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Pebble Smartwatches: Anyone Else Collect Them Too?

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In addition to collecting Tamiya/Kyosho/etc I also collect (i) Pebble watches, (ii) Thinkpad laptops, and (iii) old Apple iMacs/Powerbooks/Macbooks/etc.

Is anyone else here into Pebble watches?  They are pretty nerdy and cool and hackable so I'd guess someone else here is a fan besides just me.

Am attaching a recent pic of my collection.

 

DhodhbmV4AAUjYX.jpg

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The name is familiar 

old tech is generally cool although I try and flog mine when it’s worth something and buy them when they are cheap as they can be

i have a few old gameboys and other Nintendo bits 

I also have terra hawk memorabilia, and (in my worst choice buy) a Rolf Harris mint white stylophone - **** him

JJ 

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I didn't even know 3rd party watches have become so cheap. 

I might get one!  

 

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6 minutes ago, Juggular said:

I didn't even know 3rd party watches have become so cheap. 

I might get one!  

Do it!  Just remember these are for enthusiasts at this point (like vintage Tamiya, etc).  The company is gone and support is community-based.

If you get one, join this Sub-Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/pebble/

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I’ve had a few and with apple phones you just don’t get the functionality 

so I now just by Xiaomi MiFit bands that are like £20 and have a battery life of 20-30 days 

JJ

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13 minutes ago, Problemchild said:

I’ve had a few and with apple phones you just don’t get the functionality 

You've had a few Pebbles?  I use iPhones and I love my Pebbles.  They've had always-on screens and 6-9 day battery life for 6 years.  They are great smartwatches, for use as watches first and apps etc second - but that's what I want.  You can get the top-of-the-line ones for under US$100 and have a collection for less than you'd pay for an Apple or Samsung, etc watch.  Plus, you can develop your own apps and watchfaces easily, if you can't find what you want among the hundreds of apps and watchfaces already available.

Here are some of my favorite nerdy watchfaces...

 

nerd_boner.png

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I’ve had a few 3rd party watches 

I had a Motorola one for a bit and all the watch would do woukd give me notifications so gave up 

JJ

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I'd never even heard of a Pebble watch until I saw this thread.

I must confess to being left cold by the smartwatch craze.

When I was younger I would wear watches all the time, I felt naked without one.  It wasn't just a utility thing (although I like to know what the time is), it was a fashion thing.  One simply wasn't cool if one didn't have a smart watch.

But for the past few years almost all of my mileage is done by motorcycle.  Watches are just inconvenient with weatherproof cuffs and long gloves, so I stopped wearing them.  Since I always have my smartphone, I have no need for a watch also.  I don't know what info a watch would impart to me that I would want to know in advance of pulling my phone from my trouser pocket.

In fact I don't even like using my smartphone that much.  It's OK for making calls and texts and having a map/satnav/internet access when I'm away from home, but if I'm sitting on the sofa scrolling through Facebook and I feel like making a reply, I would rather walk up to the office and power up my laptop and type it all out on a proper keyboard with a good sized screen than sit there arguing ineffectually with my touchscreen keyboard to get it to type the words I want and not the ones it thinks I want.

All that being said, if a watch with a truly customisable face had been around when I was at school 25 years ago, I would have sold my granny to own one.

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I have a bunch of Analog Synths.....why can't I suddenly find an irresistable interest in something cheap that nobody wants? Used earbuds or something....

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5 hours ago, Pablo68 said:

I have a bunch of Analog Synths.....why can't I suddenly find an irresistable interest in something cheap that nobody wants? Used earbuds or something....

What do you have?  I sold most of my analogs before they started going up in price but I still have a Korg Mono/Poly in a flight case under my desk, which seems to appreciate every year.

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4 hours ago, Mad Ax said:

What do you have?  I sold most of my analogs before they started going up in price but I still have a Korg Mono/Poly in a flight case under my desk, which seems to appreciate every year.

Well, recent stuff actually.
A Behringer  Model D, Neutron and a Deep MInd 12.
On the digital side of things I have a DX7II FD and a Korg R3 vocoder.

I'm also going to get a Behringer Odyssey soon-ish.

The old Mono/Poly is a good synth.

I don't really play keyboards as such either, just enjoy plugging them all in and seeing what sounds I can come up with.

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Guys, I must be missing something about my last post, what's so funny?

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4 hours ago, Pablo68 said:

Guys, I must be missing something about my last post, what's so funny?

I think probably this bit:

19 hours ago, Pablo68 said:

I don't really play keyboards as such either, just enjoy plugging them all in and seeing what sounds I can come up with.

because it doesn't matter how well you play keyboard, I'm pretty sure every keyboard player just loves those days where they twiddle knobs to see what sounds they can come up with.

I have seen some youtube vids of people hooking up old analogs to distortion pedals and echo boxes and live-playing some pretty awesome stuff.  I kinda wish I could do that.  (Actually I kinda wish I had the space to get my Mono/Poly out, let alone play it).

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5 hours ago, Mad Ax said:

I think probably this bit:

because it doesn't matter how well you play keyboard, I'm pretty sure every keyboard player just loves those days where they twiddle knobs to see what sounds they can come up with.

I have seen some youtube vids of people hooking up old analogs to distortion pedals and echo boxes and live-playing some pretty awesome stuff.  I kinda wish I could do that.  (Actually I kinda wish I had the space to get my Mono/Poly out, let alone play it).

Ahhhh, I never thought of that.
I wasn't offended or anything, just wanted in on it. Yeah I like to get the two rack(ish) synths and midi them together with a keyboard sequencer I have. get them all playing together on a simple sequence and start changing things.
It's a heap of fun and you can get some weird sounding er....things together.

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https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/zmjkwj/how-pebble-users-are-keeping-the-smartwatch-alive-3-years-after-it-supposedly-died

How Pebble Users Are Keeping the Smartwatch Alive 3 Years After It Supposedly Died

"As a longtime Pebble owner myself, I suspect a less tangible factor at work: No other smartwatches are as joyful to use. The software is filled with fun little flourishes—my kids always enjoy seeing the sneaking mouse animation that pops up when you enable "Quiet Time" for notifications—and if you're unsatisfied with the thousands of watch faces that people have created, you can easily make one yourself. Even the low-tech display contributes in some way to Pebble's geeky charm, and in its afterlife, wearing one almost seem like a badge of honor."

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