An autopsy showed that Pebble Time watches have excellent repairability. An autopsy showed that Pebble Time watches have excellent repairability Pebble Time: Applications

The Pebble Time smart watch, deliveries of which began this week, came under the “scalpel” of iFixit craftsmen.

Let us briefly recall the characteristics of the gadget. The device is equipped with a color e-paper screen with Gorilla Glass protection, a microphone, and a battery that is said to last for seven days. The integrated Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy adapter allows you to exchange data with devices based on Android and iOS.

To raise funds for the release of the new product, Pebble organized a funding program on Kickstarter. The project turned out to be so successful that it set an absolute record for crowdfunding systems: the developers raised more than $20 million. The watch is now offered at a price of $200.

So, an iFixit autopsy showed that the Pebble Time uses an ST Micro STM32F439 ARM Cortex-M4 chip with a frequency of 180 MHz, a Texas Instruments CC2564B Bluetooth controller, a Spansion S29VS128R 128 Mb memory module, a Freescale Xtrinsic MAG3110 3D magnetometer and a Bosch Sensortec 083 TS accelerometer.

Maintainability rating: nine points out of ten possible. The advantages of the design are the use of a standard strap with a convenient removal mechanism and standard fasteners, as well as the modularity of the components. The protective glass and the electronic paper screen are not connected to each other, which will reduce the cost of repairs in the event of a breakdown. In addition, the undoubted advantage is the ability to replace the battery. The only difficulty in repairing, according to iFixit, may be dismantling the glass, which will require heating and replacing the adhesive.

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What do we know about modern smartwatches? They are equipped with round or square color displays that are turned off most of the time, and only work for a day or two. But what if a smartwatch could have a color display that's always on, and still last longer than two days? Pebble asked the same question and developed the Pebble Time smartwatch. Let's see if they can compete Apple Watch and models on Android Wear.

Contents of delivery

Pebble Time comes in a simple cardboard box and comes with only a charging cord.

Design and materials

Externally, Pebble Time differs significantly from other Pebble watches; they are not as childish as the company’s first model, but also not as serious as the Pebble Steel.

The developers wanted to create universal design, and to a greater extent they succeeded, but Pebble Time still does not fit into a business style, but is better suited to casual or sportswear. At the same time, the watch’s small display with large frames gives it a slightly toy-like appearance. Overall, the Pebble Time's design won't appeal to everyone.

The main material of the watch case is matte plastic, from which the entire lower part is made, and the display is covered by glass, the edges of which, in turn, are covered metal plate. The strap is made of rubber that is very pleasant to the touch, and is easy to remove thanks to a simple fastening system. You can change the Pebble Time strap to any other one with a size of 22 mm.

The watch case is protected from water and can be submerged to a depth of 30 meters.

Pebble Time uses a 1.25-inch Low Temperature PolySilicon (LTPS) display with support for 64 colors, backlighting and a resolution of 144x168 pixels.

A feature of the screen and one of the main advantages of the Pebble watch is that it is always on, but at the same time consumes less energy. This is achieved through Memory in Pixel technology, which, in the manner of E-Ink, allows you to update information in individual areas of the screen without wasting battery power on constant updates.

A special polarizing layer ensures good readability of the display both at angles and in the sun. And in general, reading information on the Pebble Time screen is quite comfortable, even despite its small size.

Navigation and ease of use

Traditionally for Pebble, the company's watches use mechanical rather than touch control, which is provided by four keys. Three of them are located on the right side of the body, and one more on the left. Compared to previous watches, the Pebble Time controls, even despite the new interface, have not changed.

Buttons on the right side provide up and down menu navigation as well as selection.

The key located on the left side of the body is responsible for stepping back.

The Pebble Time strap has a classic fastening and secures the watch well on the hand. The thickness of the watch case is only 9.5 mm and the weight is 42.5 grams. Thus, you hardly notice the device on your hand, and thanks to the slightly concave back, it fits well on the wrist.

Connecting to a smartphone

Pebble Time watches can work with Android and iOS, and connect to a smartphone via Bluetooth 4.0.

To do this, you need to install the Pebble application, through which you can also configure the watch and install additional watch faces and applications on it.

Pebble Time, both on Android and iOS, is capable of receiving notifications from programs installed on smartphones, and the user can configure which notifications are shown and which not.

Compared to the first Pebble, which mostly just showed incoming alerts, Pebble Time can even respond to some of them. For example, you can respond to an SMS using voice (there is no support for Ukrainian and Russian yet), a pre-prepared template, or an Emoji emoticon.

Overall, notifications are handled very well in Pebble Time. The user can flexibly configure them, choose a time when they will not appear on the clock, or turn them off altogether.

Interface and applications

Together with Pebble Time, the third version of the Pebble OS operating system debuted, which received a new user interface, as well as a number of new features for developers.

The Pebble Time interface consists of a watch face, a time strip that shows all future and past events, and a main menu.

Watch faces in Pebble Time can be the most different designs, and show both simply time and Additional information, such as the weather forecast and the number of steps taken.

The timeline is designed to collect all events that are important to the user, such as calendar data, weather forecasts, sporting events and the like. At the same time, in the feed you can view not only future events, but also past ones, for example, what time a call from a friend was missed or how your favorite team played.

The main menu of Pebble Time consists of built-in application cards and third-party programs.

Overall, the Pebble OS v3 interface is fast and has nice animations.

Third-party watch faces and apps for Pebble Time can be installed through a dedicated store on your smartphone. At the moment, there are not very many third-party programs, and even fewer that are truly useful, and not all of them support the color display of the new Pebble. As a result, you shouldn’t rely heavily on expanding the functionality of this watch through third-party applications.

Autonomy

Pebble Time has a 150 mAh battery, which, according to the company, should be enough for 7 days of operation. In fact, the most current version of the Pebble Time firmware lasts about 5 days. This is longer than other smartwatches can last, but still falls short of a full week.

Pebble Time is charged via a proprietary magnetic connector, which is attached to the back of the case.

The advantage of Pebble Time compared to others smart watch lies in their simplicity. They solve the same basic problems as the Apple Watch or Android Wear models, but with less demanding hardware. This allows Pebble Time to always keep the screen active and not drain so quickly. The new Pebble watch software platform supports simple applications, but they can cope with basic tasks. Another thing is that there are generally few programs for Pebble Time, and some of them were developed for the first Pebble watch with a monochrome display. Therefore, if working with built-in applications and notifications on Pebble Time is quite comfortable, then you should not expect anything more from them. This platform will develop, but not as quickly as WatchOS and Android Wear. And then comes the biggest disadvantage of Pebble Time - this is their price, which in the US starts at $199, and this is more expensive than the first Motorola 360, which, although they cannot boast of high autonomy, are more functional and look better. In conclusion, it should be said that Pebble Time copes well with the basic tasks of a smartwatch, which will undoubtedly be enough for most users, but at the same time they are less functional and not everyone will like their appearance.

Liked:

Display
+ Speed
+ Waterproof up to 30 meters
+ Nice interface
+ A large number of dials
+ Open platform for developers
+ Convenient controls
+ Sports bracelet functionality
+ Working with alerts
+ Standard 22mm strap

Did not like:

The design is not for everyone
- Few useful applications
- Autonomy is lower than stated
- High price

Advanced Electronics watches: Pebble Time review

Pebble can confidently be called the main representative of the new wave of wearable gadgets: largely thanks to this company, a large market for smart watches is now emerging. Today, only the lazy are not involved in the development of such devices, but a successful startup continues to develop, but in its own way.

Fundraising for Pebble Time started in February of this year, but the required amount of $500 thousand was reserved on the Kickstarter service in just 17 minutes. The figure is, to put it mildly, impressive. A few weeks later, Apple introduced its own smartwatch, which caused an explosive growth in interest in... Pebble Time. The day after the announcement of the Apple Watch, investments in Pebble Time watches through crowdfunding jumped by 167%.

Have the public, tech geeks and interested people calmed down? No. By the end of the fundraising campaign, Pebble had more than $20 million at its disposal from 78.5 thousand people - 40 times more than initially required. People who have been able to achieve what they have already achieved will certainly find a use for this money.

Are Pebble Time as good as you might expect? This question is difficult to answer: a lot depends on what the user wants. Some people need a “multimedia combine” on their wrist, others prefer classics, and others are looking for something in between. Impressions from the new Pebble are twofold. At first it seems that you are holding in your hands a modernized version of the Elektronika children's watch, and then you realize that this is a fairly smart device, which simply lacks aesthetics and competent hand designer.

Connecting to a smartphone is simple, without entering any codes after installing a special application on the mobile phone. The “tethered” watch will remember the device, and it will not be able to “pair” with another. Immediately after connecting, the watch software is automatically updated to the latest available version.

Unfortunately, the developers did not implement support for the Russian language out of the box, and even got tricky with the encodings. For this reason, messages may arrive in the form of unreadable characters. The problem is solved by installing custom firmware, which, however, leaves the interface in the language that was selected in the settings at the beginning.

The plastic case has a metal plate on the front panel, a relatively small screen and a soft, pleasant-to-touch silicone strap. The elements are in harmony with each other, creating the image of an inexpensive accessory, although Pebble Time cannot be called such.

The company also offers a metal version of Pebble Time - Pebble Steel in a stainless steel case and with a matching strap included. It is more interesting than the younger version - prettier, thinner and has a more capacious battery. By the way, you can buy a strap for Time yourself in an ordinary store, replacing the soft one supplied with another one, but appearance hours will not improve.

The new product, which set another Kickstarter record, has a waterproof 9.5 mm thick case, a built-in microphone and a vibration motor. To fully operate Pebble Time, you will need a smartphone running Android 4.0 (or higher). new version Google OS) or iPhone 4s or later with iOS 8 on board. Microsoft mobile platform is not supported.

The watch received a 1.25-inch color display using e-paper technology and covered with 2.5D glass. Thanks to this, the device will last longer on a single charge than its competitors - up to a week of battery life, depending on the user's activity. “Pleasure” can be extended over a longer period, but to do this you will have to give up additional features Pebble Time. It is also necessary to remember that the watch does not have the “fashionable” NFC module, Wi-Fi and the increasingly popular 3G for wearable devices. This has a positive effect on the battery life of the accessory, but for some reason not on its size.

The screen is small due to the very wide frames, but its size is quite sufficient to perceive the displayed information. In low light conditions, you can use LED backlighting (it may not be effective enough, which is especially noticeable when displaying small or dark elements on the display). An undoubted plus is that the screen is always active, you don’t need to make any unnecessary movements to activate it, and in bright light the information on it is perfectly readable.

Spoiled modern technologies users would like to see, or rather touch, a touch display, which Pebble Time does not have: some watch settings can be controlled from a smartphone, for other operations physical buttons are used on the ends of the device. After updating the operating system, it became possible to dictate messages, but in the past we already tried to “talk to the hand” - and nothing good came of it. Additionally, to activate the feature you must press a button rather than give a voice command.

There were also some complaints about the buttons themselves, which protrude far beyond the body. It is inconvenient to press them, since you need to try to make the contact work. This only strengthened the impression of Pebble Time being budget-friendly and childish. At first, navigating through the menu seemed insufficiently thought out, but after a while you adapt to the interface and the necessary screens and functions are called up automatically.

The watch comes in a large box with a proprietary Charger with magnetic lock. Unfortunately, the grip on the contact pad is insufficient, and therefore the gadget can unfasten unnoticed with a slight push. A full charge of a lithium polymer battery will take from an hour to two, depending on the specific instance and power source.

The main task of the Pebble Time watch is to show the time and display notifications from your smartphone. Dictating response SMS or email messages is not exactly inconvenient, but it is definitely ineffective, even despite the use of the Dragon system. But in certain conditions, such a “feature” can be useful.

Surely the watch is suitable for controlling a music player, viewing events in TimeLine (analogous to a calendar) and as a fitness bracelet. The capabilities of the gadget do not end there - there is an extensive catalog of various programs for the device, however, the entire range of its capabilities will be useful to a limited number of users, and the pre-installed software will be sufficient. The user also has access to a set of watch faces, which can be selected from the smartphone application.

Pebble Time Review

Pebble Time Review

There are some big questions about smartwatches - do we need them? What are they for? How much should they cost?

Pebble watches have always been useful and affordable, and now, with the release of the Pebble Time model, they have also acquired a fundamentally new Timeline UI interface. But does the new $200 Pebble answer our big questions? Perhaps everyone who wants to get a smartwatch should consider this option carefully, especially since Pebble has long been trying to move away from its “geeky” origins.

Pebble Time: Geeky design, e-paper color screen

To begin with, it is worth noting that in reality the Pebble looks much better than in the pictures on the Internet. The black model is a little boring, but it will look neat under the sleeve of a jacket. By the way, we liked the black and red versions of Pebble Time the most.

Time is made of plastic, with a stainless steel bezel, but overall the watch has retained its “toy” charm, while receiving smooth contours that make it more friendly and universal in relation to the owner’s gender. They're very light at 42.5g including the standard strap and 20% thinner at 9.5mm, and the new slightly curved body makes them fit more comfortably on your wrist. It's actually surprising how many smartwatch manufacturers consider it normal to make cases with a flat back. The Pebble Time is one of those watches that you might forget you're wearing until it vibrates.

Due to the very wide bezel, the screen may seem small, but in fact, at 1.25 inches, it is absolutely the same size as that of previous models. The color screen now brings Pebble notifications to life greatly compared to its predecessors, while it cleverly switches to monochrome mode in all sorts of boring settings and menus.

Overall, the display is dim and sometimes difficult to read even with the backlight. If you need a bright and all-weather screen, then it is better to turn to a smart watch on Android Wear, for example.

The four physical buttons remain in place and this is good - anyone who already has experience wearing a smartwatch knows that pressing a regular button is sometimes more reliable than swiping across the screen, since in the second case you can easily miss or get lost in the search required function. In this case, we liked the buttons even more than in the Steel version. The practical watch case is water-resistant to 30m, which is good for taking a shower or even swimming in the pool, but we noticed that the plastic does scratch quite easily.

Any 22mm strap will fit the Pebble Time as before, and the new fastening mechanism allows you to change from one Pebble strap to another in 10 seconds. But this is rather just “fool protection”. Smart straps with additional functions or batteries have not yet been implemented, but 1 million bucks have already been invested in their development, so it is quite possible that Pebble will introduce them in 6-12 months.

Pebble Time: Timeline and interface

We have high hopes for the new Pebble operating system, especially its Timeline feature. And as we mentioned earlier - Apple seems to have been fascinated by this idea and will soon implement it as a Time Travel feature in its Apple Watch.

Currently, only 13 apps (from the Pebble app store) support the Timeline feature. But there's clearly a lot of potential here - download Foursquare's Swarm, Morpheuz's fitness and sleep app, and Battery+'s battery manager, all of which can send notifications to your Timeline.

Don't worry, you'll still have the regular clock screen, but you can now press the middle button to access information from the "real" like the music player, weather, and more. Pressing the bottom button will take you up to 24 hours into the “past,” while the top button will send you 48 hours into the “future.” Yes, these are mainly calendar elements, although this is not bad.

Each “card” in Timeline has a cool icon and a specific background color. This is of course not the same as search and geolocation in Google Now, and won't be able to guess what you're looking for so easily. Although there are interesting points, for example, notifications from the smartphone will still appear on the screen, but can be redirected to the Timeline, or both.

You can set the call of an application (for example music) to a long press of a physical button. The music controls include play, pause and skip buttons and can work with Play Music, Spotify, etc., but doesn't always correctly display the name of the track currently playing on the screen, which is a bit annoying.

It is worth recalling that Pebble Time is compatible with both iPhone and Android devices. At the same time, the new feature with voice replies will only work on iPhone with Gmail, against a whole bunch of compatible applications on Android. This thing works surprisingly well for replying to WhatsApp and Facebook messages, but you won't have much time once the 'Listening' message lights up on the screen. This is only for quick dictation of short messages.

Pebble Time: Applications

One of the benefits of the new color e-paper display is fresh clock screens - anything from a cool Mondrian-style watchface to Donkey Kong can now decorate your smartwatch. Pebble has also removed the limit on the number of clock screens and the number of apps, so you can add as many as you want to the dedicated Pebble app for iOS or Android and then change it as you wish.

All old applications, of which there are already more than 6,500, will work on the new Pebble Time, even if they are not in color. Now we just have to wait for major titles like TripAdvisor, which lets you search for restaurants and attractions near you, to release their updates.

In general, there are still a lot of goodies there, despite the fact that Pebble’s quality of applications does not yet reach the same applications for Apple Watch or Android Wear.

Pebble Time also suffers from some limitations - it can't display pictures or Vine videos, unlike the Apple Watch, which can. In the options for replying to messages, you can use templates (everything is fine here) and emoticons, but the emoticons are not displayed clearly enough to distinguish them without looking closely at the smartwatch screen. We think this factor, in turn, is holding back many Pebble game developers.

If you're interested in fitness, there are several here good options. Misfit supports Pebble, as does Jawbone's UP platform, although the latter is classified as a watchface rather than an app.

If you have an Android smartphone and other wearable technology, you can use the PlexFit app, which is the gateway to Google Fit, to keep all your stats, including Pebble's step counter, in one place. There are no additional sensors like the same heart monitor, although they can be added in the future, for example through smart straps (smartstrap).

Pebble Time: Battery life and charging

The promised seven days on a charge is perhaps the biggest reason you're interested in the Pebble Time. We weren't able to last the entire seven days with either iPhone or Android. The maximum we achieved was 5-6 days. But to be honest, we must take into account that by constantly installing and launching applications, you still strain your smartwatch much more than usual.

Our smartwatch charges very quickly, using its own special cable that connects to contacts on the back of the case, making charging easier than previous Pebble models. An indicator has also appeared that shows that the device is charging. Ideally, we would of course like a wireless docking station, but what we have now is not bad.

Battery life is definitely a selling point for choosing the Pebble Time over an Android Wear smartwatch, and if you're planning on using the Misfit or Jawbone on the Pebble, the Pebble Time might even be preferable to some fitness trackers.

Ultimately, this kind of endurance changes the way you use a smartwatch - yes, you'll get all your notifications on it, yes you can play games like Pixel Miner on it, but you won't have to worry about it all the time. The charge will soon run out and you will suddenly find yourself with a blank screen on your hand. We're not entirely sure about the long-term future of a color electronic ink (e-paper) screen, but if you are, you might want to wait for the Pebble Time Steel, which will have an even longer battery life of up to 10 days.

Pebble Time (by Pebble): Conclusion

Ah, Pebble Time... It's a chic, slightly geeky gadget that will easily fit into your life if you can overlook a few shortcomings. This smartwatch is comfortable, reliable and works with both iOS and Android smartphones, so you have your choice. The Timeline feature is useful and may become even better. The voice works. Colored e-paper livens up the interface a bit and doesn't seem to have a big impact on the battery. But this doesn't quite answer our big question about smartwatches. Now that we've seen the possibilities artificial intelligence in Google Now on Android Wear and how the Apple Watch is friends with the real world, Pebble's combination of being simpler and closer to power users may not be enough to satisfy everyone who is looking to get a smartwatch in 2015. Plus, even if you still like Pebble, don’t forget that a more “premium” model with a longer battery life is coming - Pebble Time Steel.

Who, who, huh iFixit know how to get scarce devices before others. Suffice it to remember that they created a gallery of dismantling the iPhone 5 even before the most efficient Europeans had time to buy it. The better the shortage of watches, because they ended up in the hands of iFixit only now - almost two months after the start of shipment. We don’t say “beginning of sales,” because not all backers on Kickstarter have received their copies yet!

Whether you are waiting for your miracle watch or not, you will probably be interested to know what is inside it...

"Kickstarter Edition". Sounds like a sentence. By the way, pay attention to the information at the bottom of the rear panel. Pebble can withstand pressure up to 5 atmospheres, i.e. You can swim in them in the pool.

As you can see in the previous two pictures, the case does not contain screws. This is where the branded iOpener heating pad comes to the rescue - the same one that was used when disassembling and.

There is a price to pay for water resistance: the inside of the front part is smeared with so much glue that it becomes impossible to open the watch without damaging the display. If you decide to “repair” it, say goodbye to the screen, just like that.

Now the top part of the display will only be of any use if you illuminate it with a flashlight.

Click on the photo to take a closer look at each of the pixels:

Clickable

Peeling back the “electronic paper” layer directly, you will find LEDs for illuminating the display, as well as a flat light-conducting matrix. Here everything works the same as in, except that there are only three diodes.

Tricks with glue seem to be left behind - the electronic unit is simply nested in a plastic frame with buttons and fastenings for straps.

But no - there is a certain amount of glue inside. In particular, an orange cable “sits” on the glue together with a light-conducting matrix.

There are a lot of components on the cable: all 4 buttons, all 3 LEDs, as well as a Bluetooth antenna. Here you can complain about the impossibility of replacing them individually, but who would want to change anything at all in this watch if you still have to sacrifice the display?

The upper side of the motherboard and battery are hidden under the light-conducting matrix.

Since the e-paper display consumes almost nothing, the battery lasts up to 7 days. Battery voltage is 3.7 volts, capacity is 130 milliamp-hours.

Top of the motherboard:
Red - Micron N25Q032A11ESE40F 32 MB flash memory module;
Orange - microcontroller ARM Cortex-M3 with a frequency of 120 MHz, STMicroelectronics STM32F205RE;
Yellow - triaxial accelerometer STMicroelectronics LIS3DH.

The silver Bluetooth module bears the Panasonic marking - “PAN1316” - but...

...but in fact the “heart” of the module is the Texas Instruments CC2560A chip. In the TI catalog it appears as not having support for energy-efficient Bluetooth 4.0. So, are the creators of Pebble misleading customers? Not at all. In their own words, the chip has firmware from another controller, CC2564. There is support for Bluetooth 4.0, even if it is not activated in operating system Pebble.

All that's left is to get it (or rather, squeeze out) buttons. For the sake of the same water resistance, a rubber gasket is hidden under each of the buttons.