6 ms·

I'll be very sad, if not surprised, to see Pebble go. I backed the V1 Pebble on Kickstarter but gave up wearing it after a few months as it looked, well, not go

by untog 10y ago

I'll be very sad, if not surprised, to see Pebble go. I backed the V1 Pebble on Kickstarter but gave up wearing it after a few months as it looked, well, not good[1]. Against my better judgement I threw caution to the wind and bought a Pebble Time Round[2] a while ago. It's fantastic. I get compliments on it before people even realise it's a smartwatch, and it does all I really need from one (notifications plus a little step tracking stuff). Apple and Android watches have never appealed to me, but they have an obvious market advantage, so I suppose this was inevitable. But boy does it make me sad. The only upside is that I'm not really anticipating any new features on my Round and am content just as it is - it should continue to work as-is for a while yet. [1] https://cnet3.cbsistatic.com/img/sF4gFNZCv6n7hNYYI2vb9J_n3do=/620x0/2013/04/01/3ce5f4fa-053a-11e3-bf02-d4ae52e62bcc/Pebble_Watch_35567496_07.jpg https://cnet3.cbsistatic.com/img/sF4gFNZCv6n7hNYYI2vb9J_n3do... [2] https://tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/1.jpg?w=1&h=1 https://tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/1.jpg?w... (photos to illustrate the great progress they made in just a few years)

djsumdog 10y ago
I still have the first gen Pebble Steel and I really like it. The display gets a little funky sometimes, but it's held up. The problem with their model is they kept pushing newer watches. I'm fine with my black and white Pebble. It does everything I want. I mean the new ones look nice. I'd get one if I didn't have one already. I still like the design of the original Steel over most of the newer watches as well. I hope it lasts several more years. They made a great product, and I'm glad they didn't depend on planned obsolescence like the cellphone manufactures that have left us in this Android mess. I wish that model wasn't required for growth. They should had found some other means to support the company while keeping the wearables as just one of a larger line of products or services. Even something totally unrelated like professional grade home routers or garden watering systems or some other IoT crap.
- mr337 10y ago
  Ditto on first gen Pebble, unfortuantely my battery is starting to wear after 2 years and once was 7 days, to only 3 days.
- wnesensohn 10y ago
  You probably tried this already, but for reference there is an easy fix for the screen issue which seems to work for most. Google "Pebble display fix", takes 5 minutes max.
- seltzered_ 10y ago
  "They should had found some other means to support the company while keeping the wearables as just one of a larger line of products or services." Misfit tried this (beddit for sleep tracking, and smart lighting). They still got acquired by fossil (though for 240m)
- stevewillows 10y ago
  The fix is identical to the OG Pebble. Contact them first and they might replace it -- but you'll still have the same issue. 1. Turn off your OG Pebble 2. Remove the rear panel, either with the proper screwdriver or a small precision flathead 3. Gently lift up the panel and move it to the side. The vibration is glued to this panel, so go slowly. You do not have to remove the vibration piece. 4. Cut two small pieces of paper to fit the side of the pebble with the board exposed. Cut a space for the wiring, then slip it in. 5. Reassemble the Pebble 6. Turn it on.
  - entropy_ 10y ago
    I did that, and it worked for a while, but then the issues were back something like a month later. Adding more padding causes the back panel not to close properly so that's not an option. I'm stuck with the display getting weird every once in a while now(replacement is not an option, the watch is almost 4 years old at this point).
    - stevewillows 10y ago
      contact them anyway. Before I discovered this fix, I had one replaced. Its worth a shot. They'll give you a case number and ask you to take a photo of the screen tearing along with your case number. Pretty standard.
      - pauly 10y ago
        agreed, nephew got his pebble steel replaced no questions for serious screen issues. I have minor screen issues occasionally though have had mine for a couple of years. Might try for a replacement. Might they send me a fitbit now instead..?
        stevewillows 10y ago
        Contact them. When you get the new one, try the fix above on the old one to see if you can get it fixed. I'm concerned about this acquisition. The few people I know with Fitbits have had nothing but trouble with them.
- namlem 10y ago
  Yeah, the original steel is the nicest watch they've made. Some of the new ones are nice, but not as nice.
kawsper 10y ago
We were 5 colleagues that bought 5 watches from their first Kickstarter for the V1 Pebble. Unlike you, I liked mine, but I didn't use it as a smart watch, but more as an alarm (it vibrates!), and it was a nice gimmick that you could flick your wrist to turn the backlight on. I stopped used mine because the screen started tearing up like this: http://i.imgur.com/NsZKXDn.jpg http://i.imgur.com/NsZKXDn.jpg and when I contacted their support, they couldn't do a thing about it. My dad actually managed to get a hold of a V1 Pebble, and he is still using it every day.
- voltagex_ 10y ago
  That was a known defect for the V1/Kickstarter version. Support should have replaced it. Mine did it but I couldn't reliably reproduce it when support asked so I wrote it off. Haven't used another smartwatch since.
  - mseri 10y ago
    The charger and watch plug of my kickstarter version oxidized slightly few months ago, since then I am unable to charge it unfortunately. I was using it quite a lot
  - rjblackman 10y ago
    if you still have it. If you can crack it open, you can fix it by removing the zebra connector and spraying with a little contact cleaner on the contacts that connect to the zebra. had no problems since.
- denzil_correa 10y ago
  Same for me. Pebble did not provide any support for the screen tearing issue. I mostly use it as a fashion accessory. Pity!
  - dx034 10y ago
    They did for mine. I had to send some pictures in and they sent me a free replacement. It was a known issue with the kickstarter version.
on_and_off 10y ago
I have got to admit : I would be tempted by a good looking smartwatch and the pebble time actually looks nice. The market as a whole as been a bit underwhelming so far. Next year might be a bit more exciting : -so we already have the pebble time round -the withings activité heart will go out soon -google is reportedly working on 2 new 'pixel' smartwatches. Things might finally get interesting in the smartwatch market.
jbi 10y ago
Have to agree. I'm wearing a Pebble Time Steele and a lot of people like it but don't notice it to be a smartwatch at first sight (depending on the watch face of course). However, it did not receive good reviews. I guess in part because it is widely accepted that smartwatches do not last more than a day or two and are not well readable outside. Customers and reviewers are blinded by super-high-resolution displays - although you won't watch YouTube on your wrist. Pebble is functional, the world wants bling-bling.
- this-dang-guy 10y ago
  You hit the nail on the head. People always assume my Pebble is just a watch. The absolute best reaction to a smartwatch, IMO. It's just a watch. That does neat things if I ask it to. Period. That's what Pebble delivered for me - the watch experience. I didn't want yet another OLED battery sucking device to monitor, I wanted a timex with adjustable features that I could code or change on the fly. If Pebble dies, that's probably what I'll go back to.
- TeMPOraL 10y ago
  That's exactly the reason I've been a Pebble fan, I stuck to it over the years, and without it, I'll be off the wearables market - until someone else does a functional smartwatch, or I'll make myself a DIY one (after I figure out how to order two or three watch-sized e-ink screens cheap instead of doing a bulk order on Alibaba).
saltycraig 10y ago
I'll be sad to see them go too, at their price point they couldn't be beat. Unfortunately they have been treating their Kickstarter and pre-order backers poorly (as they did with their first Kickstarter) and there has been some backlash on r/pebble and their forums (basically, you can get a pebble 2 in retail now for cheaper than you could get it on pre-order, and many if not most backers/pre-orders have yet to get their order).
nunez 10y ago
For sure. I love my Time Round. It's almost exactly what I've been looking for in a smartwatch since day 1: round, light, reasonably long battery, supports rich notifications and is cross-platform. Nothing else on the market comes close to it. The Apple Watch is amazing but only works on iOS and the data it stores isn't easily exportable to other services. Android watches are still too beta for me and their round offerings are way too bulky. Both have pretty bad battery life; I was lucky to get a day out of either and have, more often than not, had them die on me mid-day. I hope Fitbit releases something like this with their newly-acquired IP. I'm not counting on it, however.
- ChristianGeek 10y ago
  You might want to check out the Samsung Gear S2. Round, stylish (I get comments on mine all the time), reasonably thin, ok battery life, runs Tizen OS, works with Android and iOS (official app isn't out yet but the beta is floating around). I got mine for $150 refurbished online and couldn't be happier.

by untog 10y ago

djsumdog 10y ago

I still have the first gen Pebble Steel and I really like it. The display gets a little funky sometimes, but it's held up. The problem with their model is they kept pushing newer watches. I'm fine with my black and white Pebble. It does everything I want. I mean the new ones look nice. I'd get one if I didn't have one already. I still like the design of the original Steel over most of the newer watches as well. I hope it lasts several more years. They made a great product, and I'm glad they didn't depend on planned obsolescence like the cellphone manufactures that have left us in this Android mess. I wish that model wasn't required for growth. They should had found some other means to support the company while keeping the wearables as just one of a larger line of products or services. Even something totally unrelated like professional grade home routers or garden watering systems or some other IoT crap.

mr337 10y ago
Ditto on first gen Pebble, unfortuantely my battery is starting to wear after 2 years and once was 7 days, to only 3 days.
wnesensohn 10y ago
You probably tried this already, but for reference there is an easy fix for the screen issue which seems to work for most. Google "Pebble display fix", takes 5 minutes max.
seltzered_ 10y ago
"They should had found some other means to support the company while keeping the wearables as just one of a larger line of products or services." Misfit tried this (beddit for sleep tracking, and smart lighting). They still got acquired by fossil (though for 240m)
stevewillows 10y ago
The fix is identical to the OG Pebble. Contact them first and they might replace it -- but you'll still have the same issue. 1. Turn off your OG Pebble 2. Remove the rear panel, either with the proper screwdriver or a small precision flathead 3. Gently lift up the panel and move it to the side. The vibration is glued to this panel, so go slowly. You do not have to remove the vibration piece. 4. Cut two small pieces of paper to fit the side of the pebble with the board exposed. Cut a space for the wiring, then slip it in. 5. Reassemble the Pebble 6. Turn it on.
- entropy_ 10y ago
  I did that, and it worked for a while, but then the issues were back something like a month later. Adding more padding causes the back panel not to close properly so that's not an option. I'm stuck with the display getting weird every once in a while now(replacement is not an option, the watch is almost 4 years old at this point).
  - stevewillows 10y ago
    contact them anyway. Before I discovered this fix, I had one replaced. Its worth a shot. They'll give you a case number and ask you to take a photo of the screen tearing along with your case number. Pretty standard.
    - pauly 10y ago
      agreed, nephew got his pebble steel replaced no questions for serious screen issues. I have minor screen issues occasionally though have had mine for a couple of years. Might try for a replacement. Might they send me a fitbit now instead..?
      - stevewillows 10y ago
        Contact them. When you get the new one, try the fix above on the old one to see if you can get it fixed. I'm concerned about this acquisition. The few people I know with Fitbits have had nothing but trouble with them.
namlem 10y ago
Yeah, the original steel is the nicest watch they've made. Some of the new ones are nice, but not as nice.

kawsper 10y ago

We were 5 colleagues that bought 5 watches from their first Kickstarter for the V1 Pebble. Unlike you, I liked mine, but I didn't use it as a smart watch, but more as an alarm (it vibrates!), and it was a nice gimmick that you could flick your wrist to turn the backlight on. I stopped used mine because the screen started tearing up like this: http://i.imgur.com/NsZKXDn.jpg http://i.imgur.com/NsZKXDn.jpg and when I contacted their support, they couldn't do a thing about it. My dad actually managed to get a hold of a V1 Pebble, and he is still using it every day.

voltagex_ 10y ago
That was a known defect for the V1/Kickstarter version. Support should have replaced it. Mine did it but I couldn't reliably reproduce it when support asked so I wrote it off. Haven't used another smartwatch since.
- mseri 10y ago
  The charger and watch plug of my kickstarter version oxidized slightly few months ago, since then I am unable to charge it unfortunately. I was using it quite a lot
- rjblackman 10y ago
  if you still have it. If you can crack it open, you can fix it by removing the zebra connector and spraying with a little contact cleaner on the contacts that connect to the zebra. had no problems since.
denzil_correa 10y ago
Same for me. Pebble did not provide any support for the screen tearing issue. I mostly use it as a fashion accessory. Pity!
- dx034 10y ago
  They did for mine. I had to send some pictures in and they sent me a free replacement. It was a known issue with the kickstarter version.

on_and_off 10y ago

I have got to admit : I would be tempted by a good looking smartwatch and the pebble time actually looks nice. The market as a whole as been a bit underwhelming so far. Next year might be a bit more exciting : -so we already have the pebble time round -the withings activité heart will go out soon -google is reportedly working on 2 new 'pixel' smartwatches. Things might finally get interesting in the smartwatch market.

jbi 10y ago

Have to agree. I'm wearing a Pebble Time Steele and a lot of people like it but don't notice it to be a smartwatch at first sight (depending on the watch face of course). However, it did not receive good reviews. I guess in part because it is widely accepted that smartwatches do not last more than a day or two and are not well readable outside. Customers and reviewers are blinded by super-high-resolution displays - although you won't watch YouTube on your wrist. Pebble is functional, the world wants bling-bling.

this-dang-guy 10y ago
You hit the nail on the head. People always assume my Pebble is just a watch. The absolute best reaction to a smartwatch, IMO. It's just a watch. That does neat things if I ask it to. Period. That's what Pebble delivered for me - the watch experience. I didn't want yet another OLED battery sucking device to monitor, I wanted a timex with adjustable features that I could code or change on the fly. If Pebble dies, that's probably what I'll go back to.
TeMPOraL 10y ago
That's exactly the reason I've been a Pebble fan, I stuck to it over the years, and without it, I'll be off the wearables market - until someone else does a functional smartwatch, or I'll make myself a DIY one (after I figure out how to order two or three watch-sized e-ink screens cheap instead of doing a bulk order on Alibaba).

saltycraig 10y ago

I'll be sad to see them go too, at their price point they couldn't be beat. Unfortunately they have been treating their Kickstarter and pre-order backers poorly (as they did with their first Kickstarter) and there has been some backlash on r/pebble and their forums (basically, you can get a pebble 2 in retail now for cheaper than you could get it on pre-order, and many if not most backers/pre-orders have yet to get their order).

nunez 10y ago

For sure. I love my Time Round. It's almost exactly what I've been looking for in a smartwatch since day 1: round, light, reasonably long battery, supports rich notifications and is cross-platform. Nothing else on the market comes close to it. The Apple Watch is amazing but only works on iOS and the data it stores isn't easily exportable to other services. Android watches are still too beta for me and their round offerings are way too bulky. Both have pretty bad battery life; I was lucky to get a day out of either and have, more often than not, had them die on me mid-day. I hope Fitbit releases something like this with their newly-acquired IP. I'm not counting on it, however.

ChristianGeek 10y ago
You might want to check out the Samsung Gear S2. Round, stylish (I get comments on mine all the time), reasonably thin, ok battery life, runs Tizen OS, works with Android and iOS (official app isn't out yet but the beta is floating around). I got mine for $150 refurbished online and couldn't be happier.