I'm an (unhappy) Apple Watch owner, but this is one thing which has gotten me to back the new Pebble on kickstarter -- Alexa is the most useful audio platform I've encountered so far.
Why Apple Watch sucks:<p>- ugly design
- overpriced
- no clear killer app<p>Why smart watches are inevitable:<p>- payments
- swiping through subways, doors, hotels, airports
- effortless exchanges between individuals (replacing business cards and cash transactions)
- absorbing the fitness market Fitbit etc<p>Recently I've been getting very annoyed at Apple's terrible software quality. I've also had an opportunity to use Android, and I've found it a far _inferior_ experience (unfortunately).<p>I want to leave Apple but it's still the best option, even after a year of tanking quality.<p>Conclusion: we need a new Apple.
Microsoft introduced the tablet PC in 2001, nine years before the first iPad. As with Apple's watch now, the experience wasn't worth the cost. Clues about what the future will look like are already all around us and I think this is one of them.
Slightly OT question: Would the Pebble 2 be useful as a privacy-respecting health tracker?<p>I am looking for a device for long-term heart-rate tracking (additional included gimmicks appreciated). But I am worried about things like: Does the health app upload to cloud services? If so, can it be turned off? Is the Bluetooth synchronization protocol documented to support open-source app implementations?
I was a happy user of the Pebble Time. However, I recently decided to switch to the Fitbit Blaze to participate in some physical activity challenges with friends and family. So far the experience with the Fitbit Blaze has been bad.<p>* Music control intergration with Android is flaky and rarely work
* Face of the watch is hard to see outdoors
* Minimal Android phone notification integrations / settings
* Watch face selection is minimal
* No third party app market<p>My Pebble felt like a very well crafted device, with solid software backing it. It wasn't perfect but when compared to the Fitbit Blaze it is far superior.<p>I am really looking forward to coming back to Pebble Time 2 at this point.
I remember reading the article about Pebble and how smartwatch growth had not panned out.<p>With a capable voice interface though, I can see the possibility of that magic combination / killer app. I wonder if the Pebble Core will be as competent as the Echo in filtering voice. Is this going to be a passive-listening device, or do you press a button?
Apple should be starting to get worried. They had a good lead in innovation but it looks like "everyone else" is catching up again. If apple isn't bleeding edge anymore, is it relevant?
Normally i dismiss most people who are wary of using a lot of services on AWS/GCE... due to concerns of lock in since I think the benefits of more rapid development outweigh the costs.<p>However, this seems like a terrible strategy. Are they really outsourcing all of the core service and voice integration to Amazon?<p>This totally reminds of windows. Microsoft built the core operating system which became the defacto OS to build programs on. Hardware manufacturers then had to compete with each other almost entirely on hardware specs and price since most programs would only run on windows giving microsoft an almost complete monopoly. Microsoft makes $$$ as monopoly, hardware manufacturers make hardly since they are all competing on specs and price.<p>Amazon is probably laughing their way to the bank on this one.