Fitbit is close to buying Pebble (and possibly killing the brand) - Polidicks

Pebbles always seemed to be pretty ugly and lacking in features besides the battery life considering how expensive they were.

[QUOTE=MrBacon;51504818]Pebbles always seemed to be lacking in features[/QUOTE] Pebble is on par with any other smartwatch if you don't count heart rate monitoring (which was added in latest models) and NFC payments.

[QUOTE=Megalan;51505198]Pebble is on par with any other smartwatch if you don't count heart rate monitoring (which was added in latest models) and NFC payments.[/QUOTE] What's a touchscreen? People also mocked the 360's flat tire screen, but have you [b]seen[/b] the bezels on the Pebble Time Round? Jesus.

When I got my Pebble Time, I was after a smartwatch and got it because of how simple it was and how long the battery lasted. Now that I've owned it for a while and gotten used to it, I'd probably get an Android Wear watch for the next one, because battery life isn't too important provided it lasts the day. However, if the Pebble didn't exist I'd never have bought a smartwatch because at the time the concept of having to charge it every night was one I hated. I guess now, Pebbles are a bit naff. They don't do anywhere near as much as the droid ones, they tend to have worse quality screens (my Time's screen is quite shite). All they've really got going for them (for me, anyway) is the battery life.

[QUOTE=SGTNAPALM;51503497]I still don't really understand what use-case the smartwatch in general fills. These are devices designed to be use in tandem with your phone... Something you have on your person anyway. I can't think of a critical situation where I wouldn't be able to access my phone but could access my watch. For the longest time Smartwatches also looked like toys but thankfully that's beginning to change. But at that point if I was shelling out ~$200 for a watch I'd much rather get a really nice and rugged automatic Seiko or an Orient or maybe even a Citizen.[/QUOTE] I actually have 3 explicit use cases that having a phone alone is useless. Out on our call floor, phones are banned for PCI compliance, but I still need to receive email while I'm working. Nobody complains about watches. :v: And on motorcycles and snowmobiles, phones are worthless. I'm not digging out my phone just to find out why I've gotten 15 messages, when it might just be a group chat. Even more useless on snowmobiles due to the moisture, negative temps, and your bundled as fuck. You can't keep it on outside pockets, your body heat is the only thing saving the battery. I often go 6+ hours without touching my phone, but I am reading notifications. It let's you screen when it worth to actually pull it out. Also my wrist is more sensitive to vibration than my thigh.

A damn shame, the battery in my Pebble Time is starting to go down the drain and I was hoping to pick up a Time 2. It's going to be hell to find another smartwatch that can compare.

[QUOTE=SGTNAPALM;51503497]I still don't really understand what use-case the smartwatch in general fills. These are devices designed to be use in tandem with your phone... Something you have on your person anyway. I can't think of a critical situation where I wouldn't be able to access my phone but could access my watch. For the longest time Smartwatches also looked like toys but thankfully that's beginning to change. But at that point if I was shelling out ~$200 for a watch I'd much rather get a really nice and rugged automatic Seiko or an Orient or maybe even a Citizen.[/QUOTE] I can't even begin to tell you how much time I save [B]not[/B] looking at my phone by being able to basically immediately determine if a notification is worth my time no matter what I'm doing. I also use it as a manager for my various store cards & Starbucks purchases, and it makes a great map/next turn display when driving. Replying to notifications with my voice and quickly getting answers from Google Now is also pretty great.

On a side note my Fitbit Surge "smart-fitness-watch" encouraged me to lose some weight, put on some muscle, and reach a certain step count per day. I'm living an ever healthier and happier life now as a result, on top of the aforementioned benefits of on-the-job notification checking etc

[QUOTE=SGTNAPALM;51503497]I still don't really understand what use-case the smartwatch in general fills. These are devices designed to be use in tandem with your phone... Something you have on your person anyway. I can't think of a critical situation where I wouldn't be able to access my phone but could access my watch. For the longest time Smartwatches also looked like toys but thankfully that's beginning to change. But at that point if I was shelling out ~$200 for a watch I'd much rather get a really nice and rugged automatic Seiko or an Orient or maybe even a Citizen.[/QUOTE] The way I see it, a smartwatch is essentially triage for all your notifications. It lets me quickly look at and dismiss texts, emails, etc. if they're not worth my time/don't need a response. For those that do, I can quickly reply with "Yes", "No", "Be right there", and other common replies without needing to unlock my phone and type it out. And in cases where a longer reply is needed, I can either use voice recognition (which is actually fairly good) or quickly open it on my phone. Beyond that, it has loads of useful little apps that let control my music with physical buttons, convert between units, save gps locations (and point me back), set timers, give public transit info, etc. in places where it might be cumbersome to pull out my phone like a bus or train, and at the very least frees a hand.

[QUOTE=Snowmew;51503362]I've noticed that exam proctors don't notice either. I haven't cheated with mine, but someone probably could. I do use it for rationing my time with the multiple timers, though, which is again useful because it shows the time remaining in each section and vibrates instead of beeps. Although I think standardized tests do not allow digital watches anymore (I know the LSAT doesn't).[/QUOTE] I use mine for presentations that have a time minimum. It's a huge stress reliever to be midway through a presentation and feel my wrist buzzing away letting me know I'm good to go. [editline]10th December 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=1/4 Life;51505340]What's a touchscreen?[/QUOTE] A waste of money and a hindrance when the device is an eighth the size of my phone.

[QUOTE=gk99;51507756] A waste of money and a hindrance when the device is an eighth the size of my phone.[/QUOTE] Can't be a waste of money when you paid touchscreen prices for a Pebble, and I've used Android Wear 2.0's swipe keyboard to great effect. You've got a serious case of can't knock it before you try it.

[QUOTE=1/4 Life;51509147]Can't be a waste of money when you paid touchscreen prices for a Pebble, and I've used Android Wear 2.0's swipe keyboard to great effect. You've got a serious case of can't knock it before you try it.[/QUOTE] How is $100 "touchscreen prices" when all of the touchscreen smartwatches are $250+?

[QUOTE=Snowmew;51509464]How is $100 "touchscreen prices" when all of the touchscreen smartwatches are $250+?[/QUOTE] [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/1v3uAN0.png[/IMG] [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/3q3kksZ.png[/IMG] [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/7dTTIOz.png[/IMG] [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/ka2z5nu.png[/IMG] (This is a SW3, which has GPS and NFC for the future. Walmart has them listed for exactly $99.) You clearly haven't looked very hard.

[QUOTE=1/4 Life;51509552][IMG]http://i.imgur.com/1v3uAN0.png[/IMG] [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/3q3kksZ.png[/IMG] [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/7dTTIOz.png[/IMG] [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/ka2z5nu.png[/IMG] (This is a SW3, which has GPS) You haven't looked very hard.[/QUOTE] Why are you trying so hard to convince Pebble users that we need a touchscreen and battery life isn't important. Are you convinced we are oh so misinformed? Touchscreens and one day battery life does not appeal to that demographic, AND YOU HAVE SAID IT YOURSELF FFS. If people that liked Pebble wanted it to be Android Wear, we would just buy Android Wear. It never was trying to be, closest it ever did was use the Android Wear API. Give it a rest.

[QUOTE=Demache;51509605]Why are you trying so hard to convince Pebble users that we need a touchscreen and battery life isn't important.[/QUOTE] I'm not trying to convince anyone at this point, I simply am correcting false or ignorant statements. As you already mentioned, I know full well that there are a small number of dedicated Pebble fans who are in it for the battery life, and I won't change their minds no matter what I do.

[QUOTE=1/4 Life;51509622]I'm not trying to convince anyone at this point, I simply am correcting false statements. As you already mentioned, I know full well that there are a small number of dedicated Pebble fans who are in it for the battery life, and I won't change their minds no matter what I do.[/QUOTE] I apologize for being blunt. I'm just in a shitty mood right now.

[QUOTE=Demache;51509640]I apologize for being blunt. I'm just in a shitty mood right now.[/QUOTE] You're good man, no worries.

what even is the point of a smart watch or whatever seriously I don't get it my regular watch and a normal smart phone are good enough i'm not sure what I would get by owning a smart watch and nothing seems to actually answer that question

[QUOTE=HumanAbyss;51509724]what even is the point of a smart watch or whatever seriously I don't get it my regular watch and a normal smart phone are good enough i'm not sure what I would get by owning a smart watch and nothing seems to actually answer that question[/QUOTE] I'm sitting at my desk working. A notification comes in and my phone is in my pocket. I quickly glance at my wrist, see that nobody's on fire, and proceed to ignore it until I'm done working. I'm driving somewhere new in my car, which doesn't have a navigation system or Android Auto, and I need directions. I have no co-pilot. I hold my watch up, say "Ok Google directions to so and so", and now I have my phone spouting off directions over GPS and a map/next turn display on my wrist, which is easily visible since my hand is on the steering wheel. I am buying Starbucks. Instead of pulling out my phone and holding up the Starbucks app to pay, I instead simply flash my watch across the reader when I'm ready. The app opens my Starbucks card barcode automagically based on location. There's a lot more, but one cool thing with Android Wear is it also has gestures so you don't need to touch the screen to complete basic tasks (Including replying), meaning I can reply to a text or complete some notification action item when both of my hands are full.

[QUOTE=1/4 Life;51509754]I'm sitting at my desk working. A notification comes in and my phone is in my pocket. I quickly glance at my wrist, see that nobody's on fire, and proceed to ignore it until I'm done working. I'm driving somewhere new in my car, which doesn't have a navigation system or Android Auto, and I need directions. I have no co-pilot. I hold my watch up, say "Ok Google directions to so and so", and now I have my phone spouting off directions over GPS and a map/next turn display on my wrist, which is easily visible since my hand is on the steering wheel. I am buying Starbucks. Instead of pulling out my phone and holding up the Starbucks app to pay, I instead simply flash my watch across the reader when I'm ready. The app opens my Starbucks card barcode automagically based on location. There's a lot more, but one cool thing with Android Wear is it also has gestures so you don't need to touch the screen to complete basic tasks (Including replying), meaning I can reply to a text or complete some notification action item when both of my hands are full.[/QUOTE] i mean that's all not something I would pay for My phones normally on my desk in front of me I have a hands free set up for my car that was a gift and is very easily set up I have a wallet and cards for that and I don't see convience in that I mean cool, power to you if this is worth it for you guys but I really do feel like a luddite with how useless a smartwatch seems to me it literally only seems to solve problems that barely exist as it is, my mother owns an apple watch and like, she uses it for texts and that's about it at this point. It's value to her has dramatically decreased from what I can tell because it's just not that useful for actual things it just does things you already have a thing to do that given task with, and it doesn't even really do it in a fantastically new and optimal way.

[QUOTE=HumanAbyss;51509769]It literally only seems to solve problems that barely exist as it is[/QUOTE] That's exactly what they all do. The point is you don't realize why they're worth it until you own one, and the 'worth' is merely your time saved over grabbing your phone from your pocket countless times each day, and then little things in the car if you aren't already decked out with the latest and greatest.

like I said power to you if that's what you really want but I am 100% uninterested based on your answers as none of that is an issue that will make my life better in any appreciable way

[QUOTE=HumanAbyss;51509798] I am 100% uninterested based on your answers as none of that is an issue that will make my life better in any appreciable way[/QUOTE] And that is exactly what killed Pebble and downsized the Smartwatch market. These manufacturers thought they'd be the new cellphone. They're useful in their own right, but not in the way they needed to be to be sold in the numbers they wanted. I don't fault you for not finding them immediately useful, and while I should fault you for knocking it before trying it, I can't given the current cost of these things. You're not at all wrong to hold your current opinion. [editline]10th December 2016[/editline] The only other thing I can say is if you're the kind of person that likes watches for style reasons, there's definitely a few Smartwatches that are objectively good looking. I bought my girlfriend a rose gold Moto 360 women's and she's gotten a ton of random complements for the thing before people even realize it's a smartwatch. Most of them are blown away when they find out it is and Apple doesn't make it.

I like smartwatches and the idea of smartwatches but I'll admit they aren't as essential as a cellphone. There's no killer app that a smartwatch has to attract most people. I like electronics though, and I like using technology to extend my capabilities.

[QUOTE=Lambeth;51511466]I like smartwatches and the idea of smartwatches but I'll admit they aren't as essential as a cellphone. There's no killer app that a smartwatch has to attract most people. I like electronics though, and I like using technology to extend my capabilities.[/QUOTE] This is it too. I'm not surprised that smartwatches in general are somewhat of a niche. Its kinda like going from 1080p to 4K. Its nice, but its not quite the same leap as going from SD to 1080p (flip-phone to smartphone).

[QUOTE=1/4 Life;51509552][IMG]http://i.imgur.com/1v3uAN0.png[/IMG] [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/3q3kksZ.png[/IMG] [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/7dTTIOz.png[/IMG] [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/ka2z5nu.png[/IMG] (This is a SW3, which has GPS and NFC for the future. Walmart has them listed for exactly $99.) You clearly haven't looked very hard.[/QUOTE] So a used one and three above what I paid for a Pebble good job

Honestly pissed about this. i really hope the community is able to reverse engineer the protocol and such. I have a pebble steel and use it constantly while at work. being able to see who is messaging me and what they are saying without pulling out my phone is so nice (especially with dirty oily hands) and being able to control my music is another huge plus. I really dont need a touchscreen when I can use physical buttons without looking and not having to worry if I charged it the night before is prefect. it does what i need it to do in a simple manner. Really sad to see them go under. but they certainly made some missteps, the round was a fad chaser.

[QUOTE=ac/14;51511690]Honestly pissed about this. i really hope the community is able to reverse engineer the protocol and such. I have a pebble steel and use it constantly while at work. being able to see who is messaging me and what they are saying without pulling out my phone is so nice (especially with dirty oily hands) and being able to control my music is another huge plus. I really dont need a touchscreen when I can use physical buttons without looking and not having to worry if I charged it the night before is prefect. it does what i need it to do in a simple manner. Really sad to see them go under. but they certainly made some missteps, the round was a fad chaser.[/QUOTE] Yeah, I think the round was an interesting idea, but too ambitious for a company like Pebble. They should have stuck with their main line.

Fuck Fitbit. I had a 1st gen Pebble and a Pebble Time, both have been great to me. I might end up selling my TIme (and some other shit I have lying around) and buying a Gear S3 instead...

I'm rocking the Pebble Time Steel -- I love going nearly two weeks without charging my watch. No other smart watch comes close for the price; and none can even touch the battery life of this thing. It confuses me why nobody else uses e-ink. Everybody seems obsessed with having a tiny useless touchscreen on your watch. I don't understand it. I'm pretty bummed at this acquisition. I backed the Pebble 2, and am now waiting on a refund...