
Pebble Time review: an underdog among smartwatches - yurisagalov
http://www.engadget.com/2015/05/27/pebble-time-review/
======
modeless
I tried one at Maker Faire. I was worried that the press photos were
overselling the legibility of the screen, but in person it looks just as good
as in the photos, and the animations are cool. I've been using a Moto 360
since release, so here are my thoughts:

* Pebble Time can't match the saturated colors of the Moto 360's screen indoors; however always-on and sunlight readability are far more important. I definitely prefer the Pebble Time screen for a watch.

* 7 day battery life: Don't care. I don't sleep with my watch on and with wireless or magnetic charging it's not a hassle to charge nightly.

* The Moto 360 touchscreen is slow and unreliable. I much prefer the Pebble's physical buttons.

* I prefer the Pebble's vibration motor to the Moto 360's.

* I find the Moto 360's voice commands to be mostly useless. My phone has always-on voice activation and it's faster and more reliable to talk directly to my phone even while it's still in my pocket. I wouldn't miss this feature switching to Pebble Time.

* I still prefer the Moto 360's design over any other smartwatch including Pebble Time. Most people assume it's an Apple Watch. That said, I think the Pebble Time looks reasonably good. Certainly better than any of the square Android Wear watches.

~~~
GuiA
Have you owned an original Pebble, and if so can you comment on the vibration
motor in the new Pebble compared to the old one?

I owned an original Pebble for a while, and the vibration motor was absolutely
awful. It felt bad on the wrist, and it was very audible. In quiet meetings,
people would hear it and it would make me look like an idiot with a childish
toy. I stopped using the Pebble after a week or two for a number of reasons,
but this was the main one.

~~~
modeless
I do own an original Pebble, but haven't worn it for a long enough time that I
don't remember how the vibration compares.

~~~
untog
Thank you for your useful input

~~~
happyscrappy
He was asked a direct question, don't be a jerk.

------
madez
I backed the Pebble Time on kickstarter but recently canceled the pledge due
to privacy concerns.

Why do companies think that it is okay that devices, that customers carry all
day long on them, phone anywhere unless they are told so and controlled by the
user?

By default, I do not agree to collection of any data about me, not even
anonymised.

I'm increasingly concerned that it seems that hardware companies try not to
only sell the product, but also to never give up control of the individual
products. What can we do about that?

I'd happily buy an even considerately more expensive iPhone, if it'd only put
me in ultimate control.

~~~
wfvq45zf
Gadgetbridge is a FOSS companion app for Pebble and other devices that seeks
to put users back in control of their data. I don't believe it has Pebble Time
support yet,and the feature set is limited, but it looks promising.
[https://fossdroid.com/a/gadgetbridge.html](https://fossdroid.com/a/gadgetbridge.html)

~~~
madez
Thanks for pointing out Gadgetbridge. While informing myself before deciding
to cancel my order of the Pebble Time I already found it. However, afaik the
Pebble Time is not supported by Gadgetbridge and I didn't want to buy a
product I maybe can't use.

------
carsongross
I'm very glad to see pebble stay in the game. That said, this is a pretty
tough watch for a traditional watch guy to look at.

I hope that someone really nails the circular smart watch and embraces the
rotating bezel as an input modality, like the 1st gen ipods or, more recently,
Nest. I would love that, coupled with a traditional diver or tool watch look:

[http://cdn.monochrome-watches.com/wp-
content/uploads/2013/04...](http://cdn.monochrome-watches.com/wp-
content/uploads/2013/04/Rolex-GMT-Master-II-steel-blue-black-01.jpg)

[https://s-media-cache-
ak0.pinimg.com/736x/75/b2/bf/75b2bf2d9...](https://s-media-cache-
ak0.pinimg.com/736x/75/b2/bf/75b2bf2d91d5b1ba33a43aa75f3b3a13.jpg)

Maybe motorola will get it, but I wonder if their design sensibilities are too
modern...

~~~
sirkneeland
Samsung (of all companies) is apparently working on that...

~~~
BinaryIdiot
It's a really safe bet that if there is a gadget / electronic category Samsung
is working on at least 3 products in it. Sometimes that's good, sometimes not
so much.

------
r0naa
I really admire Pebble for they are the only company that is truly trying to
make an accessible and efficient product.

I don't believe that people will buy a computer, a smartphone, a tablet and a
watch. Assuming that each of these devices remain widely used (as it is the
case today) I think that people will make a choice to reach a balance.

In that scenario, it is easy to see how an expensive watch that replicates
smartphone's functionalities would be a commercial failure.

Pebble on the contrary opted for having a finite, and comparatively small, set
of functionalities but excel at those. Their choice of limiting the watch
functionalities has two obvious positive effects:

\- It keeps the price low. I want a product that will last, that I can forget
about (great battery life comes into play) and that does not cost an arm. I
can't afford (or don't want) to pay for both a smartwatch and a smartphone
costing >200$USD. In comparison I got my Pebble for 50$USD and it's working
great.

\- It eliminates the redundancy that occurs between smartphones/smartwatches.
Instead you have a "central nervous system": your phone and an assistant that
makes interacting with that CNS easier: the watch.

I would like to see some drastic improvements in the design though. It's kind
of terrible and remind the early 2000s with the ave of Palm Pilots etc...
Also, it would be great to improve the sensors so I can use my Pebble as a
monitor of health (and my sleep!).

I would actually spend money on a product that would monitor my sleep, bpms
and wake me up in the morning at the "best" time.

~~~
sdrothrock
> I can't afford (or don't want) to pay for both a smartwatch and a smartphone
> costing >200$USD. In comparison I got my Pebble for 50$USD and it's working
> great.

I'm not targeting you in particular, but you brought up something that
confuses me when people who say this about a smartwatch.

It seems like a lot of people who are getting into smartwatches aren't too
aware of traditional watch geekery and prices; $200 for a watch is relatively
cheap as far as nice watches go.

I'm not denying that if you want something functional, a cheaper price is
always nicer -- just offering up for consideration that watches are
traditionally a pretty expensive accessory. :)

~~~
archagon
Smartwatch buyers tend to look at them as gadgets rather than fashion
accessories, by which measure, yes, they're quite expensive.

------
kriro
I own an Android phone and recently bought an LG Urbane Silver (leather)
because it was the first smartwatch I saw that looked decent (subjective
obviously) and can be worn with a suit on occasion. I didn't own a watch for
~10 years now and felt it was time to get one and more or less randomly
decided to get a smartwatch...because why not. I was very sceptical and didn't
expect much. If you just list the stuff I do with it it is indeed not much but
I already rank it as an excellent purchase. Here's what I use most often (in
case anyone is on the fence):

\- Tell the time: No need for a smartwatch but it's still great to be able to
leave the cell in the pocket

\- Don't miss calls: I always have my phone on no sound/just vibrate and
tended to miss a lot of calls. Fixed for good now

\- Quickly check Mail/IM: To see if there's something important to answer to.
I feel a lot calmer because I always felt the urge to check my phone
constantly. I now glance at the watch every now and then and feel a lot less
"addicted". I actually use the quick reply stuff a lot for IM, too.

\- Maps navigation: I am travelling a good bit and usually ran around the
cities with my cell looking all touristy. Maps on the watch is a lot more
discrete

\- Timer: I use it as my Pomodoro Technique timer since my old one can't be
used in a multiperson office without annoying people

Battery time is ~2 day, 1.5 when I use it more. As long as it stays above 1
day I'm fine because I take off the watch when I sleep and just put it on the
charger.

p.s.: the Pebbles never did it for me style wise but kudos for them for
pushing smartwatches further along.

------
emsy
I love my original Pebble. I even like the cheap look, it seems like it's
referring to an 80s Casio watch, without copying it (I don't quite like the
Time's look but it's ok). But the main reason I love the Pebble is because it
gives me freedom. Freedom from having to carry a charger when I'm 3 days away.
Freedom from convoluted apps that already annoy me on my smartphone. But
mainly Freedom to switch the mobile OS without my smartwatch becoming a
useless chunk. When I first heard that the Time will feature voice
functionality, I was excited. It's unfortunate that it can't have a deeper
integration into the systems. I think the main limitation of the Pebble is not
the look nor the price but that Pebble is neither Google nor Apple.

~~~
rev_bird
Freedom #3 (OS-independent operation) is a really interesting observation, but
the first two freedoms seem like they'd be solved with... a regular watch?

~~~
emsy
I still want the main benefit of a smartwatch: not having to pull out the
smartphone to see what my smartphone has to tell me (I have very few
notifications, but there are some occasions where immediate response is
necessary).

------
hyperpallium
Smart watches are an accessory (like headphones), always an add-on, never a
general-purpose computer. The UI is too limited. But people pay a lot for
headphones (e.g. Beats by Dre, which Apple acquired). They'll pay even more
for a fancy watch.

The terrible problem for Pebble is they are an add-on to platforms owned by
others, who now have their own add-ons. Historically, this doesn't end well
for the pebbles of this world - even though they were first and did everything
right - but it might.

I think they should be able to integrate with Google Gear, and MS would be
receptive too.

~~~
ohitsdom
I think the headphone comparison is really weak. If you want to listen to any
audio, in most settings you need headphones (at work, in public spaces).

Smart watches do not fill that void. They may make certain tasks easier, but
there are other available options (like just pulling out your phone to look at
the time or to see who is calling).

~~~
rev_bird
If you're wearing Beats (or any expensive headphone setup), it's not _just_
because you need to listen to audio in a library or something -- you've made a
decision to spend a considerable amount of money on a product with
functionality that could be replaced, on most levels, for < 10 bucks.

I'm not saying there isn't a reason to buy quality headphones -- I spent like
$80 on mine and love them -- but "nice headphones with noise-cancelling and
extra padding and increased fidelity" doesn't seem like an outlandish
comparison to "watch with extra stuff and it tells you the weather."

------
nahiluhmot
I'm curious, do people generally feel that smartwatches are the way of the
future? I can't really imagine that a device with a screen the size of a
thumbnail outperforming a smartphone for common use cases (scrolling through
Twitter, reading emails, browsing the web, etc.) Although at-a-glance
notifications and health/sleep tracking are potentially desirable features, it
seems that the price will need to drop significantly before anybody besides
hobbyists will adopt these.

~~~
djur
I recently started using a Pebble (the classic model). I don't traditionally
wear watches. The core functionality -- being notified of text messages and
phone calls with enough information to make a decision on whether I want to
respond immediately -- is pretty much all I care about, although I have
actually found myself surprised by how much I like being able to glance at the
time without pulling out my phone.

The Pebble doesn't even support things like reading emails, browsing the web,
etc. and I wouldn't want to use such a feature. The battery life is good and
it charges quickly -- mentally it's more in line with my Kindle than my phone
as far as how much I think about its charge. If it runs out of batteries it
isn't the end of the world anyway.

My goal in getting it was to spend less time fiddling with my phone and
concentrating more on life around me, while still not missing situations where
a friend or loved one needs to get in touch urgently. A secondary motivation
was to miss fewer calls (I am somewhat hard of hearing & frequently keep my
phone's ringer off anyway for professional reasons, and I do not always feel
my phone vibrate through my jeans). The Pebble has been very successful in
that regard and I consider the $99 well spent.

My hope is that even though Pebble is pursuing a somewhat higher-end market
with the Pebble Time that they (or some other manufacturer) continue to
produce a line of cheap, durable, minimalist smartwatches. I hope to be able
to replace this one if it gets seriously damaged or becomes completely
obsolete (if Bluetooth goes the way of the dodo, I guess). I have no interest
in higher-end smartwatches.

------
wmeredith
I admire Pebble as a company and a product, but are you still an underdog once
you've raised 30 million?

~~~
cjoh
If you're up against companies with centi-billion cash reserves, yes.

~~~
Someone
If you raise $30 million, you have a centi-billion cash reserve :-)
([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centi-](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centi-) vs
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hecto-](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hecto-))

------
outericky
I like my original Pebble quite a bit. My use case might be different than
most. I don't wear [edit: traditional] watches. Ever. Aside from a Pebble, I
don't own a watch. I wear it when I travel, when I'm out and about meeting
people / working, etc, where it would be both rude and annoying to check my
phone every time it buzzed. A quick glance at my wrist is enough to know
whether I need to respond soon or not.

I appreciate it while driving and while riding my bicycle.

That's 95% of my usage and I'm thankful I can go a full workweek on a single
charge. One less charger to carry (and lose).

And in those times where I don't want the notifications buzzing (in meetings)
I turn off notifs, or I shut off bluetooth on my phone.

~~~
IanCal
> when I'm out and about meeting people / working, etc, where it would be both
> rude and annoying to check my phone every time it buzzed. A quick glance at
> my wrist is enough to know whether I need to respond soon or not.

Checking your watch while in a meeting / talking to someone is also rude, at
least to me.

------
seriocomic
I was an original Kickstarter backer for the original Pebble. I loved it and
it replaced my 8 other mechanical/quartz watches.

When the Steel came out I backed that on day 1 as well. Its been my sole watch
since it was shipped (the original now serves as a screen for Strava/RunKeeper
on my bikes).

When I saw the Time announced I was horrified by the design - it seemed so
backwards and basic. I'm clearly at the polar end of the bell-curve when it
comes to the design assessment of this watch as I feel as if it was almost a
joke, a toy. I know that there's some specific technical improvements under
the hood. But for me it's like trading in a Lexus for a Lada because the Lada
has a better car audio system.

Each to their own, now i'm awaiting the delivery of my rose gold Halograph -
[https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/watchismo/the-
halograph...](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/watchismo/the-halograph-an-
unusual-mechanical-automatic-watc)

------
DogeDigital
The specs are pretty great for it's price but the design makes it look similar
to a watch out of a candy machine.

------
lepht
The Verge's review is also worth reading:
[http://www.theverge.com/2015/5/27/8661863/pebble-time-
review...](http://www.theverge.com/2015/5/27/8661863/pebble-time-review-
wearable-smartwatch)

~~~
adricnet
I agree that was worth reading, but it seemed a touch harsh. There seems to be
some disconnect between review objectives of 'is this a great product with
growth potential' versus 'is this perfect for everyone' ... but maybe I just
did not like the author's comparisons to toys as negative descriptors.

Fairness: I backed Pebble twice on KS, am wearing one, waiting for my new Time
to arrive, and still marvel at the OLPC XO-1, also derided as a toy but one of
the most amazing computers ever built. I like viewable screens :)

~~~
hingisundhorsa
> still marvel at the OLPC XO-1, also derided as a toy but one of the most
> amazing computers ever built

Sorry, I was with you until the moment you described a pretty standard AMD
Geode GX2 SoC with a pretty poor transflective LCD as "most amazing computer
ever built". Let me guess, you worked with Nicholas? the self-promoting self-
described father of web tablets who claimed to have saved millions of children
when really he just chewed up millions of UNDP funds that could have gone
towards genuinely life-changing projects?

~~~
adricnet
Wow. I did volunteer some with OLPC early on, but no to all of that.

I'm talking about the water proof, sandproof, nearly indestructible laptop
with the always viewable screen over there on my shelf with awesome user
serviceability that "retailed" to me for less than $200 USD. By comparison my
modern Chromebook (via CodeStarter), similar street price today as XO-1 then,
has a much nicer processor, raw specs but can be easily killed by cat, coffee,
or child and is useless outside (screen vs sun) or more than 1 day from a
power tap (batteries) and is almost unrepairable by users. I like it but it's
not the same kind of thing at all, and it's out-of-the box Linux is much less
hackable and educational ... hence CodeStarter.

There's plenty of discussion around about the software stack (Sugar), the
newer hardware (XO > 1), and no end of people discussing the organizations in
Boston, Florida and elsewhere all over the Internet if that's what you were
looking for ... but that really has nothing to do with what I said.

------
sandis
Video review from The Verge:
[http://www.theverge.com/2015/5/27/8670645/pebble-time-
review](http://www.theverge.com/2015/5/27/8670645/pebble-time-review)

------
mladenkovacevic
I think being able to track your sleep is almost more important than tracking
your exercising. Not having to put this thing on the charger every night will
be a must have feature.

~~~
srwx
I have never understood this 'sleep tracking' gimmick. When I wake up I know
how well I slept or didn't sleep. I can't see myself checking a graph on my
watch after waking up feeling like crap and going "oh my watch says I slept
fine. I must be wrong." or vise versa. It's about as useful as weather reports
on the evening news that tell me what the weather was for the day - I know
what the weather was, I was there.

~~~
mladenkovacevic
I don't think I agree. I frequently go to bed much later than I should and can
function on very little sleep. But it's bad for me and probably makes me age
much faster.

A visualization of how much sleep I'm lacking in order to satisfy some basic
sleep requirement would help towards alerting me to go bed earlier.

Also if I'm doing something to improve my quality of sleep (meditation, no
digital devices an hour before sleep) it is rewarding to see that I'm sleeping
longer and deeper.

Your reasoning can also be used to dismiss exercise tracking. You just
exercised and you know you feel like you put in sufficient work. What's the
point of knowing if you "competed a circle"?

~~~
srwx
As it happens I don't track my exercising either, I go to gym and do exercises
simply because I know it's good for me and that as an IT worker my job is too
sedentary. Maybe if I was working towards a competitive goal (run a marathon
or do a triathlon) I would track as iterative improvement would be necessary
but I'm not so I don't. Equally I don't have competitive goals for my sleep
cycles.

~~~
mladenkovacevic
I agree with you in principle but as someone with bad habits (not getting
enough sleep) I think the watch can help as a guide to change those habits and
live a healthier and longer life.

For whatever it's worth, there are some studies that suggest that even if you
work out every day, sitting for a consecutive 8 hours a day will still shorten
your lifespan. So a watch might remind you that you've been sitting to long
and to take a 5 minute stroll.

~~~
clarky07
fwiw, Apple watch does actually remind you to stand up and walk around once an
hour if you haven't. I've actually found it a nice reminder. I can tell when i
get the buzz that yeah i've been sitting too long I should get up and walk
around.

------
adamwong246
I thought the timeline app was the most interesting part

------
smegel
> Style-wise and feature-wise, the Pebble Time doesn't quite compare to most
> modern smartwatches. It doesn't have a touchscreen

Because scratching at your wrist like a heroin addict trying to find a vein is
the new cool? I don't get it.

~~~
tertius
Less caffeine normally limits the scratching.

