No NFC !!???? Whyyyyyyyyyy
this post was submitted on 19 Mar 2025
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Pebble sounds cool but i really dont like square watches(except the retro casios and gshocks) and now its owned by google so thats shit as well.
Google dumped the Pebble OS code on GitHub when this whole "rePebble" thing (not Rebble) started. Now there's a new phone app coming out soon (or out now, depending on your platform and abilities) that handles old and new Pebbles and modern phone platforms.
None of this is from Google.
I think Google just owns the software because the product page for these watches say the guy invested his own money to get these produced.
...and now its owned by google so thats shit as well.
Google acquired it back in 2021, this move to open source it is a good thing.
I've pre-ordered the Core Time 2.
Pre-orders are something I never usually do, but given this is essentially just an improved version of an existing product, as opposed to a Kickstarter, I feel more confident. And I can cancel the preorder at any time (plus I'll see reviews of the cheaper model before the Core Time 2 ships).
The price made me wince, though. It's very expensive for the functionality. Technically cheaper than the original watches adjusted for inflation, but that ignores the current-day smartwatch market. Still, I loved the Pebble, so I think it's worth it.
I pre ordered, and I'm usually annoyingly loud about not pre-ordering. That being said, i love my pebble time. I Kickstarted it back in the day, and it still works but the battery is weak. I could replace the battery, but i want more devices like this, so I'll put some money in and eat Ramen for a few weeks.
How's navigation with Pebbles? If I start bike navigation in Google Maps on my phone, can I get turn-by-turn directions on the watch, and does it not suck?
I still can't believe that no one else has made a smart watch with physical buttons and low energy use that has surpassed the pebble after all this time. I'm still cautious that this venture will pan out, but honestly there really hasn't been a smart watch released that matches my use case. Sleep tracking makes no sense if I have to charge the watch daily, as I'd probably charge it over night. Media control with screen buttons is awful. Fossil came close with their hybrid smart watch, but the layout of the media controls made no sense and couldn't easily be used without looking at the watch. Just let me check my calendar and texts and skip through ads in podcasts, and last over a week of battery and you will have my money.
Honestly daily charging isn't the worst I just usually charge my watch when I'm in the shower and getting ready in the morning pop it back on when I'm done and I'm good to go.
Don't love the closed-in ecosystem but Garmin watches with MIP display do almost all you just said.
- Touch screen + also Buttons for 100% touch-free interaction
- Battery life of around 3 to 4 weeks (depending on what you are doing)... more with the Solar models
- Media control is there, but don't really use that
Podcast ad skipping sadly not a thing.
Price might be an issue though. The top end models with all the whistles come at a smartphone flagship price point.
I have a Vivoactive 4 that I picked up used from Facebook a couple of months back. It's a few years old now, and the regular LCD screen looks pretty janky once you've got used to OLED. But it cost me £50, works perfectly well with GrapheneOS, and the battery still lasts a week.
It's left me pondering upgrading it to a new one with an OLED screen.
To offer a counter point: I've owned 3 different VivoActive 3 Music watches for about 2 years each. All of them had the screen stop working. Could be my bad luck, but I wasn't super rough with them (never wore them in water)
The Garmin Instinct is what I switched to when my Pebble died. Recently upgraded to the Fenix.
You can absolutely skip ahead through ads with the music controls. Automating it would be the job of the app.
You are right. I think I read that wrong. I thought automatic segment skipping like YouTube SponsorBlock. You definitely can fast forward using buttons.
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Genuinely considering it as I love e ink, lightweight, long battery life, and open source
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