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A New Face for Pebble
- tiles 11y agoWill these still support Smart Straps?
- timdorr 11y agoMost likely, since the connector on the back is the same (same USB charging cable as the Time). However, the band sizes are different (14mm/20mm vs 22mm), so you would have to make a band specifically sized for the Round vs. the Time/Time Steel. Edit: Here's some confirmation on the smart strap support: http://developer.getpebble.com/guides/#hardware-comparison http://developer.getpebble.com/guides/#hardware-comparison
- fra 11y agoThey do, albeit the different strap size(s) will make it a bit more complicated to make cross-compatible smartstraps. Hardware APIs are tricky!
- sluggity 11y agoWhat makes a pebble watch any different from an apple watch?
- vvanders 11y agoThey use an e-ink display for one which means a week of battery life(or 2 days in the case of the round).
- yincrash 11y agoit also means the screen never has to turn off, so you can always check the time with no movement.
- ericd 11y agoYeah, this is huge for me. It also charges super fast, so when it runs out, I can slap it on its magnetic charger, and pull it off 5-10 minutes later if I need to run, and it'll have enough charge to get it through to a time when I have 30 minutes to charge it.
- deleted 11y ago[deleted]
- bryanlarsen 11y agoI charge my Pebble while in the shower daily.
- calebegg 11y ago"E-paper", not "e-ink"; the former is just Sharp marketing for a specific type of low power LCD, the latter is a totally different technology.
- deleted 11y ago[deleted]
- kentt 11y agoObviously this is just a personal preference, but the Apple watch is ugly. The Moto 360 was the only other watch that I think that comes close to not looking like a smart watch. Also the e-ink display is a different strategy. I hate the the watch display isn't on all the time so you can't just glance at it without moving your arm.
- Someone1234 11y agoThere's also the Huawei Watch now[0] (released this week). Gives the 360 a run for its money in the "looking like other watches" department. [0] http://consumer.huawei.com/minisite/worldwide/huawei-watch/ http://consumer.huawei.com/minisite/worldwide/huawei-watch/
- irl_zebra 11y agoI had a Pebble Time and put a number of months into using it full time. The screen is a color e-ink display that is always on, which is really nice. When I chat with my Apple watch friends, the biggest gripe is the battery life. With my Pebble Time, using notifications and using it to respond to text messages, while wearing it all night to monitor sleep, I charge it about every 5 days for a couple hours. Everyone I know personally with an Apple Watch complains that the battery hardly lasts a day and they're forced to basically charge every night, which I guess gets annoying. Right now, I think the battery life thing is a major issue with smartwatches like the Moto 360 and the Apple Watch. The Pebble models, the Basis models, and the Garmin models all seem to have this ironed out.
- berberous 11y agoI guess everyone has their own experiences, but nearly all of the reviews and anecdotes I have heard -- and my own experience -- is that the Apple Watch can get through a full day just fine. Of course, you do have to charge it every night. (And this is coming from someone who returned it and hated it for lots of reasons).
- irl_zebra 11y agoSorry if I was unclear. Basically, I meant to say that for Apple Watch owners that I know personally, they're able to get through a 24-hour period, but since the watch would be dead the next day, they charge at night. Which in my opinion makes the watch essentially useless for sleep tracking unless you charge mid-day at the office or something.
- djrogers 11y agoMakes it convenient that the watch was never marketed, promoted, or sold as a sleep tracking aid... That said, @_davidsmith 's new sleep tracking app for wOS2 is quite nice, and I found that his charging strategy does the trick - https://david-smith.org/blog/2015/09/21/how-to-wear-your-apple-watch-24-slash-7/ https://david-smith.org/blog/2015/09/21/how-to-wear-your-app... I only needed 15-20 min in the morning and evening to get to all day usability.
- antidaily 11y agoThat's like comparing a Fiat to a Porsche.
- scott_karana 11y agoIt's more like comparing a Nokia brickphone to an iPhone. Different target demographic, but even more rabid fans because nothing else gets close to checking all the same boxes. (Unlike "iPhone vs Android", Nokia is more or less uncontested)
- Alupis 11y agoThe Pebble watch will work with both Android and iOS, for starters (but then again, so does Android Wear devices now too... leaving just the Apple Watch to only support Apple products). It's SDK is in Python or C, and it makes it really easy to write up basic apps for yourself or others (no special hardware, licenses, or fees necessary to start developing your own apps). Battery life kills all other smart watches. The always on screen is very nice too (makes it usable as an actual watch, for instance). So called "Smart Straps" allowing 3rd parties or the OEM to produce different wrist straps capable of different functionality (sensors, additional battery, etc...) - And they are swappable/upgradable.
- splendidfailure 11y agoEven for non-developers, it's easy to create watchfaces using http://www.watchface-generator.de/ http://www.watchface-generator.de/. Upload a photo, customize your text and download the app to your watch (credit to Paul Rode, a 3rd party developer for this)
- charlie_vill 11y agoI've always been a huge fan of "the underdog" Sure this isn't an Apple Watch or a Moto 360, but Pebble has truly created a beautiful product and I respect that. Great work to the guys at Pebble.
- lemevi 11y agoIf the screen is anything like the Pebble Time it wont be beautiful. I love my PT but depending on the watchface the screen isn't easily readable in anything other than outdoor or very bright indoor lighting. There's a light up button, that helps. The colors are also very muted. The value of a Pebble watch in my opinion is all in its practical utility, where it really shines. I have been careful to manage what sends my watch notifications and as such whenever my wrist feels buzzing there's something that I need to check. I can do so quickly without needing to pull my phone out of my bag. The time view for what I need to do next is very awesome. Ultimately my Pebble Time saves me time, makes sure I don't miss important messages or events and it saves my phone's battery life since I check it much less often.
- unwiredben 11y agoReports are that the Pebble Time Steel, which uses the same screen tech, is much more vibrant than the Pebble Time due to the optical bonding. The PT Round looks to also use that same technique due to its thinness, so I expect it will look quite good.
- stragulus 11y agoAha! I do own the Pebble Time Steel and couldn't identify with the issue of the poorly readable screen. I find it reads very well in direct sunlight, and when it's dark there's always the light button. I guess this explains the complaints.
- girvo 11y agoMy Pebble Steel lets me flick my wrist to enable the backlight. Does the Time not do that?
- slg 11y agoIt looks like half the area of the watch is bezel.
- yellow 11y agoI wonder if the bezel allows for a normal square display underneath?
- sahaskatta 11y agoThe Nest thermostat also had a square screen under a cover that makes it look round. (Not sure if newer Nest models actually have circle screens.)
- notatoad 11y agoi believe the new third gen that was just released a couple weeks ago is the first Nest to actually use a round screen.
- jeffgreco 11y agoIt's actually octagonal: http://www.fastcodesign.com/3050576/3-design-trends-hiding-in-the-new-nest-thermostat http://www.fastcodesign.com/3050576/3-design-trends-hiding-i...
- Zarel 11y agoThat was my first thought. The bezel definitely looks nearly exactly the right size for that.
- Quanttek 11y agoIt should fit. Here's a fast and dirty mockup: https://i.imgur.com/eC1Yjgi.png https://i.imgur.com/eC1Yjgi.png
- unwiredben 11y agoInternal Pebble developer on their Slack said it's a round LCD under the bezel, not a masked-off square one.
- anujdeshpande 11y agoThis is very weird tbh I mean you just shipped thousands of people something And now you announce something which makes that look old. It's scary to own something from a company like this. Am i to understand that I wont be getting updates on my Pebble Time in the near future because there is a new kid on the block ?
- timdorr 11y agoNo, this doesn't replace the Time or Time Steel, it's just another option on the same "Time" platform. The hardware comparison shows many of the same internals: http://developer.getpebble.com/guides/#hardware-comparison http://developer.getpebble.com/guides/#hardware-comparison Outside of the round screen, there isn't anything majorly different.
- anujdeshpande 11y agoThanks for the h/w comparison link. A bit relieved. But still wondering why they didn't give this option during their Kickstarter. I am sure many people would've bought a circular one, but they wont now because their Pebble Time is still new (2 months old).
- dandelany 11y ago> you just shipped thousands of people something And now you announce something which makes that look old. So... just like Apple does every year, not to mention pretty much every other hardware company in existence? The alternative is not to make anything new, which would just be dumb. > Am i to understand that I wont be getting updates on my Pebble Time in the near future Well, seeing as Pebble Time is still a brand new product, and I'm still getting regular updates on my original Pebble Steel, which is another generation older, I'm gonna say "no".
- anujdeshpande 11y agoApple or Google announcing new flagship phones every year vs Pebble announcing a new watch in a matter of months ? Can't exactly draw parallels here. Something similar would be Apple announces iPhone 6S now and iPhone 6S+ in 3 months.
- nathankleyn 11y agoIt's worth noting that this device, unlike any of the previous Pebble devices, is not waterproof. I was smitten until I noticed this - not having to worry about getting it soaked while cycling or swimming is a rather nice feature of my Pebble Time and it looks like I'll be sticking with it for that (even if I do love the new design).
- old-gregg 11y agoQuoting from [1]: Pebble Time Round is splash resistant but not waterproof. Incidental exposure to water–like unforeseeable rain–won’t ruin your device, but submerging the watch is not recommended. Pebble’s leather bands are not water resistant. [1] https://pebble.com/buy-pebble-time-round-smartwatch https://pebble.com/buy-pebble-time-round-smartwatch
- differentView 11y agoDo people who wear those watches just wet their finger tips when washing their hands?
- Zarel 11y agoSplash resistance generally means it's fine in the shower and while washing hands, just not while swimming. Or, at least, that's how I've always interpreted it.
- stronglikedan 11y agoSame here. A certain amount of pressure will allow water to penetrate the seal (e.g. submersion), but it will hold up if it just gets wet.
- fao_ 11y agoHmm, interesting. I've always been over-cautious where 'splash-resistant' is concerned (As in, not allowing any water to get even remotely near); I'd never thought to consider that manufacturers probably over-compensate where water-resistance is concerned, to save them time fufilling warranty claims afterwards.
- mooogs 11y agoSame price as the Moto 360 with half the features and twice the bezel on top.
- 542458 11y agoEDIT: My post is wrong, see replies. IMHO it has one killer feature the Moto 360 doesn't - e-ink (which brings with it always-on display, bright-light readability and power savings benefits). For that reason alone I'd be way more likely to pick up one of these than a 360. I also like the design a lot more (huge bezel and all), but that's even more subjective.
- blackguardx 11y agoIt doesn't use e-ink. It uses a Sharp Memory LCD (http://www.sharpmemorylcd.com http://www.sharpmemorylcd.com). I think Pebble calls it e-paper because they promised e-ink in their first kickstarter but were unable to deliver on that. No one else calls it that. I assume a custom e-ink display was too expensive. The first Pebble used the same display as one of the early Nike watches, which made it a lot cheaper.
- 542458 11y agoWell, TIL. My bad! And I just checked the battery life - only two days? Ugh. Guess I'll be holding off on smartwatches for a while yet still.
- cweagans 11y agoFWIW, I have the Pebble Time Steel from Kickstarter earlier this year and I get a good 4-6 days of battery life on a single charge.
- kylec 11y agoGiven that they claim 10 days of battery life for the Steel, maybe we should expect the Round, which has a claimed two-day battery life, to only get one.
- myth_buster 11y agoI don't understand why when we are mimicking analog watch design, can't we retain the proportions and the aesthetics? Eg,the ratio of strap and the width of the watch face and the super wide bezel. I hope they up their game as competition in this space is getting heated. [Hopefully constructive criticism from a Pebble owner.]
- deleted 11y ago[deleted]
- myth_buster 11y agoI'm ok with it being thick, most automatic watches are thick [0], my concerns are with the way it looks from the front. [0] http://www.baume-et-mercier.com/content/bem/website-com/unitedstates/en/home/_jcr_content/genderteaserleft/image.2054494719.jpeg http://www.baume-et-mercier.com/content/bem/website-com/unit...
- n0us 11y agoIt will only be a couple years before we eschew the skeuomorphism of smartwatches in favor of "abstract" "paper" "flat" designs. Just wait.
- myth_buster 11y agoMy issue is that they are neither here nor there. I would have loved if they did a good job in the skeuomorphism department.
- smackfu 11y agoThe Withings Activite does a much better job of mimicking an old watch, but it's also much simpler (just an activity tracker) and doesn't have an LCD screen. http://www2.withings.com/us/en/products/activite-pop http://www2.withings.com/us/en/products/activite-pop? Practically, the issue with the current gen is that they need as much battery as possible. Bezels and weird shapes are both a good way to add volume and battery.
- kirk21 11y agoThe technical info is quite hard to find. Had to click on 'buy' to get this: https://pebble.com/buy-pebble-time-round-smartwatch https://pebble.com/buy-pebble-time-round-smartwatch
- pfooti 11y agoHmm, so this is an oddly-timed launch. I was just wondering if I should replace my ks-edition pebble with a pebble time, and now here I'm wondering about the pebble round time or whatever. The new round watch probably looks nice, although I'm worried about the bezel size and it not being waterproof. It does look a lot thinner and more watch-like than most other smartwatches, even before you get to the 7-day battery. My first gen pebble has about five days between recharges, despite being in constant use since I bought it. That said, I think I'll stick with my regular pebble for now - I love the notifications I get on it, but that's its primary job and while the time(round)? is an improvement to display I don't see any of the features as must-have at this point. Seems like a great watch to get if you don't have one yet, but I'm not sure I want to spend $200+ there, especially since my ks model pebble is industrial orange, and they don't have that color anymore.
- oniony 11y agoThe new Time Round has a two day battery life, FYI. Even more reason to not buy it.
- pfooti 11y agoWoah, two days? I missed that in the description. Yep, not going to get one of those at all.
- oniony 11y agoApparently it fully charges in 15 minutes, which may not be so bad: plug it in whilst in the shower for example. I think it's a bit overpriced for what it is but I guess you're paying for the fact it's thinner and trendier with its round screen.
- delecti 11y agoTwo days is an awkward middle ground. It's not long enough to really get used to the fact that you don't have to charge it every day, but it's long enough that sometimes you might forget and end up having it die on you.
- wanderfowl 11y agoIt's pretty, but they're continuing to compromise core features (waterproofness, battery) which make Pebbles unique, while their software and abilities and displays lag far behind the pack (partly due to vendor lock-in). I loved my OG Steel. But they won't compete against the Apple Watches and Moto 360s of the world by mirroring their shortcomings and price while providing none of the deep integration, apps, and features. I think ultimately, the Pebble line will need to become the leader of the "Smart-ish" watches. They'll display notifications, and allow some very limited interactions, but will always be more watch than smart. This will work great for non-geeky people who would love to get notifications quickly and silently, while still retaining the advantages of a more conventional watch (don't worry about charging, water, durability or daylight). Then, the wrist computers (e.g Apple Watch or Android Wear) will exist for somebody who wants the geekier, app-ier experience and will take some compromises for it.
- aetherson 11y agoThat all sounds right, except... I don't think that the Apple Watch or at least some Android Wear watches are aimed at a "geeky" audience. And I don't think that anyone has found anything more compelling than "receive notifications" to use Apple or Android watches for.
- hnal943 11y agoI use my Samsung gear to take hands free phone calls (in the car or while holding kids), controlling my music while my phone is plugged in in the other room, as a remote for my tv and (rarely) as a way to take group photos with my phone set up across the room. Receiving notifications is obviously the primary use (considering looking up my meetings and using it as a silent alarm to get up in the morning as "notifications"), but I use at least two of these other features every day.
- simcop2387 11y agoCan't say I've seen it for Apple or Android watches, but for pebble there's a nice app to let you watch the status of your 3d printer if you use octoprint. It's ended up great as a gauge for how long a print has left, even gives a convenient way to stop a print without killed the power to the printer. Sure I can use a phone for the same thing but when I've got it on my wrist with a single button press? much more convenient.
- bluthru 11y ago2 days battery is disappointing. Making it slightly thicker and getting more days would have been fantastic. With 2 days you may as well charge it every night so you don't forget. Still, this has a wow factor to me due to its slimness. The Apple watch could have been amazingly thin without the taptic engine: http://o.aolcdn.com/hss/storage/midas/26f878cd9a24ea264d064c40601ccf6f/201929876/apple-watch-taptic-engine-ifixit.jpg http://o.aolcdn.com/hss/storage/midas/26f878cd9a24ea264d064c... Its thickness is the main reason I'm not buying v1.
- dfar1 11y agoGreat company, great watch. But boy how they struggle to keep that bezel small. All generations have that huge bezel.
- hauget 11y agoAgreed. My gf told me she'd never buy one because of that bezel.
- BinaryIdiot 11y agoSame and many of their images are really, really misleading like when they show a black clock face with the black bezel makes the watch look AWESOME with a great sized screen.
- vzaliva 11y agoI wonder what is viewable screen size in sq. mm. of different Pebble watches. I suspect they compromised on screen size a lot on this model and make it look bigger via wide bezel. Anybody have real data? It also would be good to see a side-by-side picture of Time and Time Round.
- mikestew 11y agoUgh. Now, I've been a big fan of Pebble, and a two-time backer (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9101787 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9101787), but I'm skipping this one. Truth be told, I'm not even particularly happy with my current Pebble Time/Time Steel. The screen still has a huge bezel around it, and the colors don't pop nearly like they did in the pictures. In fact, I'd describe the new color screen as a bit washed out. Voice replies and quick replies don't work on iOS (I know what the reason is, and I don't care because that was a listed feature when they wanted money). The new ones are delicate, too. I've got an actual scratch on both the bezel and screen on the Time (thankfully, a screen protector covers that up) from just brushing against a wall. The Time Steel has a scuff on the bezel from who knows what. Now we have the option to have even a bigger bezel, and the battery life has been cut to about the same as Pebble's competitors. Might as well buy an Apple or Android watch (or Microsoft Band, if that's your thing). And were I to buy another smartwatch, Apple is what I'd buy. For $100 more, all of the advertised features work, and the battery life isn't all that much worse. Or if I just wanted notifications, one of the Garmin devices, which I could also use to go running without toting a phone. For the moment, Pebble's remaining advantages are price and battery life if you don't get the round one. And Garmin can meet or beat them on both right now, depending on one's need of other features. I'm interested to see what the next version has to offer, because it better be a big jump if they're going to stay competitive.
- Animats 11y agoThere's no excuse for it not being waterproof to at least the 1m level. What's their problem? It doesn't need to be openable. The previous models were not. Just seal it up permanently, preferably under dry nitrogen so it can't corrode inside.
- fra 11y agoActually there are many mechanical design issues to consider when building a waterproof product: wall thickness, button design, mechanical seal, ... "seal it up under dry nitrogen" doesn't even start to describe the process accurately.
- halosghost 11y agoWhen I first saw the announcement, I was really annoyed since I am a PTS backer. But, with the offer they're giving so that I can test out the new one, I'm pretty okay with it afterall. In fact, given that one of the reasons driving my decision to get the PTS was the ~10-day battery-life, I do not suspect I will even consider the PTR; but I love that Pebble was self-aware enough to offer me the choice. Good work Team Pebble! Keep on rockin'!
- hadrien01 11y agoStill no Windows Phone compatibility. And their SDK page [1] isn't very helpful to understand what's its purpose, including if it's useful to create an app communicating with the device for incompatible smartphones. [1] https://developer.getpebble.com/round/ https://developer.getpebble.com/round/
- unwiredben 11y agoI've seen some Windows developers getting advice on the protocols used to talk to the watch on their Slack channels. I don't think you'll see Pebble implement a Windows host app, but they've not been too hostile to the idea. The watch-to-phone communications methods are the same with the Pebble Time Round. It looks like the differences are all in how the UI of the watch is rendered, and those are pretty major. However, outside of the screen, the hardware is very similar to the already-deployed Pebble Time.
- microman 11y agoI really wanted to pick up a Pebble Time when they publicly launched. I was so disappointed to see that they were charging €250 (~$280) in Europe while only $199 in The States. Now, the Steel and the Round are €300. It's just too much money. Even considering VAT, the difference in price between EU & US seems excessive
- deleted 11y ago[deleted]
- taneq 11y agoQuestion for people who own Pebble watches - have you read the Pebble privacy policy? They track a ridiculous amount of stuff (everything from your GPS location and activity to what other apps you run on your phone), log it indefinitely (literally 'for a period of time') in personally identifiable form, and reserve the right to sell your data to third parties. It baffles me how people can be OK with this.
- Kiro 11y agoI'm OK with it. What do you want to know?
- taneq 11y agoI guess I just don't understand how you can not be bothered by the fact that your watch (or more accurately, the companion app on your phone) is constantly uploading detailed, realtime information about your life to a third party? Are you hardcore in the 'nothing to hide' camp? Do you just not believe that privacy is important? If you're fine with Pebble knowing everything about you, are you fine with them selling all of this information to anyone they choose? And given the ongoing litany of security breaches and data leaks, even if Pebble never use or sell your data for anything, are you fine with your information becoming public knowledge if Pebble ever get hacked or have their database leaked? Some day we may just have to accept ubiquitous surveillance as the price for technology, but I don't think we've reached that point yet.
- Ntrails 11y agoI'm struggling to care that apple knows I spent last week sleeping in Clapham, but this week sleeping in White City. I don't mind that it knows I went out near St Pauls last night. I can't even say that I'm worried if it could work out who I was out with (although frankly for that they can just read my whatsapp messages in the phone backups). The part I would have a problem is selling that information. Because frankly I've paid enough for the phone so they can sod off. I don't own a pebble, but imagine I'd feel the same. Now. I figure y'all have the right to get upset about the information being stored, and should have the right to opt out. But personally I'm more interested in getting worked up over other things that I want to change.
- wazoox 11y agoI have a Garmin watch, it's as smart as it gets (display weather forecasts, SMS, emails, tracks activity, runs 2048 and Tetris if you care), last a full week on a charge, is waterproof, and is way cheaper than most "smart watches". Android wear, Apple watch? Sheesh.
- mgiannopoulos 11y agoIndeed, vivoactive owner here. By the way, Pebble says the time round is "7.5mm thin and weighing just 28 grams". Doesn't define if the weight measurement includes the strap or not. The vivoactive is 8.0 mm thin, 18g without strap, 38g with strap. So at least the "lightest" claim is probably not accurate.
- KuhlMensch 11y agoSaw one in the real - rightly or wrongly I just have some inbuilt revulsion towards bezel.