Boing Boing » watches

Review: Pebble e-paper watch

Brian Easton — Tue, 07 May 2013 14:05:33 +0000

With 68,929 backers pledging more than $10m, the Pebble E-paper watch is the highest-grossing Kickstarter project to date. The pitch, to fund an Android- and iOS-compatible smartwatch, was so successful that the campaign had to be cut short. With a 144 x 168 e-paper display, vibrating motor, 3-axis accelerometer and Bluetooth connectivity, the Pebble promises to let you use your smartphone without it ever leaving your pocket.

Style-wise, the Pebble isn’t going to turn many heads, but it isn’t an eyesore. Sleek but chunky, the rectangular looks are vaguely reminiscent of Casio calculator watch, albeit one from a minimalist future. The comparison is appropriate, since both products are trying to return the wristwatch from fashion-accessory purgatory to a place of utility. If you desire something a little more stylish, the default rubber strap can be replaced with a standard 22mm watch band.

Not to be confused with e-ink, the Pebble’s e-paper display is actually a low-power memory LCD. The high contrast screen is readable, even in direct sunlight, but unlike e-ink it has a 30 fps refresh rate. This quick refresh rate allows for smooth animations in menus and watch faces. The drawback is that continually refreshing the screen drains power fast. Watch faces that feature moving second hands severely impact battery life.

If you don't use a heavily animated watch face, the battery life of the Pebble is quite good; in the month I've owned it, I've averaged at least seven days between charges. However, there have been reports of significantly reduced battery life in Pebbles paired with iOS devices.

The iOS/Android dichotomy carries over into smartphone connectivity, which is presumably the main draw of the product. Aside from being a watch with fancy customizable faces, the Pebble functions as a second screen for your smartphone by connecting to the Pebble application on your iPhone or Android device via Bluetooth. Out of the box, with just the official Pebble app, the iOS version comes out ahead, as it allows you to forward all system-wide notifications to your wrist. The Android app only supports a handful of default applications. Unfortunately for Apple users, this is where the advantages end.

When the Pebble disconnects from an iPhone, you have to go back into the app and re-toggle all of your notification preferences. On Android, third party apps like Pebble Notifier allow you to send notifications from any application to your Pebble. These restrictions are more the result of restrictions Apple has placed on apps and Bluetooth devices than issues with the Pebble itself—jailbreaking your iPhone can offer greater functionality.

Notifications received on the Pebble are simple, if not elegant. The watch gently buzzes on your wrist, a continuing pulse for phone calls and a single buzz for other notifications. Text messages display the name or number of the sender followed by the message, emails are similar in showing the sender and email subject before a snippet of the message. Both of these options allow you to use the top and bottom buttons to scroll through content. With voice calls the name and number of the caller is shown along with the option to outright reject the call with the bottom button. If you do happen to answer a call it will display the call length.

It’s with this kind of functionality that Pebble shines. It serves as a sort of message and notification triage, allowing you to keep your phone in your pocket unless it’s absolutely necessary. The functionality of Pebble serves to augment the functions of your smartphone rather than replace them. The only bi-directional application is the music app using AVRCP.

If you're looking to send messages from a Dick Tracy watch, look elsewhere: that functionality isn’t in the Pebble, at least not yet.

“Not yet” is common phrase when dealing with the Pebble, a 1.0 product with incomplete features. Promised golf range finder functionality has only recently been released, and RunKeeper support only exists in beta software. The full API, promised before launch, isn’t available yet either. Still, if the enthusiasm evident with just the proof of concept watch face API is any indication, many eager developers are waiting to expand functionality.

The result is a lot of ifs. If you have an Android smartphone (or don’t mind the iOS limitations), if you want a supplementary screen for your phone, if you are willing to wait for expanded functionality, and if you are interested in tinkering and general mucking about, then the current Pebble might be for you. If you don’t care to deal with slowly emerging functionality or tinkering, wait for the next iteration or until the watch ecosystem sorts itself out. For now, the Pebble delivers on its premise, but it doesn’t deliver very much. It's an impressive piece of hardware—the software just needs to catch up.

Pebble E-Paper Watch [Amazon]

The world's thinnest watch

Rob Beschizza — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 15:18:15 +0000

The CST-01 is presented as the world's thinnest watch, with an e-ink display and flexible battery embedded in a stainless steel band less than a millimeter thick.

Weighing 12 grams, the cuff is designed to be 'forgotten' while being worn, according to the designers at Central Standard Timing: "Everything about the design and engineering was thoroughly considered for its functional and aesthetic benefits. The CST-01 is the most minimal expression of a timepiece."

With no controls on the watch itself, it is recharged and set using a supplied base-station.

Central Standard Timing was founded by engineers Dave Vondle and Jerry O’Leary, both formetly of successful design outfit IDEO. A recently-launched Kickstarter project for the CST-01, seeeking $200,000, has already blasted past its goal. It's currently at $637,847 with 31 days left to go—preorders are $129.

A watch that displays time on both Earth and Mars

Xeni Jardin — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 01:29:16 +0000

Looking for a gift for the NASA Mars rover flight controller in your life who has everything? Executive Jewelers makes watches that display Martian time, and watches with dual displays so you know what time it is on Mars *and* Earth, at a glance. (via @milesobrien)

Excellent vintage film about the first accurate atomic clock

Xeni Jardin — Tue, 08 May 2012 01:21:23 +0000

This short film was produced by the film unit of the UK's National Physical Laboratory (NPL) in the 1950s, and explains the principles behind the first accurate atomic clock, which was designed by Louis Essen and built at the National Physical Laboratory in 1955. The NPL's YouTube channel has other videos of interest to science geeks. (thanks, obadiahlemon)

Sponsor Shout-Out: Watchismo

Rob Beschizza — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 14:49:16 +0000

Our thanks go to Watchismo for sponsoring Boing Boing Blast, our once-daily delivery of headlines by email.

Gutted of clutter and completely exposed, the limited edition & numbered mechanical Storm Mekon watches (released exclusively at Watchismo) have totally deconstructed the basic wristwatch while maintaining traditional boundaries. The case frames no physical dial but instead supports a lone single bridge of gears spanning the void across the wrist presenting the hours and minutes into what might be considered an analog hourglass.

Tokyoflash's Kisai Stencil watch: telling the time with negative space

Cory Doctorow — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 22:19:05 +0000

Tokyoflash's latest Kisai watch is the Kisai Stencil, based on a concept design submitted by a math teacher named Heather Sable. It uses "negative space" to draw the numbers, a display that is cryptic at first but is easy to read at a glance once you've figured out the knack of it.

I found that I had a knack for creating read-at-a-glance designs with cryptic looking, yet easy to read digits. I designed the digits for this concept by starting with rectangular shapes, and cutting out unnecessary pieces using line segments and dots. By arranging them into four quadrants with some connecting lines, the display appears to be just a bunch of stencilled in lines and dots, while if you read the background, you can see the digits clearly.
When I got an email from Tokyoflash telling me they were interested in this design, I was absolutely elated. I had a huge smile on my face for the entire day. Now that I see how my concept has been brought to reality as Kisai Stencil, I am super-excited. The fact that Tokyoflash decided to emboss the digits I created on the strap fits so perfectly with the fact that I am a Math Teacher - of course there are numbers on my watch strap!

Kisai Stencil LCD Watch

Sponsor Shout-Out: Watchismo

Rob Beschizza — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 19:18:04 +0000

Our thanks to Watchismo for sponsoring Boing Boing Blast, our once-daily delivery of headlines by email.

Mechanical timepieces don't need to cost an arm and a leg—check out these cool and affordable Fossil mechanical watches at Watchismo. Exposed rotors, skeleton dials, 11-year warranties and prices well under $200 make these a great every addition to your watch collection. Best of all, no batteries required, ever! See all Fossil watches at Watchismo.

Sponsor Shout-Out: Watchismo

Rob Beschizza — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 17:00:06 +0000

Our thanks to Watchismo for sponsoring Boing Boing Blast, our once-daily delivery of headlines by email.

Watchismo is announcing the newest and coolest "Diesel Super Bad Ass" watches today, now in solid gunmetal & bronzed stainless steel. Each has four watches in one substantial 65mm timepiece: timezones faces with full chronographs, two separate analog clocks and a digital display surrounded by a textured dial and etched, bolted casing. The Diesel DZ7247 & Diesel DZ7246 also feature gunmetal link & brown leather straps.

Sponsor Shout-Out: Watchismo

Rob Beschizza — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 19:00:56 +0000

Our thanks to Watchismo for sponsoring Boing Boing Blast, our once-daily delivery of headlines by email.

Minimum information, maximum accuracy! Watchismo introduces the world's first Two Handed One Hand Watch. The Botta Duo 24 watches are a traveling minimalist's dream watch. A single hand rotates two separate time zones, a prominent hand for the 12 hour ring and a subtle hand for the 24 hour ring.

This is an extension of the very popular Botta Uno watches with single one-handed displays. Check out more cool one-handed watches at the Watchismo Single Hand Watch Collection.

Sponsor Shout-Out

Rob Beschizza — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 16:03:21 +0000

Our thanks to Watchismo for sponsoring Boing Boing Blast, our once-daily delivery of headlines by email.

More than twice the strength of stainless steel, the brawny new Ceramic Diesel DZ4220 & Diesel DZ4221 Black & White Franchise Chronographs are now available for the holiday season at Watchismo.

If that's not cool enough, check out the new asymmetric cutaway chronograph Diesel DZ4226 in all black and Diesel DZ4227 in gunmetal/steel. And finally, an überwatch, the triple time zone, multi-color analog-digital Diesel DZ7243 and Diesel DZ7242. Check out the entire Diesel Watch Collection.

Sponsor Shout-Out: Watchismo

Rob Beschizza — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 17:14:26 +0000