My pebble 2 (not time just pebble 2) arrived a couple of weeks ago and I think it was a good improvement over the original.

But it's still got buggy software that now will never be fixed - I was going to do a review but little point in that now.

I've been testing a LG G watch R - what a great looking watch but android wear still needs work and it worked great with an S7 but you are limited in what you can do on an iPhone.

Currently testing an Apple watch and while not as good looking as the G watch it does the things that I need it to do.

Smart watches still have a long way to go to become a must have device.

What sort of bugs. I'm still keen on a Pebble 2 +heart.

Be interested to know how buggy or what bugs. Are they show stoppers?

Technofreak:

What sort of bugs. I'm still keen on a Pebble 2 +heart.

Be interested to know how buggy or what bugs. Are they show stoppers?

nitrotech:

Technofreak:

 

What sort of bugs. I'm still keen on a Pebble 2 +heart.

 

 

 

Be interested to know how buggy or what bugs. Are they show stoppers?

 

Notifications sometimes don't work or show an useful mashup of info on screen
If you change phones you can't re-pair. the watch needs to be reset
(Phone) App crashes regularly
I use Runkeeper which worked on the pebble 1 but the pebble 2 will only show info from the app if the phone screen is on - otherwise it freezes
Pandora controls sometime work other times not

Just everything I tried was almost but not quite there because of silly little bugs.

On the plus side

Great battery life 7-10 days
Excellent screen for direct sunlight
Glass screen is great compared to the plastic on the original
Overall design I quite like
Heart rate monitor works well and the pebble health stats are good

I've got the Pebble 2 as well. I love it so far. Nice and light compared to my old Pebble Steel. Voice to text works pretty well. I'd agree with @nitrotech's other plusses. I haven't had any issues with crashing or odd notifications as yet. I use Music Boss for music controls and that works flawlessly.

I'm keen for the Pebble Health app. Othwerwise I'm pretty happy with my Steel.

Sounds like the Pebble 2 + Heart might work for me.

Is the HR monitor accurate? My wife's Fitbit doesn't normally get close to the Pulse Oximeter we have.

michaelmurfy:

 

mdf: Xiaomi Mi Band 2 is on sale today at PBTech for ~$70 odd. Seems to have all the functions you might want to use (tho no apps I'm guessing).

 

Looks like a sportsball tracker though which I don't want :)

 

Why not? Aesthetics, or functionality? 

zespri:

 

michaelmurfy:

 

mdf: Xiaomi Mi Band 2 is on sale today at PBTech for ~$70 odd. Seems to have all the functions you might want to use (tho no apps I'm guessing).

 

Looks like a sportsball tracker though which I don't want :)

 

 

Why not? Aesthetics, or functionality? 

 

You see people wearing fitness trackers and you know they're fitness trackers. What I liked about the Pebble also was it looked like a watch hence why I bought the Withings Activité Steel as an interim solution until another pebble-like watch comes out.

I care about the time, step / activity / sleep tracking and then notifications second but time always comes first which the Pebble was so great at doing. Fitness trackers are fitness first followed by other things.

michaelmurfy:

 

zespri:

 

michaelmurfy:

 

mdf: Xiaomi Mi Band 2 is on sale today at PBTech for ~$70 odd. Seems to have all the functions you might want to use (tho no apps I'm guessing).

 

Looks like a sportsball tracker though which I don't want :)

 

 

Why not? Aesthetics, or functionality? 

 

 

You see people wearing fitness trackers and you know they're fitness trackers. What I liked about the Pebble also was it looked like a watch hence why I bought the Withings Activité Steel as an interim solution until another pebble-like watch comes out.

 

I care about the time, step / activity / sleep tracking and then notifications second but time always comes first which the Pebble was so great at doing. Fitness trackers are fitness first followed by other things.

 

Oh yeah, and that's a bit of a problem for me as well. I'd like a smartwatch but I'd like it look like a watch. I also want a leather or steel band, since those bands, whatever they are made of in modern fitness trackers do not play well with my skin.

As such I do not have much choice in NZ. Withings looks good but nowhere to buy in NZ. Even pebble, where the heck do I get it in NZ?

All I see locally that marginally would suit me as per above is Garmin Vivomove and also some huawei models, but according to reviews they are not that good.

nitrotech: Notifications sometimes don't work or show an useful mashup of info on screen

 

What I'm seeing on my original KS Pebble is that sometimes notifications cause large parts of the screen to go to a semi-random pattern of stripes and spots. Switching to another screen (e.g. menu) and back again seems to usually? make it readable again. Does that sound like what you're seeing? This started happening several months ago, and I've never been sure whether it was a bug introduced with a software update, or whether there's a loose connection inside the watch which is triggered by the vibrator.

If you change phones you can't re-pair. the watch needs to be reset

 

This wasn't true for me a year ago... no problem pairing my watch with my new phone.

(Phone) App crashes regularly

 

Until a few months ago, this was a PITA for me every few days too. It seems to have been solved now.

I'd been planning on an upgrade to a Time Steel (I like the idea of colour) or similar, but that's not an option unless Fitbit decide to continue that line :(

For me, a watch needs to be sunlight-readable, so an e-ink screen is a must-have. A There are a few monochrome e-ink smartwatches on AliExpress from about US$55, but no colour.

@frankv I had the screen tearing issue with a few pebbles. It is a simple fix.

1) Open it up - if you've got a steel then it is as simple as 4 screws.
2) Put a tiny bit of folded paper on the circut board under the battery to apply a little bit of pressure.
3) Reassemble, test it works.
4) Enjoy your now fixed Pebble.

The problem is there is a bit of foam that breaks down due to heat causing the pressure contacts to the Memory LCD to lose some contact.

michaelmurfy:

 

@frankv I had the screen tearing issue with a few pebbles. It is a simple fix.

 

1) Open it up - if you've got a steel then it is as simple as 4 screws.
2) Put a tiny bit of folded paper on the circut board under the battery to apply a little bit of pressure.
3) Reassemble, test it works.
4) Enjoy your now fixed Pebble.

The problem is there is a bit of foam that breaks down due to heat causing the pressure contacts to the Memory LCD to lose some contact.

 

It's an original KS edition, not a Steel :(

How do I open it?

Frank

frankv:

michaelmurfy:

@frankv I had the screen tearing issue with a few pebbles. It is a simple fix.

1) Open it up - if you've got a steel then it is as simple as 4 screws.
2) Put a tiny bit of folded paper on the circut board under the battery to apply a little bit of pressure.
3) Reassemble, test it works.
4) Enjoy your now fixed Pebble.

The problem is there is a bit of foam that breaks down due to heat causing the pressure contacts to the Memory LCD to lose some contact.

It's an original KS edition, not a Steel :(

How do I open it?

Frank

 

I was thinking of getting a Pebble for ages but never quite did.

They're really cheap on Amazon now, very tempted.  Probably a Time or Time Steel