4 ms·

Well, this sucks. I really don't want a fitbit - I like the pebble formfactor and legit use it as a notifier. If I wanted a fitness tracker, I'd get a $15 pedom

by pfooti 10y ago

Well, this sucks. I really don't want a fitbit - I like the pebble formfactor and legit use it as a notifier. If I wanted a fitness tracker, I'd get a $15 pedometer. I backed and received a pebble2 to replace my pebble1. (as a Under some circumstances, I'd be fine just ignoring the acquisition and continuing to use my p2. The real problem is when the pebble integrations stop working. If that happens in a few months, I'm not going to be particularly happy. I get that kickstarter is a gamble, as is buying products from marginal manufacturers. But the pebble really is a product that doesn't seem to exist anywhere else. Can anyone recommend a wearable that: 1) displays full notifications (email, text, etc) 2) handles navigation turn-by-turn directions 3) controls my music stream 4) lasts for a week+ on one charge 5) works on android (or better, is platform agnostic)

dragonwriter 10y ago
Interesting, except for #2, the Fitbit Surge seems to meet all of those (might be slightly short on #4.) From what I hear, the Fitbit Blaze (basically a color screen Surge without independent GPS so that a phone is needed for location) actually has a hit longer battery life in normal use. The Surge seemed to clearly indicate that they were interested in doing more than trackers, the Blaze seems to indicate that they realize that prioritizing what people want in a smartwatch over things that make sense in aprimarily fitness tracker is going to be important to a large segment of the market. So, I wouldn't be surprised to see a near-future Fitbit that ticks all your boxes.
nathan_f77 10y ago
Check out the Vector Watch: http://vectorwatch.com/ http://vectorwatch.com/ 1) displays full notifications (email, text, etc) Yes, although I'm not sure what you mean by "full" notifications. 2) handles navigation turn-by-turn directions I couldn't find anything about that, so it doesn't look like it supports that yet. But I assume that it is being developed. 3) controls my music stream Yes. 4) lasts for a week+ on one charge One charge lasts for 30 days (!) 5) works on android (or better, is platform agnostic) Yes. Disclaimer: I only found out about this watch a few hours ago, but a lot of other Pebble users are pointing to this one as an alternative. It looks great though, and I'm thinking about getting one.
- Fnoord 10y ago
  > but a lot of other Pebble users are pointing to this one as an alternative. Yeah, that's all nice, but what about the price comparison? I had a look and the cheapest Vector I found was 400 USD. In contrast, the Pebble 2 via Kickstarter cost 100 USD (OK, with VAT and S&H it was 115 USD for me). > I couldn't find anything about that, so it doesn't look like it supports that yet. But I assume that it is being developed. You see, that's the problem. Pebble has been around for multiple years and had an ecosystem going. A lot of applications and watchfaces with functionality. Pebble 2 versions also have a HRM. A Core would have a GPS. You wouldn't even need a phone w/that. My Pebble 2 sync with Google Fit as well. That's a big plus for sports like running and hiking (running with a phone sucks, esp as phones become larger and larger). Vector looks classy, like a Pebble Round I guess, and it has a huge benefit in 30 days battery. Even if your battery is starting to wear out you'll still be able to use it for a long time, unlike the one day flies like Samsung and Apple. What Samsung and Apple have going for it, is research into usability. I'm not saying they're there yet but their products are iterations on usability R&D. The usability isn't quite there yet. That's why smartwatches aren't there yet. People know this. They read reviews. They speak to people who got the watch. I saw someone with a Vector saying they had a scratch on their screen. I'm worried about the same on my Pebble 2. Previously, I'd just buy a new one (a new official screen for my phone would cost 85 EUR; which is a lot less than the average SGS or iPhone). I really wouldn't want that on a 400 USD product without knowing beforehand how much a fix would be. One thing I still miss with my Pebble is a simple shop list on my watch. I end up grabbing my phone while in the grocery store for Google Keep just waiting for that day a kid runs into me and oops, it falls, ca-ching 85 EUR new screen.

by pfooti 10y ago

dragonwriter 10y ago

Interesting, except for #2, the Fitbit Surge seems to meet all of those (might be slightly short on #4.) From what I hear, the Fitbit Blaze (basically a color screen Surge without independent GPS so that a phone is needed for location) actually has a hit longer battery life in normal use. The Surge seemed to clearly indicate that they were interested in doing more than trackers, the Blaze seems to indicate that they realize that prioritizing what people want in a smartwatch over things that make sense in aprimarily fitness tracker is going to be important to a large segment of the market. So, I wouldn't be surprised to see a near-future Fitbit that ticks all your boxes.

nathan_f77 10y ago

Check out the Vector Watch: http://vectorwatch.com/ http://vectorwatch.com/ 1) displays full notifications (email, text, etc) Yes, although I'm not sure what you mean by "full" notifications. 2) handles navigation turn-by-turn directions I couldn't find anything about that, so it doesn't look like it supports that yet. But I assume that it is being developed. 3) controls my music stream Yes. 4) lasts for a week+ on one charge One charge lasts for 30 days (!) 5) works on android (or better, is platform agnostic) Yes. Disclaimer: I only found out about this watch a few hours ago, but a lot of other Pebble users are pointing to this one as an alternative. It looks great though, and I'm thinking about getting one.

Fnoord 10y ago
> but a lot of other Pebble users are pointing to this one as an alternative. Yeah, that's all nice, but what about the price comparison? I had a look and the cheapest Vector I found was 400 USD. In contrast, the Pebble 2 via Kickstarter cost 100 USD (OK, with VAT and S&H it was 115 USD for me). > I couldn't find anything about that, so it doesn't look like it supports that yet. But I assume that it is being developed. You see, that's the problem. Pebble has been around for multiple years and had an ecosystem going. A lot of applications and watchfaces with functionality. Pebble 2 versions also have a HRM. A Core would have a GPS. You wouldn't even need a phone w/that. My Pebble 2 sync with Google Fit as well. That's a big plus for sports like running and hiking (running with a phone sucks, esp as phones become larger and larger). Vector looks classy, like a Pebble Round I guess, and it has a huge benefit in 30 days battery. Even if your battery is starting to wear out you'll still be able to use it for a long time, unlike the one day flies like Samsung and Apple. What Samsung and Apple have going for it, is research into usability. I'm not saying they're there yet but their products are iterations on usability R&D. The usability isn't quite there yet. That's why smartwatches aren't there yet. People know this. They read reviews. They speak to people who got the watch. I saw someone with a Vector saying they had a scratch on their screen. I'm worried about the same on my Pebble 2. Previously, I'd just buy a new one (a new official screen for my phone would cost 85 EUR; which is a lot less than the average SGS or iPhone). I really wouldn't want that on a 400 USD product without knowing beforehand how much a fix would be. One thing I still miss with my Pebble is a simple shop list on my watch. I end up grabbing my phone while in the grocery store for Google Keep just waiting for that day a kid runs into me and oops, it falls, ca-ching 85 EUR new screen.