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I LOVE My Pebble and even got Rebble working on it not long ago to revive it. However... If you want to make it TRULY HACKABLE as you claim, you will not encu

I LOVE My Pebble and even got Rebble working on it not long ago to revive it. However... If you want to make it TRULY HACKABLE as you claim, you will not encumber it with cloud dependencies like you did last time. Let ME self host my own Pebble server if I choose. Go ahead and default to your servers and sell services and whatever, but let me host my own and switch the base URL to my own domain, preferably with open source software and simple APIs, without requiring me to go through your servers. That way, even if this attempt also doesn't pan out, those of us willing to do the work will at least still have the functionality we want. I get the whole VC "lock them into required cloud services for life so we can make endless subscription revenue" model, but it's absolutely corrupt. And, Eric, I know you know that - you have a hacker's heart. Please listen to it.

NoahKAndrews 2y ago
Pretty much all of the cloud stuff has been reimplemented with open-source code by the community! See rebble.org.
- bcraven 2y ago
  rebble.io is the correct address
ClassyJacket 2y ago
I second this. I'll be very hesitant to buy in if it's locked to a cloud service. And people are waking up to this, with the Bambu controversy and all. Please don't make this mistake.
ericd 2y ago
Ooh yeah, big bonus points if it integrates easily with eg Homeassistant.
lolinder 2y ago
So much this. Learn from Framework: Sell the hardware at a price point that makes your business sustainable without needing a cloud component to push you over into profitability. Yes, it will lock out people for whom that price is unacceptable, but now more than ever your real customer is serious hackers, and we are collectively more than fed up with the cloud and subscriptions. Framework and Nabu Casa need to be your models here, because your customers are overwhelmingly their customers.
erohead 2y ago
I'm 100% with you! No VCs this time...no mandatory cloud subscription. But I'm not really sure that this fear is grounded - before we sold to Fitbit we 'unlocked' the Pebble mobile app so you could use it with any cloud you wanted, including self hosted. So...it already meets your definition
- andrewflnr 2y ago
  Possibly that's a good thing to mention on the homepage. :)
- saidinesh5 2y ago
  This is really good news! Wishlist for the next device: More sensors: heart rate, spo2 and ecg...
  - flakeoil 2y ago
    Please, not too many sensors. Long battery life and small size and low weight is more important. All the other smartphones and fitness watches have these sensors so get one of those instead. Maybe a HW interface to attach other sensor modules could be an option, but could also easily become a distraction and pull down the overall experience. [Edit] A wireless i/f (bluetooth, LP RF) is of course better to use as interface to any peripheral sensor modules.
    - gvurrdon 2y ago
      A Pebble 2 HR with a colour screen would do the job for me, I think.
  - donjoe0 2y ago
    Never cared about Pebble's fitness/health tracking and never used it. I don't need my health reported to me in numbers every day, I'm not a performance athlete nor a hospital patient. Living my personal life trying to hit some numbers dictated to me by some app sounds like a horrifying idea, like a second work life at home.
  - 2y ago
blobbers 2y ago
When micropayments fail to annoy sufficiently, just turn them into microsubscriptions! Try 3 days for 30 cents! -- agree with you rzazeuta!
Neikius 2y ago
I keep looking for a decent watch. And phone. And there is just nothing available. Everything gets encumbered with this and that cloud. This and that app. Mandatory policies, apps, surveillance and eventually subscriptions or selling of your personal data. I don't think we will be getting this in our "free market". It would need to be mandated by state for manufacturers to use open APIs. There is just no incentive for them to offer those otherwise.
mattogodoy 2y ago
I came to say exactly this. I could not have stated it better. As a Pebble power user back in the day, who owns 3 watches and pledged in the Kickstarter to get the new Pebble that sadly never saw the light of day, the only way I'm coming back is if every piece of this puzzle is open source. And by this I mean: - Servers: I agree with you. Make a default "cloud" owned by Pebble, but give us the ability to self-host it. NO SUBSCRIPTIONS, NO ADS, NO PRIVACY INVASION, PLEASE. - PebbleOS: This is already a reality, and I'm very happy that it's happening. - Mobile apps: Make them open-source! Let us play with them and you'll benefit of the fixes, improvements and innovation of the community. - Hardware: It would be fine for me if the hardware was not open. As long as I can install my own firmware on it and have full control of it, I'm happy. I think I speak for most of us when I say that I'm sick and tired of not owning my stuff. In the dystopic world we're living in, with enshittification at it's peak, an open, hackable, and truly owned device would feel like a breath of fresh air. You have a real opportunity here, Eric. Please use it :) Best of luck!

NoahKAndrews 2y ago

Pretty much all of the cloud stuff has been reimplemented with open-source code by the community! See rebble.org.

bcraven 2y ago
rebble.io is the correct address

ClassyJacket 2y ago

I second this. I'll be very hesitant to buy in if it's locked to a cloud service. And people are waking up to this, with the Bambu controversy and all. Please don't make this mistake.

ericd 2y ago

Ooh yeah, big bonus points if it integrates easily with eg Homeassistant.

lolinder 2y ago

So much this. Learn from Framework: Sell the hardware at a price point that makes your business sustainable without needing a cloud component to push you over into profitability. Yes, it will lock out people for whom that price is unacceptable, but now more than ever your real customer is serious hackers, and we are collectively more than fed up with the cloud and subscriptions. Framework and Nabu Casa need to be your models here, because your customers are overwhelmingly their customers.

erohead 2y ago

I'm 100% with you! No VCs this time...no mandatory cloud subscription. But I'm not really sure that this fear is grounded - before we sold to Fitbit we 'unlocked' the Pebble mobile app so you could use it with any cloud you wanted, including self hosted. So...it already meets your definition

andrewflnr 2y ago
Possibly that's a good thing to mention on the homepage. :)
saidinesh5 2y ago
This is really good news! Wishlist for the next device: More sensors: heart rate, spo2 and ecg...
- flakeoil 2y ago
  Please, not too many sensors. Long battery life and small size and low weight is more important. All the other smartphones and fitness watches have these sensors so get one of those instead. Maybe a HW interface to attach other sensor modules could be an option, but could also easily become a distraction and pull down the overall experience. [Edit] A wireless i/f (bluetooth, LP RF) is of course better to use as interface to any peripheral sensor modules.
  - gvurrdon 2y ago
    A Pebble 2 HR with a colour screen would do the job for me, I think.
- donjoe0 2y ago
  Never cared about Pebble's fitness/health tracking and never used it. I don't need my health reported to me in numbers every day, I'm not a performance athlete nor a hospital patient. Living my personal life trying to hit some numbers dictated to me by some app sounds like a horrifying idea, like a second work life at home.
- 2y ago

blobbers 2y ago

When micropayments fail to annoy sufficiently, just turn them into microsubscriptions! Try 3 days for 30 cents! -- agree with you rzazeuta!

Neikius 2y ago

I keep looking for a decent watch. And phone. And there is just nothing available. Everything gets encumbered with this and that cloud. This and that app. Mandatory policies, apps, surveillance and eventually subscriptions or selling of your personal data. I don't think we will be getting this in our "free market". It would need to be mandated by state for manufacturers to use open APIs. There is just no incentive for them to offer those otherwise.

mattogodoy 2y ago

I came to say exactly this. I could not have stated it better. As a Pebble power user back in the day, who owns 3 watches and pledged in the Kickstarter to get the new Pebble that sadly never saw the light of day, the only way I'm coming back is if every piece of this puzzle is open source. And by this I mean: - Servers: I agree with you. Make a default "cloud" owned by Pebble, but give us the ability to self-host it. NO SUBSCRIPTIONS, NO ADS, NO PRIVACY INVASION, PLEASE. - PebbleOS: This is already a reality, and I'm very happy that it's happening. - Mobile apps: Make them open-source! Let us play with them and you'll benefit of the fixes, improvements and innovation of the community. - Hardware: It would be fine for me if the hardware was not open. As long as I can install my own firmware on it and have full control of it, I'm happy. I think I speak for most of us when I say that I'm sick and tired of not owning my stuff. In the dystopic world we're living in, with enshittification at it's peak, an open, hackable, and truly owned device would feel like a breath of fresh air. You have a real opportunity here, Eric. Please use it :) Best of luck!