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End User wearable

Pebble Smart Watch – User Review by @djchug

If like me you are a fan of gadgets and new technology (yes I’m a bit of a geek)  no doubt you would have read in the tech media about the tremendous success that the ‘Pebble Smart Watch’ received through it’s Kick Started crowd funding. (if not Google it) it’s an interesting read.

I suspect through that media coverage led me to consider purchasing a Pebble, so what is it, in very basic terms it’s a bluetooth connected digital wristwatch that connects to your mobile and issues notifications.

As useful as that may be, there is however many other valuable benefits to ownership of a Pebble.  Music control allows the access of your music library on your mobile directly from your wrist, there are fitness apps. if you are that way inclined (I’m no runner) easy to set/review/delete alarms, changeable watch faces (analogue/digital/multi info screens) there are also many useful apps via Google Play or the I tunes store, ( new ones being developed via open SDK) that leads me onto one of the best things about Pebble, yes you got it, it works on Android or iOS.

For me using it for the last few weeks I have found that I no longer carry my mobile with me everywhere I go, I no longer worry if I will miss that urgent business call I’ve been waiting for, miss that email that confirms I have just won the contract or thinking before I jump in the shower that will I get a text any minute now saying my breakfast meeting has been cancelled. Yes you got it it’s also waterproof so now rather than getting out of the shower to answer that PPI call or “I’m calling about that accident you had’ I can now smugly dump the call directly from my wrist, this is the only way the watch communicates back to your mobile.

On to the money aspect, if you shop around you can pick one up off ebay for about £120 the retail I think is around the £160 mark, I have purchased a few apps. so far they are inexpensive I’ve got SmartWatchPro, Big Time, SmartWatch+ and SmartStatus. Big Time is what it says it is, very large clear to read 24 hr digital so it’s now saying 17 47 thats it, it wakes when you move your wrist quickly which conserves the battery but no worries with battery life although I have not yet run it flat but they say 5-7 days life much better that the 25 hours quoted for the Galaxy Gear (that only works with the Galaxy Note 3) I’m sure that will change when they realise they will not sell many with that restriction. What if you buy a Galaxy Gear and fancy a go with an iOS mobile or device (on ebay it goes for about £50)

The other apps. I purchased I did because I like the option of having more data pushed onto my wrist, with SmartWatchPro I get Twitter,  Calendar, Reminders, Weather, GPS, Battery indication for the mobile and a feature I find really useful is Find My Phone, how many times have you rang your own mobile to find it only to find it’s on silent, this will omit a beep on the phone when connected to the pebble.

As I have purchased the Pebble over the holiday period I have yet to use the killer feature for me at least, the amount of times I have found myself in a meeting with a client and knowing that I’m expecting a call to say I’ve just won another contract, obviously I’m not rude enough to keep looking at my mobile but now I will get a small vibration on my wrist with a brief note on the Pebble as to who is calling or who the text is off or who has just emailed the confirmation Contract Won. (I personally can’t wait to get back to work)

So what don’t I like, well not much really, the way you charge the watch is via USB but as it’s waterproof you cant just have a mini USB on the other end, instead you get a special USB to a unique connector, I suspect you can get another one if you lose it but I’m assuming it won’t be cheap to get a replacement, also it’s magnetic and I would like the magnet to be a bit stronger you do have to waggle it about to get it to connect but when it does connect it wakes up the back light, as I have a car USB and many USB plugs dotted about the house/office I’m never far from a charging opportunity but I do keep the cable under lock and key.

The only other issue is that they do say its sapphire glass but I have seen some reports of scratches on the screen so I have purchased and fitted a screen protector only £3.99 from Screen Knight easy to fit too, there are a number of different coloured screen wraps available so you can customise the look but I’m happy with just the black option you can get the watch in various colours but I went for jet black, can’t go wrong with black I feel, did not fancy the yellow option shouting off my wrist.

So all in all so far I’m really pleased with the Pebble and as more apps. become available I’m sure the functionality will  just get better.