The Verge reviews the Pebble Time – the new Pebble, with all-new hardware and all-new software. They conclude:
Right now, the Time is an accessory to your smartphone, which is exactly what Pebble wants it to be. But while other smartwatches feel like futuristic platforms that just need more refinement and purpose, it’s not clear how the Pebble Time could go beyond what it already is. It has smaller ambitions than Apple and Google, and for the most part, it already achieves those ambitions. The notifications could certainly get better, the timeline integrations could definitely get more plentiful, and the watch faces could get more colorful. But at the end of the day, it’s still a thing that you wear on your wrist so you don’t have to pick up your phone at every incoming text message.
Strange how what they see as a downside for the Pebble compared to Wear and the Apple Watch, I consider to be its strengths. Pebble doesn’t waste battery and screen real estate on stuff that’s just cumbersome on a watch and only serves to put a really, really complex, cumbersome, and slow UI on a tiny screen on your wrist. The Pebble definitely looks to be a lot more watch and a lot less computer than Google’s and Android’s offerings, and that’s a good thing in my book – not a bad thing.
Much better battery life, always-on display, fast and responsive software, and a really simple and straightforward UI. Too bad that the regular Pebble Time isn’t exactly the prettiest watch out there, but luckily, the Pebble Time Steel looks a little better. Still square though, so those of us who prefer round watches will have to wait around a bit longer.
Casio pull a “rounding trick” on their LCD digital watches by having a round body and then a square display inside that, using the remaining bezel for fixed text (some people might not like that last bit, especially for a smartwatch). Here’s the one I wear that does this:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Casio-WV-58DU-1AVES-Bracelet-Digital-Contro…
It’s my favourite cheap Casio watch ever and battery life is in years…
Edited 2015-05-28 07:24 UTC
use my pebble with my iPhone and i love it,
I can see the always on screen in any light day or night, i get a weeks worth of batteries and notifications displayed by any app thats capable of displaying a notification.
The only thing i wish my pebble could do is directions when i walk, google maps used to do notifications for directions which was perfect, they updated it and took it away. The apps for the pebble that do the navigation are really naff.
I was bit sad when I didn’t back the original kickstarter, but I did back Pebble Time, and when the Steel was announced I opted for that one. I am glad that Pebble Time isn’t a like Apple Watch or Android Ware. It is its own thing.