Pebble smart watch. New Pebble Time – Review of smart watches that have quite a few fans

Attempts to create a smart companion for a smartphone in the form of wristwatch have been undertaken repeatedly over the past ten years. The first experiments were not successful: the small size of the watch screen, high power consumption, and sometimes ugly design made them toys for a few - there was no mass market for such devices. With the advent of the iPod, which could be worn on a strap and used as a watch, interest in this topic increased, and many manufacturers appeared on the market. Some, like Burg, tried to squeeze a full-fledged phone into the wristwatch format, others created specialized watches for athletes, like MIO and their product Alpha. Sony SmartWatch has the best position in this area, since the company is purposefully developing this area, but the product remains not in great demand due to its short operating time.

So the appearance of the Pebble watch on Kickstarter should not have been a bombshell, but the right marketing and PR turned a rather ordinary product into a phenomenon that many people are seriously talking about, and the number of people who have already invested money in buying such a watch goes into the tens of thousands. Suffice it to say that the company expected to raise $100,000 in April 2012 for the development of the watch, but received just over $10 million in one month.

Let's figure out what all the fuss is about and why the idea of ​​such a watch appealed to thousands of people.

Design as well as the watch screen

The main drawback of most “smart” and electronic watch- this is energy consumption, they cannot be constantly turned on, since the operating time is sharply reduced. A solution could be found in using screens that do not consume as much energy, and Pebble, as the creators say, uses “electronic paper” technology similar to what we see in e-books.

The screen resolution is 144x168 pixels, and behind the word e-paper lies not eInk technology, as one might assume, but Memory LCD technology from Sharp. It outperforms traditional LCDs in terms of power consumption, but does not have such a flaw as refresh time - the screen changes the image almost imperceptibly to the eye, which allows you to create animations that do not look bad.

You can set the screen backlight to turn on by movement or by tapping on it, but for example, I left the backlight on all the time and did not experience any problems with it. You press a button or spin the watch - it lights up the screen. In the dark, the display is clearly visible and there are no defects.

It's time to talk about the battery - it is sealed into the case, the watch is completely sealed, you can swim, dive, play sports in it (up to 5 atmospheres). The kit includes a lanyard for charging them from a USB connector; charging time is about one hour. The stated operating time of the watch is up to 7 days. In life, everything depends solely on what phone you paired this watch with and how many reminders you set. During my experiments, the watch lasted about three to four days, but I turned off reminders from Facebook, mail, leaving only WhatsApp, SMS and calls. In general, we can say that the watch can easily work for about several days. And, by tradition, I advise you not to lose the charging strap; you cannot find it on the open market - you will have to buy the watch again.

Bluetooth version is both 2.1 and 4.0, while it supports work with both iOS and Android smartphones, in this aspect the solution turned out to be universal and quite working without any discounts.

From a design point of view, the watch does not look bad, but the rectangular shape is not suitable for everyone, nor is its size - on my hand it looks funny, if not ridiculous.

In general, the question remains open for me: how can you buy a watch without trying it on, since this is an accessory that should look good. Whatever the functionality smart watch, if they don’t look good on your hand, then it’s stupid to use them.

There are currently three colors available for the watch – white, red and black. The strap is silicone, quite large and comfortable.

You can order the watch on getpebble.com for $150 (the price was slightly lower from Kickstarter).

Pebble Features and Capabilities

There are control buttons on the watch case, on the left there is one key, this is the exit to a higher level. On the right side there are three buttons, the outer ones are responsible for scrolling through lists, the key in the middle is to enter a menu or submenu. The buttons are quite hard, accidental presses are excluded.

You need to install the Pebble app on your smartphone, then you can control the watch and use it with your phone (you also need to pair the devices via Bluetooth).

There are not many features in the proprietary application - you can see the name of the caller and his phone number (you can reject the call from the watch), read the latest SMS (previous ones will not be shown, there is no navigation), see a calendar entry, and the like. You can also control the music, jump between tracks, press pause.

In principle, the watch is connected and third party programs, it turns out that the watch screen serves external display for data, for example, Runkeeper displays information about your run. The number of such programs will constantly grow, until there are not so many of them.

Using a proprietary program, you can install Watchfaces, these are various dials, they can be static or animated.

In my opinion, this is the most strong point watches – there are many different options for dials, new ones are constantly appearing. By and large, the presence of such an opportunity at the same price as a simple electronic watch of this kind makes Pebble interesting. You don’t even have to use the “smart” functions, but only change the dials.

You encounter the first drawback almost instantly: the watch was developed for the US market, and therefore only supports the Latin alphabet; any messages in other languages ​​are displayed in squares. When making incoming calls, if the subscriber's name is written in Cyrillic, you see those same squares. Unpleasant, but not fatal - craftsmen have already written a program for Android with which you can defeat this scourge.

There have been many attempts to create smart watches, and in different versions, but all of them have not had much success. The main problem of manufacturers is low autonomy, poor connection with a smartphone, and not the most attractive design. A certain interest in the direction appeared thanks to the company Pebble, which decided to raise money for its project via the Kickstarter platform. Instead of the 100 thousand dollars required to implement the idea, the company raised 10 million in just a month and was able to give customers what they wanted. The Pebble Watch review will tell you what Pebble came up with and whether they succeeded in bringing their ideas to life.

The main problem with smartwatches is their low battery life and the inability to keep them on all the time. Pebble Watch has figured this out, and made it quite simple.

Important! The device was equipped with a screen based on liquid ink—the kind used in e-books. Due to this, it was possible not only to significantly affect the battery life, but also made it possible to keep the display constantly on.

Pebble did not take exact copy eInk technology, as it has a flaw - a delay in updating the image. Instead, the brand turned to Sharp and used them Memory LCD. The meaning is similar to electronic ink, but the image changes much faster and more imperceptibly for the user.

Construction and design

The screen has a resolution of 144*168 pixels. Also here there is a backlight, which is turned on using one of the four buttons on the body or by a certain action, for example, turning the watch towards you or tapping the screen with your finger twice. Thanks to this, Pebble watches can show the time at any time of the day. The user does not need to look for a lit place or illuminate the display with a smartphone, flashlight or other devices.

Important! The device’s battery, designed for 7 days of operation, is soldered into the case, and there is no way to get to it. This was done because the device was designed as waterproof: it has protection from water up to 5 atmospheres.

The watch case is plastic, the straps are made of silicone. Initially, the model was sold in three colors - black, white and red, later other versions were released. The overall impression of the design is mixed. This is not a classic device, so you need to wear it with everyday clothes, this smart watch designed for young people.

Charging is carried out from a laptop or through a power adapter from a smartphone; one is not supplied with the watch. The cable is magnetic and connects on the left side to special contacts.

Functions

Pebble SmartWatch is a smart watch, which means it should be able to connect to smartphone. Bluetooth is provided for this purpose. The connection is successfully carried out with both Apple phones and Android devices. Control is carried out using buttons on the body. There are three of them on the right side, one on the left.

Important! In order for your smartphone and watch to work with each other, you will need to install an application from Pebble on the first one.

Smart functions in Pebble Classic boil down to the fact that the device shows the time, calls, SMS. With their help, you can reject a call and read the last SMS, you can switch the music. Through the application store, you can change the displays on the watch; there are animated options, as well as static ones. If you download applications from third-party developers, the watch will tell you about the results of your run.

Important! After the start of sales, the watch could not display notifications from third party applications, but installing Pebble+ fixed this problem.

In numerous reviews of the Pebble Watch, many complained that the device was originally created for the American market, so they Cyrillic alphabet is not provided. This is true, but if you look at the reviews, you can find information that there is a special firmware for the watch that solves the problem. If you do not install the firmware, then any Russian text, be it an SMS or the name of the subscriber who is calling, is displayed in quarts. Obviously, this is not very convenient, and for Russian users it is very critical.

Summarize

When the first Pebble device was released, it became truly cutting-edge in the field of wearable electronics and showed that this is a promising market that can and should be developed. Even without taking into account those features that were added to the model later through updates, the device showed quite interesting functions. High operating time, protection from water and an always-on display were precisely the important factors that made it possible to make good sales and lay prospects for the future. The only weak link of the model is the design, but at the time of the device’s release there was no alternative even slightly close to the Pebble watch, so no one bothered to look at it.

Important! It is worth noting that after a few years the company changed its approach to appearance smart watches, since it became clear that due to competition, the release of an ugly device, which is constantly in sight and should complement the appearance, can lead to serious difficulties and financial losses.

You can currently buy a watch on average for 8 thousand rubles through online stores and mobile equipment showrooms.

Pebble smartwatches are all about functionality. Up to 7 days of battery life, e-paper technology and other features that appeal to users. Next, we will consider the detailed characteristics of the device, discuss the advantages and disadvantages.

Specifications

Let's start with brief overview technical characteristics pebble smart watch to understand what we are dealing with:

• screen: 176 ppi, 1.26 inches, e-paper;
• processor: 80 MHz;
• OS: Pebble OS;
• compatibility: with devices on Android based or iOS;
• sensors: accelerometer, compass;
• Bluetooth 4.0;
• dimensions: 51×35×5 mm;
• weight: 38g;
• price: from 6000 rub...

Now let's get acquainted with smart watch in practice, let’s check what this entire set gives the buyer.

What is inside?

The gadget is delivered in a thick cardboard box. It contains the device itself on a cardboard holder, Charger, 2 documentation leaflets. The first contains brief instructions for use with a link to the Pebble website, the second contains warranty conditions.

Charging is not like a standard one: on one side there is a USB connector, on the other there is a magnetic connector that connects to the smart watch.

What does the watch look like? Are they convenient to use?

Samples of Cherry Red (with a red body), Jet Black (black), Artistic White (white), as well as orange and gray are available for sale. The watch looks stylish and youthful. The colors can be chosen to suit every taste; there are both bright devices and unshakable classics. The screen is protected by a glossy coating, which adds additional charm. The set includes a silicone bracelet in black (for all watches except the Artistic White, a white one is included). The strap is comfortable, suitable for any wrist size, soft and pleasant to the touch.

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The body of the device is rectangular, on its left side there is a back button, on the right there are OK, up, down keys. They are pressed with force, so you won’t be able to catch them accidentally.

What does “electronic paper” provide?

The main drawback of all smartwatches, according to their owners, is their short battery life. It is inconvenient to charge the device every day, I forgot once, and there is no way to use it all day. The developers of the Pebble smartwatch have found a way out of the situation by using e-paper technology. This screen uses less power, and since it's on all day, this is a key criterion. A similar technology is used in e-books.

Display resolution 144×168 pixels, yes automatic switching on LED backlighting when navigating through the menu. The screen is not touch-sensitive, which is unusual, but it does not cause any discomfort - the menu is primitive and intuitive, control is carried out using buttons.

Synchronization with smartphone

To synchronize with pebble smart watch, you can use a smartphone, iPhone or tablet with operating system Android or iOS. Without connecting to a phone, the watch can only perform basic functions - displaying time and date. To get started, download the application, which is a device management tool. The smartphone and device “connect” via Bluetooth.

Main watch functions and features

What can this model boast of? Here are the 4 most important features of Pebble smartwatches.

1. Of course, this is a display of time. In the settings there is different interfaces, if you are tired of one dial design, you can put another one. Moreover, both pictures and animations are available.
2. There is an alarm clock. However, due to the fact that there is no speaker, the signal will be vibration. You will have to put the watch next to you at night, in otherwise you can oversleep. It would be appropriate to use an alarm during the day as a reminder of a meeting or important matter.
3. Can be controlled music player. This includes switching the track to the previous or next one, pausing and resuming playback. There is no way to rewind a song to the middle or change the volume; after finishing an album, you can only move on to the next one through your smartphone. Works correctly with audio recordings on social networks.
4. Display calls and notifications from your phone. All notifications will be visible on the watch screen: calls, SMS, messages in instant messengers (Viber, WhatsApp and others). At incoming call The watch has the ability to answer on a smartphone. That is, if a person is walking, listening to music in a headset, he does not need to take the phone out of his pocket to receive a call.

Advantages: 1. unlike most smart watches, they work for 2 weeks with active use and a month in just watch mode 2. always show the time. the screen does not go dark. 3. price. Pebbles are one and a half times cheaper than most other smartwatches. 4. large community. a huge number of programs, games and watch faces. 5. buttons. they are large and move smoothly. in my opinion, much more convenient than poking something on a touch screen. 6. waterproof. You can take them to the shower, to the pool, or to the river. 7. alarm clock. I forgot what a squealing alarm clock on a smartphone is. The watch wakes you up with vibration, and this is not so annoying. 8. The creators do not forget about their brainchild and periodically release firmware updates with new features. 9. The eink screen is perfectly readable in the sun. 10. Having configured Tasker, you can assign any commands to your watch to control your smartphone, from launching applications to clearing memory and changing processor modes. Disadvantages: 1. there are no fake whistles. Because of this, the watch only complements the smartphone, but does not expand its functionality. The same weights from Samsung have a pulse sensor. 2. quite large sizes. but this is a disease of all smartwatches. 3. Some people may be put off by the black and white screen. 4. The entry threshold is too high. even avid geeks will have to spend an evening or two to figure everything out and set up normal synchronization with a smartphone. 5. There is no Russian language by default. is not a big problem, since the watch is flashed in 1 minute with custom firmware. 6. 8 slots for watches and applications. no other way. applications are installed and uninstalled in 5 seconds, but sometimes you don’t want to go into the application on your smartphone again and reconfigure something. By the way, all downloaded applications and watchfaces remain available in the smartphone application and to install them you do not need to go and download them from the store. 7. If the Android is below 4.3, then you will have to confuse a little with synchronization. 8. There are a great many applications and watchfaces, but there are no more than a hundred that are really useful and beautiful. 9. You will most often use it to check the time or set an alarm, since after a couple of weeks all these minute-to-minute notifications will start to get boring. Well, you can also use it as a note-taker, a cycling computer, an organizer with a calendar, a timer and a calculator, and also to check the weather. 10. poor (at the moment) native application for a smartphone. it's terribly dull. and this is the main reason to set everything up at once, so as not to mess with it anymore. Comment: more of a toy for geeks than a vital thing. Yes, Pebbles are probably one of the best smartwatches at the moment, but the importance of the smartwatch itself is clearly exaggerated. Unlike most of its competitors, the Pebble is a watch with advanced functionality, and not the other way around - a smart thing with the ability to show the time. I highly recommend it to all geeks, but I don’t recommend it to ordinary “mortals”.

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