Folks ITT will talk about watches that are similar in hardware, but what was magic about Pebble was the software and ecosystem. The OS was just a delight to use, fast, wonderfully animated, and let you sideload whatever you want.<p>I've tried a couple of Garmin watches (Vivoactive 3 and Forerunner 55) and the Amazfit Bip, and this is where they all fall completely flat. The UX is just horrible by comparison. It's like these companies have no regard for designing the OS UX and are just trying to cram features in.<p>And the fact that companies want to make touchscreen watches is just with few/no buttons is baffling to me. Tapping tiny buttons on a tiny screen is a horrible experience. And there's tons of moving targets because of the tiny amount of real-estate.<p>Pebble _just got it_ with the 2.0 OS and beyond. They were a joy to use.<p>I begrudgingly have gone back to using an Apple Watch, because despite being subpar, the UX is somewhat together these days, just enough to be tolerable. When I move away from iOS again, I'll probably either pull out an old Pebble that still has some battery life, or a Casio GBD200, which isn't really a smartwatch but ticks some major boxes for me (always-on-display, silent vibration alarm, and timers, chief among them). The GBD200 runs on a coin cell too, so I never have to worry about charging or a replacement being difficult to find!
As a big Pebble fan, I was really sad to see the company go without any similar alternatives in the market (at the time). My watches ended up having various hardware issues over the years, so I switched to something else. The efforts Rebble has put in to keep these devices alive is amazing. If they grow bigger, I'd love to see them do hardware.<p>In the meantime, I'm wearing a Withings ScanWatch [0]. Not as extendable as a Pebble, but it has some features I care about and doesn't distract me.<p>[0] <a href="https://www.withings.com/ch/en/scanwatch" rel="nofollow">https://www.withings.com/ch/en/scanwatch</a>
That few?<p>I wasn't a huge fan of Pebble, the company - they didn't sell replacement parts, for instance (the watch for geeks? yeah, sure).<p>For some crazy reason, though, to this day, this watch is still almost the only one that gets such a basic thing right: Telling the damn time.<p>The formula is as simple as it is unreplicated:<p>- Always telling the time<p>- Good battery life<p>- Buttons<p>Why nobody else makes such a watch is a mystery to me. The Amazfit Bip comes close, but it requires touch interaction and doesn't look as nice as the Pebble Time Steel. It's also supported by GadgetBridge though and also does heart rate tracking while having much better battery life (while being smaller!). When my Bip broke after a few months I bought another (5 years old at this point!) Pebble and am pretty happy with it. I could use some heart rate tracking, though.
Every time Pebble is brought up it brings a tear to my eye, and I wonder what would have happened to the brand if they had accepted the offer from Citizen, who were obviously interested in continuing the line.<p>The Pebble Time 2 was so far ahead of its time, I promise you I would still be rocking it (or whatever came after it from Pebble) if they had shipped it to me.
There still is no good replacement for these properties of the Pebble 2 smartwatch:<p>- > 7 days battery life<p>- HR monitor (useful as a sports watch)<p>- < 10 mm thickness<p>- toned down to fit different clothing styles<p>- hackable<p>- high-contrast, always-on screen<p>- buttons<p>I am currently wearing a Garmin Fenix 7 Sapphire sportswatch, which comes close.
I use 5 of them!<p>And I have one more with a wasted battery that I intend to replace.<p>And I'll still buy some more, because I want to have them available for the rest of my life.<p>There are things that only the Pebble does:<p>- button only interface that you can handle in the dark without glasses<p>- a screen that barcode scanners can easily read for authentication into the gym and library<p>- a TOTP app (authentication tokens) that you can access with only a button press, etc.
I've got a friend who still uses a Palm Pilot (circa 1998) as a daily calendar manager/notepad. Works at Google and delights in telling younger colleagues it's a Pixel 8 prototype.
I've always wanted a "watch" (bracelet) that <i>doesn't</i> show the time. Essentially a narrow bracelet with no display and a few buttons on it that I can program, and a vibrating function so I can leave my phone on silent. I already have a watch I like to wear.<p>wearchronos.com seemed to hit my use case, but the reviews aren't great.
I'm looking at buying readily available a cheap programmable smartwatch. PineTime was easy to write programs for and that Casio replacement board [0] discussed here earlier also hade a nice tool chain, but with shipping and taxes it's just too bothersome.<p>[0] <a href="https://www.crowdsupply.com/oddly-specific-objects/sensor-watch" rel="nofollow">https://www.crowdsupply.com/oddly-specific-objects/sensor-wa...</a>
Another really cool toy we need to start hacking is the Sony FES U [0]. This thing has e-ink on its strap, and it runs Free RTOS. It's the sickest watch concept I've seen in years.<p>[0]: <a href="https://fashion-entertainments.com" rel="nofollow">https://fashion-entertainments.com</a><p>[1]: <a href="https://fashion-entertainments.com/fes-watch-u/fw/oss.html" rel="nofollow">https://fashion-entertainments.com/fes-watch-u/fw/oss.html</a>
I was only forced to swap because the battery started inflating.
Currently on an Amazfit Bip S, fills in all my needs really, and has even better battery life.
I am one of those and every year I renew my Rebble subscription to keep my devices viable as long as possible. I currently have 4 of them, including 2 still "new in box". I still haven't found anything else that suits my use case as well. Still makes me sad though that the Time 2 model didn't release as it would have fixed the few (!) complaints I had about my Time.
I still have one and wear it daily.<p>I need a smartwatch that tells the time, gives me notifications, doesn't blind me in the dark but is readable in daylight and lasts days without charging. Calendar access and weather are a bonus. The pebble does all of that.<p>I was somewhat excited when the Apple Watch was announced only to find out that it, of course, was going to be usable with iOS devices only and therefore not an option for Android users like me. I still haven't found a good alternative to the Pebble and all the lo-fi watches are primarily fitness trackers, which I have no use for.
The smart watch market is just huge.<p>If there are 100 million people who wear an Apple Watch, it’s not surprising that less than .02% of that number would like something as niche as the pebble.<p>It’s like the iPod Classic people. Billions of people want music with them wherever they go. 12 of them like it in MP3 form on a little brick that’s not their phone.
I'm one of them. Still love it. The built-in compass and the third-party app that integrates with Google Maps are priceless to me.
Using physical buttons as opposed to touchscreen is another great feature.<p>All these years, I haven't found a replacement.
Pebble understood what a smartwatch should be. Everyone else was trying to make a nearly phone independent device, and pebble's take was more of a phone accessory. Also the battery life was incredible. You had an always on display with a week long battery. There was a lot of love about Pebble. I still have two in my drawer, and I had no idea the devices were still usable. I might dust one off now.
After the disaster that was the Galaxy Watch 4, I've given up completely on Android Wear - it is just too slow, even right out of the box, and the battery life is abysmal. Going flat at 7pm without anything extra installed and with 4G off is unacceptable.<p>So I'm trying to move to a simpler watch with just basic smart features and longer battery life, but one where I can customize the watchface with code.<p>I ended up going with Watchy:
<a href="https://watchy.sqfmi.com/" rel="nofollow">https://watchy.sqfmi.com/</a><p>And it's cool, but it's extremely basic, a bit bulky and ugly, and has all the drawbacks of E-Paper.<p>Pebble would have been perfect. If they still sold them I would buy one today. It's tragic the company went under so quickly.<p>Maybe I should get a Pebble. But I don't really want to buy a second hand smartwatch, and I don't see the point in investing into something that will never be updated and has no official support. All this update does it make the phone companion app work on a Pixel 7.<p>RIP Pebble. I hope someone makes something similar.
The Pebble Time Round is the best smartwatch I ever used. I have a Samsung GW4 now though - there are a few things I would've liked to see pebble add to upper tier models, for example a sports one with GPS etc, along with being able to store/play Spotify/other music providers stuff over bluetooth (for going on runs).<p>I think the Apple Watch, with all it's flashy animations and bright, beautiful screen contributed to the issue; people only see the shiny, they don't realise they don't need all of those features/oled screen and that they're sacrificing a week long (or more!) battery life for them.<p>I regularly got like 4-5 days out of the Round and it was super thin! I imagine had they done a model as thick as the GW4 it would've lasted 2 weeks or so! I really wish smart watches had gone in the Pebble direction, always on displays should be the primary feature for people. MIP LCD, not oled.<p>Then again, I really can't wait until we _finally_ get some properly commercialised AR glasses as I'd rather use those over a phone or watch or anything else at this point.
I've got a 2SE on my wrist right now, with a few in storage.<p>For the cost of a brand new case ($30) and batteries, I plan to keep using them until the software fails spectacularly.<p>There's really nothing that compares for my usage.
Sadly mine has a dead battery, and I'm afraid to replace it and damage the seal. I switched to multiple "cheap" smartwatches (Mi Band, Amazfit Bip) before settling on the bangle.js2, but despite the specs being similar, the OS on the Pebble feels way more responsible and faster. Hopefully that improves over time, and the main developer (Gordon Williams, who is also the main dev for Espruino upon which the bangle.js firmware is based on) is easy to reach out and talk to :)<p>Loved my Pebble, and I appreciate my bangle.js2 more and more.
I'm genuinely surprised a similar alternative has never popped up. Every time Pebble comes up, there are so many people posting about how much they loved it and how they still keep theirs alive or how they had had to relucantly give up and go to a different watch due to it being out of support.<p>Seems like a giant hole wishing to be filled. I know I want one - but I don't want to revive one - I want a new one with active support.
Count me two. Me and my esposa still use our Pebble Times.<p>Once in a blue moon I buy a hot new smart watch, but nothing lasted more than a week before being resold.
I was quite a fan of Pebble, but was not able to get it when it launched.<p>I had Amazfit Bip for multiple years until it finally broke.<p>After trying Android Wear, battery life if very bad, I am looking for alternatives.<p>Is there any modern alternative to Pebble with all basic functions, such as eink display, battery life, notifications or call muting, but it also could reply to messages/notifications?
same here with Amazfit Bip, had few months stint with AMOLED smartwatch which was necessary to charge twice a week until I got fed up with that (plus unreadable display in sunlight unless maximum brightness) and bought again second Amazfit Bip (1st broke) which cost me less than 20USD used and I have to charge it once a month plus it has perfectly readable transreflective display not requiring any backlight, which looks better with more sunlight, it's shame almost all companies switched to nice looking but extremely power hungry AMOLED displays, I wish there were cheap options for simple watch with transreflective display or e-ink<p>I would be perfectly content with something like Casio F91W if it could display notifications through bluetooth from my phone, I don't really need any sleep tracking or any other features just watch with notifications so I don't have to turn on phone screen
I have a pebble time and a og pebble steel in the drawer. Recently wanted to start using the steel but unfortunately it suffers from the dead button syndrome... I can even accept the onboarding pairing.<p>Apparently I may be able to fix this if I try some soldering, but I'm an inexperienced solderer...
Wonder how many are still using an iPod nano as a watch.<p><a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1104350651/tiktok-lunatik-multi-touch-watch-kits" rel="nofollow">https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1104350651/tiktok-lunat...</a>
I basically want an old school style mp3 player with bluetooth and a GPS tracker that I can just plug into a computer and grab the gpx data, and copy mp3s to its disk. No apps, no locked down ecosystems. If it tells the time and shows a calendar, great.
I completely understand. They were good watches. I almost bought one, then changed my mind because I didn't have the funds and didn't want to risk overdraft. They went out of business the week after, so I never got the chance to get one
I use my Pebble Time Round or Pebble Time Steel daily on IOS using the official Pebble app.<p>Every major IOS release I think this is the time my Pebble app stops working but it is still going strong on IOS16. Safe for another year. :)
Count me in! In my mind my smartwatch doesn't need more computing power or complexity than your average microcontroller, so as long as it lasts I'm keeping mine in good use
Pebble was a great watch; mine's been in my drawer for years as I ran into some issues with updates after the company went away. Switched back to my trusty analog (Citizen World Time Eco Drive) for years, and recently got a Withings Scanwatch for the ECG feature (afib detection). It's pretty much what I want in a "smartwatch" -- analog, discrete notifications, HR during cycling/workouts, long battery life. I don't need a fully computer on my wrist.
I love my pebbles. Especially with notification center on Android, I can set complex regex filters for what messages get sent to my watch, vibration patterns etc.
I'd still be using mine if the battery (and its replacement) hadn't worn out. I was pretty hard on the battery, using a watch face that updated a lot.<p>I plan to reluctantly get a Pixel Watch. It's the first Android Wear watch since the Moto 360 that looks decent. Still way too thick though and still with a garbage outdated SoC (which wouldn't matter if the software was efficient like Pebble, but...)
I loved the Pebble and went to the first developer conference. They treated devs right.<p>Then I moved to Microsoft Band, Microsoft Band 2, FitBit Charge, Fitbit Ionic, Fitbit Versa, Fitbit Sense, and now on FitBit Sense 2 (definitely a big leap forward).<p>I view Pebble as a huge success, even if it wasn't an immediate financial windfall for the team, as they pioneered something critical for humans.
It is a tragedy that I don't much enjoy wearing watches (I don't like the sweat under the band), because I loved my Pebble 2. I still wear it sometimes if I am doing something outdoorsy and likely to be covered in fish guts or river water or mud or whatever.<p>Occasionally, I am one of those 16k.
Seeing as several folks have recommended the Amazfit Bip as an alternative, and I’m considering getting one, I’m wondering if anyone who owns one can comment on: 1. How well it plays with iPhone and 2. Do you have any privacy concerns? I don’t know much about Amazfit as a company.
I'm sad that I chucked my Pebble 2. The rubber on the watch itself started to deteriorate and I figured these services were never coming back.<p>It's the only smartwatch I've owned and I loved it. I'm back to my $5 Casio now.
As an aside can someone tell me where can I buy old pebble phones. I boutht my first pebble watch in 2015. It worked for a long time but I lost it and would love to get one now, just to keep it in a safe
I have one somewhere, lived the idea and possibilities, sadly the watch (steel version) had scarily sharp edges i felt it was dangerous!!! But I still watched them closely hoping they could improve in the model
I still daily drive an Apple Watch Series 3. I use it as a watch and a fitness tracker and have no complaints or reason to upgrade until it breaks. Battery life is still well over 1 day with my usage.
This is exciting! I still have a couple of Pebbles kicking around. I really miss them -- to this day, no other smartwatch meets my needs as well. I should dig them out.
A friend of mine did some design work for them and got one of their top of the line models.<p>He tried to gift it to multiple people (including me) and they all returned it to him after a week or so.
I've wanted a smartwatch, but times I'd looked into smart watches, especially for activity/sleep tracking, I couldn't find a single one with a reasonable privacy policy. In the US, unless the data are self-hosted or covered by HIPAA, there's nothing binding about a privacy policy. Even if the privacy policy currently prevents the data from being sold, the policy can be changed, the company could be bought, or the company could go bankrupt with the databases sold at auction. Because HIPAA covers medical companies rather than medical data, it does nothing to prevent this. Until this loophole is closed (or a miracle happens and the US passes something akin to the GDPR), the lack of privacy prevents me from getting one.<p>And every time I hear about the Pebble and self-hosting, I get disappointed that it no longer exists.
People ask me about my Pebble fairly regularly. I think they mostly notice the rainbow watch band I have, then realize it doesn't look like a Apple Watch.
Yes; my Time, 2 and 2 HR still work.<p>The final smartwatch.<p>Sleep monitor is perfect and notifications really help so I never miss anything important without disturbing anyone else.
If it works for you, why would you migrate to a different product with features or performance outside of your needs? We are so deep into a disposable society that we eagerly await the NEXT BIG THING (TM) without ever evaluating what our need consists of or whether we have any need for an upgrade to begin with.