Pebble SmartWatch review. Pebble Smartwatch. Smart watches with a wide range of functions Publ watches

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 an exact copy of the eInk technology, since 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 the Pebble+ program eliminated 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.

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 the appearance of smart watches, as it became clear that, due to competition, the release of an ugly device that is constantly in sight and should complement the appearance could lead to serious difficulties and financial losses.

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

The first smart wristwatch in history, the Pulsar Memowatch, appeared back in 1982. For thirty years, this type of electronic device remained highly specialized and, in fact, only this year became fashionable and widespread. In addition to smart watches from world-famous IT brands (Samsung and Sony), more and more solutions are emerging from out-of-the-box startups like Pebble Technology.

Modern “smart” watches can be divided into three categories: full-fledged watch phones with a built-in cellular communication module, models with a color screen that can act as a wireless headset, and, finally, simple and energy-efficient solutions that only display notifications from a smartphone. Pebble falls into the third category.

As soon as Pebble Technology posted a message on the Kickstarter website about raising funds for the production of a “smart” watch with a monochrome energy-efficient screen costing only $150, donations poured in like a river. Instead of the initially required $100 thousand, pre-orders were made in excess of $10 million. Even after a year and a half, no one managed to beat this Kickstarter record.

⇡ Design

The biggest drawback of most modern smartwatches is the design, or rather the almost complete absence of it. The models available on the market today are more reminiscent of children's wristwatches than premium (based on their cost) accessories for adults. Pebble was no exception - even youth and sports watches look more solid against their background. However, after a couple of days you get used to the “toy-like” nature of the Pebble and stop considering it a problem.

It’s good that Pebble, unlike many competitors, turned out to be thin and light, thanks to which they look harmonious even on a sophisticated lady’s hand. The watch case is made of plastic: it is glossy on the front, and matte on the sides and back. As practice has shown, the protective coating of the screen is not so easy to scratch: after a week of use, the watch has not lost any of its “marketable” appearance. There are five body color options available: black, white, grey, red and orange.

The Pebble strap is made of rubber that bends well and hopefully won't wear out too quickly. However, there are no hardware components inside the strap, and it can be easily replaced if desired. But it is strictly not recommended to disassemble the watch itself - it may lose its water resistance. Yes, the watch is resistant not only to raindrops, but also to immersion to a depth of up to fifty meters.

On the right side of the Pebble there are three buttons (scroll up, confirm an action and scroll down), and on the left there is a return button (aka power on) and a magnetic connector for recharging. Only a proprietary USB cable is supplied with the smartwatch. If you lose it, you can buy a new one on eBay.

⇡ Technical specifications

The Pebble uses a monochrome Memory LCD display made by Sharp. The brighter the lighting around, the clearer the image on the screen is visible. True, in bright sunlight the protective coating of the screen glares. And if there is not enough light, you can turn on the backlight - trust the light sensor, or, to be sure, shake your hand. Unlike E-Ink, Memory LCD technology is not characterized by long delays when redrawing an image.

The Pebble smart watch is powered by the STM32F2 ARM processor from STMicroelectronics. This chip is built on Cortex-M3 architecture and produced using a 90-nm process technology. It accelerates to a peak frequency of 80 MHz only when absolutely necessary, so as not to waste battery power.

⇡ Initial setup

To test the capabilities of the Pebble smartwatch, we used two smartphones: Samsung Galaxy Ace 3 (Android 4.2 operating system) and Apple iPhone 4S (iOS 7).

When you turn it on for the first time, Pebble asks you to install the service application of the same name on your smartphone, which is easy to find on Google Play and the App Store, and launch it. The application requests permission to turn on the smartphone's Bluetooth module, after which it begins searching for devices available for connection. Once connected, it checks for new firmware versions and, if there are none, reports that the smart watch is ready to work.

By the way, on iOS 6 the Pebble service application completely refuses to install. And in the case of the iPhone 4, even with iOS 7, the watch works in a limited mode (it only notifies about calls and SMS). The reason for this is the outdated Bluetooth 2.0 protocol. The recommended version for Pebble is Bluetooth 4.0.

Looking ahead, let's say that at the moment the official Pebble firmware does not support the Cyrillic alphabet and it will not officially appear in the near future. Therefore, in order for Russian-language contact names and message text to be displayed correctly, it is necessary to install modified firmware. Fortunately, this is extremely easy to do: just upload the PBZ firmware file to Dropbox and open it on your smartphone using a cloud storage client. Then the Pebble service application will do everything on its own.

The latest stable firmware version at the time of writing is 1.13, but version 2.0 is already being tested, which allows a significantly larger number of iOS applications to send notifications to the watch. You should first look for the latest versions of modified firmware on the pages of forums.getpebble.com.

⇡ Standard features

According to the developers, Pebble should become a second screen for a smartphone, but nothing more. Therefore, Pebble has neither a camera nor a speaker with a microphone, which are now fashionable to be built into more expensive models of smart watches.

Time and date. By default, Pebble offers a choice of three home screen options (Watchfaces): a text clock in English, an analog clock with a moving second hand, and a digital time and date.

Phone calls. As soon as you call someone on your smartphone, the Pebble begins to vibrate cyclically. The vibration strength is selected at a comfortable level: the signal is clearly perceived by the hand, but does not irritate.

The options for dealing with an incoming call on Android and iOS are different. In the first case, there is only one option - to reject, while in the second - to reject and respond. The watch stops vibrating and returns to the main screen. On an Android smartphone, the melody stops, but the call continues to come. That is, completely dropping the call, thereby making it clear to the caller that there is no time to talk now, will not work.

On the iPhone, the call is dropped, but when there is an incoming call, the watch displays question marks instead of the Cyrillic contact name. So far, even the modified firmware does not help solve the problem.

SMS. After installing modified firmware with Cyrillic support, Pebble allows you not only to quickly find out about the presence of new incoming SMS, but also to read their Russian and, more recently, Ukrainian text. Large messages are divided into several screens, which are scrolled through using side buttons.

Email and calendar. Pebble has a similar situation with emails and calendar reminders. True, you must first allow Pebble to interact with Gmail, Google Calendar and the standard Android email client in the settings of the Pebble service application.

Music player. The function of controlling the audio player on a smartphone is well implemented in Pebble. You can pause playback and switch tracks. True, all this only works within one playlist.

Alarm. The Pebble doesn't have a speaker, so the alarm can only vibrate. The main thing is not to put the watch on something soft before going to bed, otherwise you may not hear the vibration in the morning.

⇡ Third party applications

In the case of an Android smartphone, almost any instant messenger or task manager can send notifications to the Pebble smart watch. To do this you need to install the application from Google Play

Having programming experience, you can create an application for Pebble yourself. The specialized development environment Pebble SDK will help with this.

⇡ Battery life

On a single battery charge, Pebble smart watches can work for 4 days in round-the-clock synchronization mode with a smartphone and up to 7 days if you turn off Bluetooth at night. A very good result, especially when compared with the autonomy of smart watches with a color screen. Naturally, the battery of the smartphone to which the watch is connected also drains a little faster.

⇡ Conclusions

You can buy a Pebble on the official website for $150, and this also includes the cost of regular delivery to any country in the world. For express delivery (3-5 days) you will have to pay an additional $25. In Russian retail, Pebble is sold at about one and a half to two times more expensive, but the goods will be delivered many times faster. The price, of course, is rather high, but compared to solutions from Samsung and Sony, Pebble looks advantageous. Especially if there is no need for a color screen and voice calls.

Pebble will be useful primarily for those who, due to the specifics of their work, need to quickly respond to incoming calls and messages. In this case, you don’t have to take your smartphone out of your pocket every time—you can simply leave it on the table among stacks of papers. In the crush of the capital's metro, Pebble is an absolutely irreplaceable thing.

The editors would like to thank the CLICK online store for providing the Pebble smart watch for testing.

And now we have one of the brightest products of 2013: the Pebble smartwatch.

The Pebble watch appeared in early 2013 thanks to the Kickstarter crowdfunding platform, becoming, without exaggeration, an iconic product for it. However, sales were so successful and the attention to the new product was so great (including from leading Western journalists) that the second version of the watch was presented not as the fruit of a startup’s activities, but as a serious product - the Pebble Steel premiered at CES 2014. And the product itself began to look more respectable and significant, having received a metal case and a leather strap.

However, its technical characteristics and functionality remained the same, and in addition, the previous model remained on sale, and its price is much more attractive than that of Pebble Steel ($150 versus $249 for Pebble Steel). So for users who want Pebble functionality over style, it still makes sense to go with the first version. And we will tell you about what Pebble watches can do in our material.

Let's take a look at the Pebble's specifications.

• Display e-paper 1.26″, 144×168, 176 ppi
• LED backlight
• Bluetooth 4.0
• ARM Cortex-M3 processor @80 MHz
• Accelerometer
• Light sensor
• Electronic compass (not yet supported in software)
• Operating system Pebble OS
• Compatible with any iOS and Android smartphones
• Case dimensions 52×36×11.5 mm
• Complete strap width 22 mm
• Weight 38 g

In the case of smartwatches, the characteristics can tell us almost no information that would allow us to draw preliminary conclusions about the product (unlike smartphones, where standardization has reached such an extent that one glance at the characteristics is often enough to understand how to compare this product and what to expect from it). However, in this case, you should first of all pay attention to the type of screen: e-paper. There is not enough detailed technical information about this “electronic paper”, but, apparently, it is. Its use allows for longer battery life than other smartwatches we tested. However, it is not touch-sensitive, unlike the screens of Samsung, Sony and Iconbit watches.

However, let’s not get ahead of ourselves and get acquainted with the product in practice.

Packaging and equipment

The watch comes in a very nice compact box made of thick cardboard.

Inside it is the watch itself on a cardboard holder, a charging cable and two folded leaflets. On one there is a short (very short!) manual that tells you the very basics and sends you to the Pebble website, on the other leaflet there are warranty conditions.

The charging cable deserves special mention. It has a USB connector on one end and a magnetic connector on the other that connects to the watch similar to how the MagSafe charger connects to Apple laptops.

You can charge Pebble either from a computer or from any smartphone charger or MP3 player.

Design

Now let's look at the watch itself. The one we tested was Cherry Red, but it's also available in Orange, Jet Black, Artistic White, and Gray.

The appearance of the watch makes a pleasant impression. Moreover, they look much nicer in real life than in photographs. In principle, despite the plastic case and provocative color (in the case of our specimen), even serious people should not be ashamed to wear such a watch. An additional charm is given to them by a glossy coating (apparently, it is plastic, not glass) that protects the screen. However, it is obvious that the appearance of the watch is designed primarily for women and youth, unlike the Pebble Steel.

The watch comes with a silicone strap. It is black on all models except the white one (it has a white strap, of course). The strap is comfortable, the watch sits very nicely on the hand, suitable for both thin and large hands. In general, compared to the Samsung Galaxy Gear and Iconbit Callisto 100, this is a much more convenient gadget, competing in this parameter only with the Sony SmartWatch 2.

All buttons, as well as the magnetic connector, are located on the right and left sides of the watch case. Accordingly, a magnetic connector and a button fit on the left side Back , and on the right side there are buttons Up , OK And Down . Like the body, the buttons are made of plastic; they are pressed silently, but with noticeable force. Although they protrude from the body, they cannot be pressed accidentally (by clothing or a sudden movement of the hand).

There is no camera, microphone or speakers here. In this regard, Pebble is similar to Sony SmartWatch 2.

To summarize, we note that the design of the watch made a positive impression on us. They are cute, quite durable, fit well on the hand, all the elements are well thought out. It’s even surprising that such a polished product could be made by newcomers who do not have serious engineering and design firms behind them. Well, the only negative is the inability to charge the device except through a proprietary cable. If the cable is lost or damaged, you can throw away the watch (it is unlikely that a spare cable can be found and delivered to Russia for adequate money).

Screen

As already noted, the watch is equipped with a 1.26″ monochrome screen based on electronic paper. Outwardly, it resembles the familiar E Ink screens, but the principle of operation here, although similar, is still slightly different, allowing the use of internal backlighting precisely at those moments when it is needed. LED backlighting is activated when navigating through the menu. Once the user has made a selection, the backlight turns off (and then the image is visible thanks to external lighting, as is the case with E Ink). Backlighting gives a bluish color to a black and white image.

Apparently, this device uses a transreflective monochrome LCD screen with memory manufactured by Sharp. With memory, everything is quite simple - one bit per cell allows you to remember its state, so in the case of a non-changing image, there is no need to control the state of the cells, you just need to supply power, which reduces energy consumption. The principle of image formation in this case is more interesting. By irradiating a mixture of polymer and liquid crystals, a polymer matrix with cavities (drops) in which liquid crystals (LC) remain is obtained. Within droplets, LCs have predominantly one orientation, but among droplets it is chaotic. Due to the fact that the refractive index of LCs depends on the orientation of their molecules, as a result, on average, for light incident perpendicular to a screen with such a structure, the refractive index at the boundaries of the polymer and droplets with LC will differ, which will cause a large scattering of light in all directions , and the screen will appear light (state A in the figure below).

When a voltage of a certain magnitude is applied to the electrodes bounding the LC cell, the LC in all drops included in this cell are oriented along the electric field perpendicular to the screen plane. The polymer and LC are selected in such a way that their refractive indices coincide when the LC is oriented parallel to the incident light. As a result, for a switched-on LCD cell, for light incident perpendicular to the screen, the refractive index at the boundaries of the polymer and droplets with the LCD will coincide, light scattering will be minimal, and it will be reflected from the lower mirror electrode, but, despite such reflection, the cell will look already dark (state IN in the figure above). Why this is so becomes clear if you look at a mirror with a piece of white paper glued to it. Below we present a micrograph of the Pebble screen, which is generally consistent with the stated principle:

Distinct squares are the boundaries of the LC cells, within which chaotically scattered inclusions (droplets) are observed, reflecting (or rather scattering) light in light cells and transmitting light without scattering in dark ones. It is interesting that the visible properties and pattern of droplet arrangement for different cells are basically the same. Apparently, the formation of droplets is somehow controlled. Note that the principle of image formation outlined above does not require the use of polarizers (indeed, when observing with a polarizing filter, no pronounced direction of polarization is detected), as a result, there are fewer losses and the efficiency of the screen increases.

Unlike the smartwatches we've previously tested, the Pebble's screen is not touch-sensitive. At first, this is confusing - we are too accustomed to touch screens on mobile devices. However, the menu is so simple that you can do everything using the buttons, and you get used to it quite quickly.

Connecting Pebble to your smartphone

Like the Sony SmartWatch 2, the Pebble is essentially a Bluetooth headset for a smartphone. Therefore, without connecting to a smartphone, the watch can only perform its basic function, that is, displaying the time and date. But what distinguishes Pebble from Sony SmartWatch 2 and, in particular, from Samsung Galaxy Gear is its “omnivorousness”: the watch can be connected not only to any Android smartphone (not only Android 4.x, but even Android 2.x ), but also to the Apple iPhone. The latter made Pebble popular among owners of Apple devices. And we tested Pebble just with the iPhone 5S.

First, you need to download the free Pebble Smartwatch app from the App Store. It is a very simple tool for managing your watch.

There are only three icons in the application. The central one shows whether the watch is connected (if it glows green, it means it is connected, but at first you will see a red button, which means that the watch is not connected). The left button opens instructions to help you customize the display of notifications on Pebble. Finally, the rightmost button opens a menu with a choice of watch interface.

However, the watch interface can be customized using Pebble itself. But first we need to connect the watch and smartphone. To do this, you need to turn on Bluetooth in the iPhone settings and turn it on in the watch (Menu / Settings / Bluetooth). The iPhone should detect Pebble, click on connect, and confirm the pairing on the watch. That's it, now our smartphone and watch are connected. Next, go to the Notification Center on the iPhone (Settings / Notification Center), look for the Pebble application, turn on all notifications. Now the watch will receive all the notifications that are sent to the smartphone.

Pebble functionality

So what can Pebble do? First, of course, show the time. Moreover, as we have already noted, a variety of watch interface designs are available, so as soon as you get tired of the old one, you can change it. Secondly, you can set an alarm on the watch, but there are few alarm settings, and most importantly, due to the lack of a speaker, the watch can only signal by vibration. Therefore, you will either have to go to bed with them or risk not hearing the whirring of the Pebble. However, this function can be useful when you need to be reminded of something during the day: for example, if you have a meeting ahead, you can set an alarm for the time when you need to get ready to leave your home or office.

Thirdly, using the watch you can control music playback on your smartphone. The watch screen displays the artist name, track name and album name. True, you cannot change the volume and rewind the track a little forward - only switch to the next or previous one, as well as pause and resume playback. In addition, playback control is only possible within one album. As soon as the album ends, you need to take out your smartphone and put on a new album. As a plus, we note that the watch works not only with the Music application, but also with other players, for example, with VKontakte audio recordings (and information about them is displayed quite correctly).

Finally, the fourth and most important feature of the watch is related to the display of notifications from a smartphone. This can be calls, SMS, messages on social networks and instant messengers (we checked the work with VKontakte and Viber). If you receive a call, you can click on accept call and start talking on your smartphone. This is convenient when you are walking down the street and listening to music on your iPhone through a headset. Then the watch will allow you not to take your smartphone out of your pocket.

However, Russian-speaking Pebble users will immediately encounter a problem that will call into question the appropriateness of using the watch. The proprietary firmware does not support the Cyrillic alphabet. This means that any message in Russian will look like this on the watch screen.

Fortunately, craftsmen quickly wrote a number of alternative firmware. Among them there are both English-language ones, but with Cyrillic support, and completely Russian-language ones (that is, the interface is also translated). In addition, enthusiasts can try beta versions of the latest firmware, in which developers are trying to add some new features, but this, as they say, is at their own peril and risk. The Pebble forum is devoted to the Russification of watches.

How to install unofficial firmware on Pebble? There are two ways. The first method: connect the watch via Bluetooth to a computer running Windows, download the zip archive with the firmware, unpack it and start execution via the command line (detailed Russian-language instructions can be found). There are several difficulties here. First, you will need a laptop (or tablet running Windows 7/8) with Bluetooth or an external Bluetooth adapter connected via USB. Secondly, you need to find the watch ID (this is a four-digit code). And thirdly, working with the command line is, in principle, not the most common thing for most iPhone owners.

Therefore, it seems to us that another method is much more elegant and simple, which should not cause any difficulties for owners of Apple devices. We install any cloud storage on the iPhone - for example, Dropbox (but Yandex.Disk and similar services are also suitable). Download the firmware file (it has a .pbz extension) to any other device connected to your Dropbox, and upload it to Dropbox. Open this file from Dropbox on iPhone. We see this picture (see screenshot on the left).

You need to click on the lower left button ( Send ), and a list of applications with which you can send the file will appear. But we don’t need to send it, we just need to click on Open in... . And here we will see a button Open in Pebble (see screenshot on the right). After this, the Pebble application will open and we will receive a warning like the following.

Click Continue, and then Update Now, and monitor the process, which takes a couple of minutes. After this, the watch reboots and tells us:

Please note that, as with any flashing, failures are quite possible. Most likely, they will not kill the device, and you can roll back, but there is a high probability that either the firmware will not start, or the update will be successful, but the Cyrillic alphabet will still not be supported. We had such a situation with firmware version 1.12, which retained the English interface, but promised normal display of the Cyrillic alphabet. However, version 1.14.1, completely Russified, installed without any problems. Here are a few screenshots of the watch.

But alas, a small fly in the ointment still remains (at least, this firmware did not solve it, and searches on the Internet showed that the problem still remains relevant). When making calls, the caller's name, written in Cyrillic, is displayed with question marks (??????). This problem only occurs on iPhones and is not observed on Android smartphones.

Overall, the Pebble's functionality is much more limited than that of any watch we've previously tested. But, we repeat, Pebble works with the iPhone, and besides, the functionality that is available is implemented with the highest quality and convenience. Unless, of course, you count the lack of Cyrillic support in the factory version and the need to tinker with flashing the firmware.

Autonomous operation

Battery life is one of the undoubted advantages of Pebble. With a relatively small body (smaller than other watches we tested), the Pebble can last between 5 and 7 days on a single charge, depending on the number of notifications and how much music control you use.

conclusions

The smartwatch market is only in its early stages, and devices of this class are still aimed primarily at enthusiasts. However, in the US and Europe, Pebble can perhaps be considered the most “popular” version of smartwatches: omnivorous (works with both Android and iPhone), easy to set up and manage, and cheap (Sony SmartWatch 2 is $50 more expensive). And even though the functionality here is much more modest than that of Samsung and Sony watches, and there are almost no hidden features (although who knows what will appear in the new firmware?), for most users this will be quite enough.

But in our country, the use of these watches is complicated by two factors: firstly, they are not represented in official retail stores, and secondly, without support for the Cyrillic alphabet they are practically useless, and to add support for the Cyrillic alphabet, you need to at least rummage through thematic forums ( or read our article :)) and spend time experimenting. And still, some problems will remain (with displaying the caller's name, for example). So for us, this is still a device for geeks. But geeks will be more interested in the Sony SmartWatch 2, and they are easier to purchase (and perhaps even not much more expensive if you add shipping from abroad to the cost of the Pebble). So, on the one hand, we congratulate the Pebble developers on a worthy product, and on the other hand, we look forward to fixing the problems with the Cyrillic alphabet and the official release of the watch on the Russian market. And, of course, we wish you successful development of the project!

The smartwatch category is finally starting to come into its own. More and more models with Android Wear are appearing, manufacturers are also testing their own solutions, and the Apple Watch immediately grabbed as much as 70% of the market. Nevertheless, Pebble still gathers a lot of fans, and we’ll find out how it will be with Pebble Time.

Pebble Time Watch - Reviews

Pebble Time appearance and quality

Let's be honest, when it comes to the styling of the new Pebble model, it's a big step back from the Pebble Steel. However, metal versions of Pebble Time smartwatches will also be announced in the near future.

So far, the first series of this product resembles a small soap dish tied to the wrist. This impression, however, dissipates as soon as the Pebble Time comes into your hands. In everyday life, its design is not so catchy. And if you take into account the device’s interface, it looks more like a “geeky” accessory.

The Pebble Time display diagonal is 1.25 inches, the top part is made of 2.5D scratch-resistant glass. Around the panel is a relatively thick metal frame with a PVT coating that tends to get dirty but is easy to clean. The rest of the body is made of polycarbonate. The four function keys that control the Pebble Time smartwatch (non-touch screen) are sometimes difficult to press, but the gadget is very durable. The watch can also withstand being submerged in water up to 30m deep, so there's no need to worry about rain or washing up.

The silicone strap was also surprising. It is very soft, flexible and pleasant to the touch. Even after prolonged wear there is no rash or irritation. The device uses standard fasteners, so you can replace it with another 22 mm wide bracelet.

The case of the Pebble Time smart watch, according to the description, is 9.7 mm. The figure seems significant, but in reality they fit perfectly to the hand and there are no problems when wearing them. A few minutes after the device is put on your wrist, you simply forget about its existence. The device is very comfortable for everyday wear, which cannot be said about all gadgets from the smartwatch category.

Operation and display

As already mentioned, the Pebble Time screen is not touch-sensitive, and is controlled by 4 buttons. The controls are simple and intuitive. The button on the left is to return to the previous tab, the buttons on the right are to navigate through the menu. For the first time, Pebble has a color display. The device doesn't use LCD technologies like IPS or AMOLED, so you shouldn't expect rich, vibrant colors. They are a little fuzzy and dull. Despite this, the display itself is quite pleasing to the eye. There is one drawback - the screen is placed deep under the glass, which reduces viewing angles.

The display backlight has been redesigned. Now its duration and brightness can be adjusted at will. It is also better practiced to activate it with a flick of the wrist. Previously, this required an overly noticeable gesture. Now the sensor has become more sensitive.

Interface

The new smartwatch from Pebble uses a somewhat unusual interface. The menu map, icons, animations look funny, even somewhat childish. But it fits perfectly into the overall design of the Pebble Time. The animations are a little drawn out, but they are just as charming, so the developers can be forgiven.

Pebble is the first company to use the Timeline interface. This is very useful for those who use the calendar frequently. Simply pressing up/down is enough to see the past, present and future events recorded in the organizer, as well as the weather, sunrise and sunset times, etc. It is incredibly convenient, allowing you to easily view everything that is expected during the day.

This is not to say that the Pebble Time smartwatch provides the same capabilities as competitors with Android Wear or Apple Watch. But this was not the intention of the developers. They wanted to create a smartwatch that would be the perfect complement to a smartphone, and not copy it. And they succeeded perfectly.

Notifications always arrive on time, informed about them through vibration on the wrist. With the latest update, we can change the vibration intensity or use the do not disturb mode.

Unfortunately, at the moment, Pebble Time owners can only use all the features with Android devices. The functionality for iPhones is currently very limited. But most likely this defect will be corrected in the near future.

Applications

When synchronized with a smartphone, the device gains access to a catalog of additional applications. The list is not as extensive as that of competitors, but we have to admit, there is nothing useless here. Exceptionally functional additions. Previous models provided for the installation of only 8 applications. Time allows you to set up to 50. Here you can find not only functional “apps”, but also designs for dials.

Synchronization is carried out through an application installed on the phone. And here also some problems arose. It has been significantly improved compared to previous versions, but there are still some shortcomings. It also starts draining your smartphone’s battery, which has been confirmed on several phones.

Pebble Time and everyday use

The manufacturer promises about seven days of operation on a single charge. In fact, with continuous use of Pebble, the time is reduced to about 4 days. But even this is an excellent result compared to most competitors, which typically require daily charging. Pebble Time reaches a full charge in just 50 minutes, after which it is ready to use for another 4-7 days.

SmartWatch is a rather controversial technology. First of all, because the manufacturers have not yet decided on its purpose. Many developers are trying to replace phones directly with watches, which seems quite pointless. Is it really that difficult to get a smartphone out of your pocket? But Pebble took a different route and created a device that perfectly complements the functions of phones. And we have to admit that this is perhaps the best of the options offered. Not everything about this device is perfect, but the company has chosen the right direction.

Bottom line

First of all, Pebble Time's unusual style and simple everyday use make you get used to the smartwatch.

The rather limited number of color options compared to the competition is a concern - but for me they are quite sufficient, although I think one would expect a lot more from such equipment.

However, given the battery life and how much time we use our iPhone, the Pebble Time smartwatch is basically the only alternative to the Apple Watch, but is significantly cheaper.

However, the Pebble Time smartwatch costs between $249 and $300 (depending on whether we're talking about the plastic version or the steel version).

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 a brief overview of the technical characteristics of the 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 Android or iOS devices;
• sensors: accelerometer, compass;
• Bluetooth 4.0;
• dimensions: 51×35×5 mm;
• weight: 38g;
• price: from 6000 rub...

Now let's get acquainted with smart watches 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, a charger, 2 documentation leaflets. The first contains brief instructions for use with a link to the Pebble website, the second contains warranty conditions.

Charging does not look 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.

The display resolution is 144x168 pixels, and the LED backlight automatically turns on 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 your pebble smart watch, you can use a smartphone, iPhone, or tablet running 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. There are different interfaces in the settings; if you are tired of one dial design, you can install 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, otherwise you may oversleep. It would be appropriate to use an alarm during the day as a reminder of a meeting or important matter.
3. You can control the 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). When there is an incoming call on the watch, it is possible to answer on the 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.