otherwise I really don't see the point, even the notification shades are over-done these days. I don't see the need to reply from within it, if I want to I'll open my email and go through them.
I think it comes down to how you organise yourself and time management as to whether you find constant notifications important or not. I definitely don't as I do things in blocks.
You don't have to have every notification sent to your watch. I have a pebble from the original kickstarter, and the only notifications I have are texts and phone calls.
The most useful aspect of the device for me is the music controls, as I work outdoors it's a remote control I can use without the worry of it getting wet or dirty.
http://www.wareable.com/android-wear/huawei-watch-price-release-date-spec-893
Well you've come up with a fairly unique use case! I shouldn't think there are that many who want music outdoors and have to worry about getting the phone wet or dirty.
I think that's the problem and why they aren't selling well at the moment. Maybe when they become just a fashion item and they look really nice as a watch, but then you could just buy a nice 'real' watch.
I keep hearing mention of LTE-M, which, from a short read uses a very tiny piece of radio spectrum for IOT style use. (typical use maybe a few bytes per day).