2013 was suggested to be the year for
wearable tech, especially smart watches. So has it
live up to expectation? In short they are still far from being mass market
products, but they have surely attracted some attention.
Samsung Galaxy Gear, Sony SmartWatch 2,
Pebble (retail version), Qualcomm Toq, were among the more prominent releases
this year. Despite several rumors earlier, Google and Apple have not joined the party, which only tell us that the market is not yet ripe for harvest.
The answer to whether to get one now, really depends on one’s desire to toy with the concept. The watch part of it is
still not ready for prime time in my opinion, mainly due to the balance that is required between battery life and features. While it is all good to
have as many Dick Tracy tricks on your wrist, it will be a useless strap of
rubber if it runs out of juice easily.
As for me, I am always game for new toy, and
Pebble is my choice.
Although it only becomes available in retail
this year, Pebble has made its name in early 2012 as the most backed Kickstarter project, which raised an astonishing funds of over $10 mio. I missed the
Kickstarter version, and did not get the preorder delivery although I waited
patiently for almost a year, until finally gotten mine from the Pebble online
store directly in October. I have quickly forgotten the frustration of getting the
watch, and have been wearing it daily instead of my pricey conventional watch
since then.
During the time I have been wearing it, I find
that Pebble delivers a good balance in providing the smart features without
sacrificing its fundamental function as a watch.
I
want to be able to see the time anytime.
Pebble is equipped with a monochrome e-paper screen that is always on and perfectly viewable at all angles even in
direct sunlight. The screen is also assisted with backlight, which can be
triggered with a simple twist action.
While the idea of a b&w pixelated
screen may sound 1990 in 2013 context, it is a good sacrifice that improves its
usability as a watch. The low resolution screen may even stands out, when you
turn on that pixelated Mario watch face. It will be challenging to read an
essay style email on Pebble, but short messages or notifications display just
fine on its 1.26’ screen.
The
idea of charging a watch is dreadful.
Mobile phone, tablet, laptop, power bank,
shaver, you name it. These are the things that one may need to charge, some even on a
daily basis. But watch is not in that category, at least not to most people.
One may argues that smartwatch is a new
category, and empathizes that extra juice is needed for its features. But how willing is one to charge his/ her watch, and how frequent?
Personally I find it hard to manage if I need to charge it daily.
With Pebble, I need to get it plugged in once a
week. Of course I hope for a longer battery life, but at the moment it is as
good as you can get, and it is way better than what the others are offering. Pebble
makes the process connecting the power cord less painful, by
making the charging contact points magnetic. It also serves as a water proof measure, so there
is no hole exposed to the internal.
My
$20 watch provides certain level of water resistant, and I expect nothing less when I
spend 10 times more.
Says it all.
I can wear my Pebble at all times without
any worry - when I wash my hands, take a shower, or even swim.
Watch
should look like a watch.
Being geeky doesn’t necessarily mean
that I want to look like a nerd. Aside of telling time, watch is also an
accessory that complements how one looks.
While Pebble is not designer watch, its
slim design is in line with conventional watches' dimension, hence making it less
‘special’ in a good way. If its design or its plastic builds start to become
boring, the watch strap is exchangeable with any standard 22mm strap, and there are some third party decals that help to make it fancier.
Is
it smart enough?
There are 2 types of smartwatches, one that
acts as an active and self-sufficient device, and one that acts as a companion
to assist a primary device. Pebble is more of the latter.
What Pebble doesn't have are hardware like
camera, mic/ speaker, colored touch screen, and software wise may be
comparatively less smart than say a Galaxy Gear. The area where it shines is
its delivery of simple task in simple manner, primarily in notification. By default, I can receive notification from the more common
applications like calendar, email, messaging, etc. With Android and the help of certain notification apps (e.g. Notification Center), one can get notification from almost every applications.
Pebble CAN be very smart, with
the help of Tasker. The Pebble Tasker app allows Pebble to
instruct the primary device to perform scripted tasks. On my Pebble for example, I have
programmed actions e.g. taking photo (front or rear), find my phone, voice
recording, lock my phone, trigger ring mode, etc. among others. The most useful
feature I scripted is such that when I am around wearing Pebble, my phone will
not ask me for pass code when unlocking the phone, the requirement
will only be activated when I (and Pebble) am away from the phone.
…
At US$150 with shipping, Pebble is value
for money if you compare it to some expensive dress watches that do nothing
more than tell time. It will definitely make a good Christmas gift, whether he/
she is techy or not.
