When Pebble announced the latest version of thier watch, I was intrigued. I had watched from afar with the first version. I liked the look, I liked the functionality, I just couldn't justify paying for such a device, as I currently didn't even where a watch.
Then, I watched the Apple Watch announcement and drooled with anticipation. And then was ultimately crushed when I saw the price tag. I looked at the Apple Watch the same way I look at a sports car, I wanted...badly, but could not justify the functionality for the cost.
Then I got an opportunity to pick up a Pebble Time, via someone that ordered via Kickstarter and decided that Android Wear was the the way to go and decided to give it a go.
Battery Life
I place this at the top, as it still strikes me as counter intuitive to have to recharge my watch. I can realistically get 5 days of use without a recharge. I have a lot of notifications coming to my watch, which likely uses an ordinate amount of battery. Battery life can vary drastically depending on what watch face or apps are running. I downloaded a compass app and watch face and could see my charge drop 30% within 1 hr. Choose your apps wisely.
Wearablity
First of all, I'm not a big watch person. I haven't worn a watch regularly for the last 4 years or so. I have a Fitbit flex (which I'll talk more about later), but never needed a watch; I had an iPhone with time on it.
The Pebble time is actually the perfect size for my wrist. Its length fits the width of my wrist, and the band is comfortable. Those with a bit more girth in the forearm may complain that the band is a bit tight, but it works well on me.
Functionality
What do you want from your smart watch? I wasn't sure what to expect. How would I use it? What could I do with it? Well, it's what you make of it. My Pebble has become an extension of my iPhone and here's how.
Targeted notifications can be pushed from iOS to Pebble. Anything that makes your phone ding can do so on your watch. Everything from emails, txt messages, Facebook activities, Twitter, and more can be pushed to your watch.
This can be extended with the help of IF (formerly IFTTT). If you have this app installed on your iPhone, then you can trigger notifications to be pushed to the watch. I have weather alerts, sports scores, new OTN blog posts and stock changes configured to notify me by phone which then passes them off to my watch. This has been invaluable.
Even without IFTTT, having my iOS calendar notify me of meetings on my watch has been an unexpected bonus.
Apps
There is an App Store for Pebble Time to install native apps and watch faces.Weather, Calendar and Watchfaces are default apps, but nearly all other functionality is provided by an installed application. ESPN (no MLS notifications!), MisFit (fitness tracker), Timer and Alarms are all provided in by applications which can run in the background.
Unfortunately, there is not an integration between FitBit and Pebble, which is disappointing and has left me wearing two devices. I'm ok with this, but not sure for how long.
Limitations
I was disappointed that I can't use Siri with the microphone built in to Pebble Time, but it hasn't been a deal breaker. If you have an Android, you can see other things with your Time, such as phone battery life and voice control, but that's not an option for iOS.
Overall Grade: B+
I like it. I don't LOVE it like Apple people LOVE their products, but it's comfortable, functional and useful.
The best feature I've found, is that I can glance at my watch (instead of my phone) and dismiss a notification without digging through my pockets for a phone. For this reason, and this reason alone, the Pebble Time (and smart watches in general) have sold me as a viable product.
Then, I watched the Apple Watch announcement and drooled with anticipation. And then was ultimately crushed when I saw the price tag. I looked at the Apple Watch the same way I look at a sports car, I wanted...badly, but could not justify the functionality for the cost.
Then I got an opportunity to pick up a Pebble Time, via someone that ordered via Kickstarter and decided that Android Wear was the the way to go and decided to give it a go.
Battery Life
I place this at the top, as it still strikes me as counter intuitive to have to recharge my watch. I can realistically get 5 days of use without a recharge. I have a lot of notifications coming to my watch, which likely uses an ordinate amount of battery. Battery life can vary drastically depending on what watch face or apps are running. I downloaded a compass app and watch face and could see my charge drop 30% within 1 hr. Choose your apps wisely.
Wearablity
First of all, I'm not a big watch person. I haven't worn a watch regularly for the last 4 years or so. I have a Fitbit flex (which I'll talk more about later), but never needed a watch; I had an iPhone with time on it.
The Pebble time is actually the perfect size for my wrist. Its length fits the width of my wrist, and the band is comfortable. Those with a bit more girth in the forearm may complain that the band is a bit tight, but it works well on me.
Functionality
What do you want from your smart watch? I wasn't sure what to expect. How would I use it? What could I do with it? Well, it's what you make of it. My Pebble has become an extension of my iPhone and here's how.
Targeted notifications can be pushed from iOS to Pebble. Anything that makes your phone ding can do so on your watch. Everything from emails, txt messages, Facebook activities, Twitter, and more can be pushed to your watch.
This can be extended with the help of IF (formerly IFTTT). If you have this app installed on your iPhone, then you can trigger notifications to be pushed to the watch. I have weather alerts, sports scores, new OTN blog posts and stock changes configured to notify me by phone which then passes them off to my watch. This has been invaluable.
Even without IFTTT, having my iOS calendar notify me of meetings on my watch has been an unexpected bonus.
Apps
There is an App Store for Pebble Time to install native apps and watch faces.Weather, Calendar and Watchfaces are default apps, but nearly all other functionality is provided by an installed application. ESPN (no MLS notifications!), MisFit (fitness tracker), Timer and Alarms are all provided in by applications which can run in the background.
Unfortunately, there is not an integration between FitBit and Pebble, which is disappointing and has left me wearing two devices. I'm ok with this, but not sure for how long.
Limitations
I was disappointed that I can't use Siri with the microphone built in to Pebble Time, but it hasn't been a deal breaker. If you have an Android, you can see other things with your Time, such as phone battery life and voice control, but that's not an option for iOS.
Overall Grade: B+
I like it. I don't LOVE it like Apple people LOVE their products, but it's comfortable, functional and useful.
The best feature I've found, is that I can glance at my watch (instead of my phone) and dismiss a notification without digging through my pockets for a phone. For this reason, and this reason alone, the Pebble Time (and smart watches in general) have sold me as a viable product.
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