Pebble Time

[codesplice]

So who's interested in the Peeble Pebble Time? As a huge fan of the original Pebble, I was eagerly looking forward to whatever the company had queued up next. The actual announcement was a mixed bag for me though.

I think it's pretty shady/greedy for an established company to use Kickstarter as a platform for preorders. It reads a lot more like "Spend your money on our R&D/manufacturing so that we don't have to take that risk" rather than "Hey, we're a group of guys building our dream out of a basement, help us make this dream a reality!". That said, with almost $12M pledged in less than a week, it's clearly a successful approach for them.

The device itself though? I like that they're sticking with an always-on e-paper style display, and I'm curious to see what the color variant actually looks like in real world use. I also like that they stuck with the button-based navigation instead of hopping on the touchscreen bandwagon. The addition of a microphone for some basic voice responses and keeping with their advertised 7-day battery life are welcome news as well.

But damn, that is one ugly watch. It looks like something a child would wear. I know the original Pebble wasn't much of a looker, but (at least in black) I don't think it stood out as something quite as atrocious. I also really liked the way that the b/w display could seamlessly blend in with the black body; the Time essentially has two bezels which completely eliminates that possibility.

I do kind of like the new Timeline time-based interface, which arranges information chronologically instead of segregating it all into different applications. I'm thrilled that this new interface will (eventually) be coming to the original Pebble.

Overall, Time seems like a nice refresh for the Pebble - an opportunity to sport some new duds and show off some neat new tricks. It's probably an upgrade that I will pass on, though - I'm still quite happy with my OG Pebble.

Anyone else have some thoughts?

 

[bg4m3r]

I think it's pretty shady/greedy for an established company to use Kickstarter as a platform for preorders. It reads a lot more like "Spend your money on our R&D/manufacturing so that we don't have to take that risk" rather than "Hey, we're a group of guys building our dream out of a basement, help us make this dream a reality!". That said, with almost $12M pledged in less than a week, it's clearly a successful approach for them.

Seriously? I call it damn smart business tactics. They know that they've made a profit before they even built one device. They were also selling it on the kickstarter for $40 below retail. I really fail to see where the shady/greedy is here. Why would you take the risk of making something that isn't going to sell where there's a completely open platform to use to make sure there's interest? It's called reducing risk and is key to any successful business. They aren't stealing a spot from a startup, so where's the harm?

I have a Pebble, and plan on getting Pebble Time. Just wish I had been able to get in on the kickstarter.

 

[codesplice]

As I said, it's clearly a successful tactic (read: smart business tactic) that's worked smashingly for them - it just kind of rubs me wrong. That may be getting borderline into politics (or the politics of crowd-funding), so please do excused my little mini-rant.

I have a hard time hating on the company though... they just approved my fourth RMA request on my OG Pebble. I seem to have bad luck with screen tearing, but I'm quite impressed that they keep helping me out. I am truly impressed that they stand by their product even three years after I initially booked an early-bird slot on their first Kickstarter. That's way more commitment than I ever expected from them. I can't wait to have the Timeline on my (next) Pebble!