Among the classic smartwatches Pebble Smartwatch occupy a special place. This stylish and functional device is preferred by those who lead an active lifestyle, strive for complete self-organization and want to constantly be in the flow of events. The watch is easily compatible with many mobile devices and is quickly customized to suit the actual daily needs and interests of its owners. This product, created with the help of a huge number of caring people, is gradually becoming a popular device.

Pebble Smartwatch - economical and very smart watch

When Pebble professionals were just thinking through the project of their “smart watch,” they, of course, counted on the success of their brainchild, but did not imagine that it would be so rapid. Money for the implementation of this project was collected “from scratch” through the well-known Kickstarter resource. The plan was to raise several hundred thousand, but unexpectedly investors raised more than $10 million in a month.

At the beginning of 2013, the first copies of innovative “smart watches” were delivered to customers, and since then the gadgets have been actively spreading throughout the world, delighting a huge number of people with their beauty, apparent simplicity and versatility.

Pebble Smartwatch communicates with your mobile device via regular Bluetooth connections. It's nice that they are not limited to the possibility of reuniting with just one mobile platform, working with both Android smartphones and Apple iPhone. operating system That's what Pebble OS is called. You can answer calls, read messages, control your media player without removing your base device from your bag or pocket.

Of particular note is the high-quality black and white display, created using ePaper technology from Sharp and consuming very little energy. Pebble Smartwatch can last five to seven days without recharging. The smartwatch case is made of high-quality plastic, and the comfortable and durable strap is made of Soft Touch rubber. A big plus is the water resistance of the Pebble Smartwatch - the watch will remain intact even if it lies at the bottom of the pool for some time.

It is worth noting that smart watches are constantly being improved, and we will probably see more than one generation of these unique devices.

Where to buy original Pebble Smartwatch

A unique Pebble Smartwatch device could very well be yours! To buy this smart watch in Moscow, you just need to place an order on our website. We strive to ensure that our service is worthy of the quality of our excellent products. Our managers are ready to answer all questions and help with choosing a Smartwatch or any other device. Our online store is open to everyone!

And now we have one of the brightest products of 2013: the Pebble smartwatch.

The Pebble watch appeared in early 2013 thanks to the Kickstarter crowdfunding platform, becoming, without exaggeration, an iconic product for it. However, sales were so successful and the attention to the new product was so great (including from leading Western journalists) that the second version of the watch was presented not as the fruit of a startup’s activities, but as a serious product - the Pebble Steel premiered at CES 2014. And the product itself began to look more respectable and significant, having received a metal case and a leather strap.

However, his specifications and functionality remained the same, and in addition, the previous model remained on sale, and its price is much more attractive than that of the Pebble Steel ($150 versus $249 for the Pebble Steel). So for users who want Pebble functionality over style, it still makes sense to go with the first version. And we will tell you about what Pebble watches can do in our material.

Let's take a look at the Pebble's specifications.

• Display e-paper 1.26″, 144×168, 176 ppi
• LED backlight
• Bluetooth 4.0
• ARM Cortex-M3 processor @80 MHz
• Accelerometer
• Light sensor
• Electronic compass (not yet supported in software)
• Operating system Pebble OS
• Compatible with any iOS and Android smartphones
• Case dimensions 52×36×11.5 mm
• Complete strap width 22 mm
• Weight 38 g

In the case of smartwatches, the characteristics can tell us almost no information that would allow us to draw preliminary conclusions about the product (unlike smartphones, where standardization has reached such an extent that one glance at the characteristics is often enough to understand how to compare this product and what to expect from it). However, in this case, you should first of all pay attention to the type of screen: e-paper. Detailed technical information There is not much information about this “electronic paper”, but, apparently, it is. Its use allows for longer battery life than other smartwatches we've tested. However, it is not touch-sensitive, unlike screens Samsung watch, Sony and Iconbit.

However, let’s not get ahead of ourselves and get acquainted with the product in practice.

Packaging and equipment

The watch comes in a very nice compact box made of thick cardboard.

Inside it is the watch itself on a cardboard holder, a charging cable and two folded leaflets. On one there is a short (very short!) manual that tells you the very basics and directs you to the Pebble website, on the other leaflet there are warranty conditions.

The charging cable deserves special mention. It has a USB connector on one end and a magnetic connector on the other that connects to the watch similar to how the MagSafe charger connects to Apple laptops.

You can charge Pebble both from a computer and from any charger smartphone or MP3 player.

Design

Now let's look at the watch itself. The one we tested was Cherry Red, but it's also available in Orange, Jet Black, Artistic White, and Gray.

The appearance of the watch makes a pleasant impression. Moreover, they look much nicer in real life than in photographs. In principle, despite the plastic case and provocative color (in the case of our specimen), even serious people should not be ashamed to wear such a watch. An additional charm is given to them by a glossy coating (apparently, it is plastic, not glass) that protects the screen. However, it is obvious that the appearance of the watch is designed primarily for women and youth, unlike the Pebble Steel.

The watch comes with a silicone strap. It is black on all models except the white one (it has a white strap, of course). The strap is comfortable, the watch sits very nicely on the hand, suitable for both thin and large hands. Overall, compared to Samsung Galaxy Gear and Iconbit Callisto 100, this is a much more convenient gadget, competing in this parameter only with Sony SmartWatch 2.

All buttons, as well as the magnetic connector, are located on the right and left sides of the watch case. Accordingly, a magnetic connector and a button fit on the left side Back , and on the right side there are buttons Up , OK And Down . Like the body, the buttons are made of plastic; they are pressed silently, but with noticeable force. Although they protrude from the body, they cannot be pressed accidentally (by clothing or a sudden movement of the hand).

There is no camera, microphone or speakers here. In this regard, Pebble is similar to Sony SmartWatch 2.

To summarize, we note that the design of the watch made a positive impression on us. They are cute, quite durable, fit well on the hand, all the elements are well thought out. It’s even surprising that such a polished product could be made by newcomers who do not have serious engineering and design firms behind them. Well, the only negative is the inability to charge the device except through a proprietary cable. If the cable is lost or damaged, you can throw away the watch (it is unlikely that a spare cable can be found and delivered to Russia for adequate money).

Screen

As already noted, the watch is equipped with a 1.26″ monochrome screen based on electronic paper. Outwardly, it resembles the familiar E Ink screens, but the principle of operation here, although similar, is still slightly different, allowing the use of internal backlighting precisely at those moments when it is needed. LED backlighting is activated when navigating through the menu. Once the user has made a selection, the backlight turns off (and then the image is visible thanks to external lighting, as is the case with E Ink). Backlighting gives a bluish color to a black and white image.

Apparently, in this device A transreflective monochrome liquid crystal display with memory manufactured by Sharp is used. With memory, everything is quite simple - one bit per cell allows you to remember its state, so in the case of a non-changing image, there is no need to control the state of the cells, you just need to supply power, which reduces energy consumption. The principle of image formation in this case is more interesting. By irradiating a mixture of polymer and liquid crystals, a polymer matrix with cavities (drops) in which liquid crystals (LC) remain is obtained. Within droplets, LCs have predominantly one orientation, but among droplets it is chaotic. Due to the fact that the refractive index of LCs depends on the orientation of their molecules, as a result, on average, for light incident perpendicular to a screen with such a structure, the refractive index at the boundaries of the polymer and droplets with LC will differ, which will cause a large scattering of light in all directions , and the screen will appear light (state A in the figure below).

When a voltage of a certain magnitude is applied to the electrodes limiting the LC cell, the LC in all drops included in this cell, are oriented along the electric field perpendicular to the screen plane. The polymer and LC are selected in such a way that their refractive indices coincide when the LC is oriented parallel to the incident light. As a result, for a switched-on LCD cell, for light incident perpendicular to the screen, the refractive index at the boundaries of the polymer and droplets with the LCD will coincide, light scattering will be minimal, and it will be reflected from the lower mirror electrode, but, despite such reflection, the cell will look already dark (state IN in the figure above). Why this is so becomes clear if you look at a mirror with a piece of white paper glued to it. Below we present a micrograph of the Pebble screen, which is generally consistent with the stated principle:

Distinct squares are the boundaries of the LC cells, within which chaotically scattered inclusions (droplets) are observed, reflecting (or rather scattering) light in light cells and transmitting light without scattering in dark ones. It is interesting that the visible properties and pattern of droplet arrangement for different cells are basically the same. Apparently, the formation of droplets is somehow controlled. Note that the principle of image formation outlined above does not require the use of polarizers (indeed, when observing with a polarizing filter, no pronounced direction of polarization is detected), as a result, there are fewer losses and the efficiency of the screen increases.

Unlike the smartwatches we've previously tested, the Pebble's screen is not touch-sensitive. At first this is confusing - we are too used to mobile devices To touch screens. However, the menu is so simple that you can do everything using the buttons, and you get used to it quite quickly.

Connecting Pebble to your smartphone

Like the Sony SmartWatch 2, the Pebble is essentially a Bluetooth headset for a smartphone. Therefore, without connecting to a smartphone, the watch can only perform its basic function, that is, displaying the time and date. But what distinguishes Pebble from Sony SmartWatch 2 and, in particular, from Samsung Galaxy Gear is its “omnivorousness”: the watch can be connected not only to any Android smartphone (not only Android 4.x, but even Android 2.x ), but also to the Apple iPhone. The latter made Pebble popular among owners of Apple devices. And we tested Pebble just with the iPhone 5S.

First you need to download free application Pebble Smartwatch from App Store. It is a very simple tool for managing your watch.

There are only three icons in the application. The central one shows whether the watch is connected (if it glows green, it means it is connected, but at first you will see a red button, which means that the watch is not connected). The left button opens instructions to help you customize the display of notifications on Pebble. Finally, the rightmost button opens a menu with a choice of watch interface.

However, the watch interface can be customized using Pebble itself. But first we need to connect the watch and smartphone. To do this, you need to turn on Bluetooth in the iPhone settings and turn it on in the watch (Menu / Settings / Bluetooth). The iPhone should detect Pebble, click on connect, and confirm the pairing on the watch. That's it, now our smartphone and watch are connected. Next, go to the Notification Center on the iPhone (Settings / Notification Center), look for the Pebble application, turn on all notifications. Now the watch will receive all the notifications that are sent to the smartphone.

Pebble functionality

So what can Pebble do? First, of course, show the time. Moreover, as we have already noted, a variety of watch interface designs are available, so as soon as you get tired of the old one, you can change it. Secondly, you can set an alarm on the watch, but there are few alarm settings, and most importantly, due to the lack of a speaker, the watch can only signal by vibration. Therefore, you will either have to go to bed with them or risk not hearing the whirring of the Pebble. However, this function can be useful when you need to be reminded of something during the day: for example, if you have a meeting ahead, you can set an alarm for the time when you need to get ready to leave your home or office.

Thirdly, using the watch you can control music playback on your smartphone. The watch screen displays the artist name, track name and album name. True, you cannot change the volume and rewind the track a little forward - only switch to the next or previous one, as well as pause and resume playback. In addition, playback control is only possible within one album. As soon as the album ends, you need to take out your smartphone and put on a new album. As a plus, we note that the watch works not only with the Music application, but also with other players, for example, with VKontakte audio recordings (and information about them is displayed quite correctly).

Finally, the fourth and most important feature of the watch is related to the display of notifications from a smartphone. This can be calls, SMS, messages on social networks and instant messengers (we checked the work with VKontakte and Viber). If you receive a call, you can click on accept call and start talking on your smartphone. This is convenient when you are walking down the street and listening to music on your iPhone through a headset. Then the watch will allow you not to take your smartphone out of your pocket.

However, Russian-speaking Pebble users will immediately encounter a problem that will call into question the appropriateness of using the watch. The proprietary firmware does not support the Cyrillic alphabet. This means that any message in Russian will look like this on the watch screen.

Fortunately, the craftsmen quickly wrote a whole series alternative firmware. Among them there are both English-language ones, but with Cyrillic support, and completely Russian-language ones (that is, the interface is also translated). Additionally, enthusiasts can try beta versions latest firmware, in which developers are trying to add some new features, but this, as they say, is at your own peril and risk. The Pebble forum is devoted to the Russification of watches.

How to install unofficial firmware on Pebble? There are two ways. The first method: connect the watch via Bluetooth to the computer under Windows control, download the zip archive with the firmware, unpack it and start execution via the command line (detailed Russian-language instructions can be found). There are several difficulties here. First, you will need a laptop (or tablet running Windows 7/8) with Bluetooth or an external Bluetooth adapter connected via USB. Secondly, you need to find the watch ID (this is a four-digit code). And thirdly, working with command line in principle, not the most common thing for most iPhone owners.

Therefore, it seems to us that another method is much more elegant and simple, which should not cause any difficulties for owners of Apple devices. We install any cloud storage- for example, Dropbox (but Yandex.Disk and similar services are also suitable). Download the firmware file (it has a .pbz extension) to any other device connected to your Dropbox, and upload it to Dropbox. Open this file from Dropbox on iPhone. We see this picture (see screenshot on the left).

You have to click on the bottom one left button (Send ), and a list of applications with which you can send the file will appear. But we don’t need to send it, we just need to click on Open in... . And here we will see a button Open in Pebble (see screenshot on the right). After this, the Pebble application will open and we will receive a warning like the following.

Click Continue, and then Update Now, and monitor the process, which takes a couple of minutes. After this, the watch reboots and tells us:

Please note that, as with any flashing, failures are quite possible. Most likely, they will not kill the device, and you can roll back, but there is a high probability that either the firmware will not start, or the update will be successful, but the Cyrillic alphabet will still not be supported. We had such a situation with firmware version 1.12, which retained the English interface, but promised normal display of the Cyrillic alphabet. However, version 1.14.1, completely Russified, installed without any problems. Here are a few screenshots of the watch.

But alas, a small fly in the ointment still remains (by at least, this firmware it was not solved, and searches on the Internet showed that the problem still remains relevant). When making calls, the caller's name, written in Cyrillic, is displayed with question marks (??????). This problem only occurs on iPhones and is not observed on Android smartphones.

Overall, the Pebble's functionality is much more limited than that of any watch we've previously tested. But, we repeat, Pebble works with the iPhone, and besides, the functionality that is available is implemented with the highest quality and convenience. Unless, of course, you count the lack of Cyrillic support in the factory version and the need to tinker with flashing the firmware.

Autonomous operation

Battery life is one of the undoubted advantages of Pebble. With a relatively small body (smaller than other watches we tested), the Pebble can last between 5 and 7 days on a single charge, depending on the number of notifications and how much music control you use.

conclusions

The smartwatch market is only in its early stages, and devices of this class are still aimed primarily at enthusiasts. However, in the US and Europe, Pebble can perhaps be considered the most “popular” version of smartwatches: omnivorous (works with both Android and iPhone), easy to set up and manage, and cheap (Sony SmartWatch 2 is $50 more expensive). And even though the functionality here is much more modest than that of Samsung and Sony watches, and hidden possibilities almost none (although who knows what will appear in new firmware?), for most users this will be quite enough.

But in our country, the use of these watches is complicated by two factors: firstly, they are not represented in official retail stores, and secondly, without support for the Cyrillic alphabet they are practically useless, and to add support for the Cyrillic alphabet, you need to at least rummage through thematic forums ( or read our article :)) and spend time experimenting. And still, some problems will remain (with displaying the caller's name, for example). So for us, this is still a device for geeks. But geeks will be more interested in the Sony SmartWatch 2, and they are easier to purchase (and perhaps even not much more expensive if you add shipping from abroad to the cost of the Pebble). So, on the one hand, we congratulate the Pebble developers on a worthy product, and on the other hand, we look forward to fixing the problems with the Cyrillic alphabet and the official release of the watch on Russian market. And, of course, we wish you successful development of the project!

The smartwatch category is finally starting to come into its own. More and more models are appearing with Android Wear, manufacturers are also testing their own solutions, and the Apple Watch immediately grabbed as much as 70% of the market. Nevertheless, Pebble still gathers a lot of fans, and we’ll find out how it will be with Pebble Time.

Pebble Time Watch - Reviews

Pebble Time appearance and quality

Let's be honest, when it comes to the styling of the new Pebble model, it's a big step back from the Pebble Steel. However, metal versions of Pebble Time smartwatches will also be announced in the near future.

So far, the first series of this product resembles a small soap dish tied to the wrist. This impression, however, dissipates as soon as the Pebble Time comes into your hands. In everyday life, its design is not so catchy. And if you take into account the device’s interface, it looks more like a “geeky” accessory.

The Pebble Time display diagonal is 1.25 inches, top part- 2.5D scratch-resistant glass. Around the panel is a relatively thick metal frame with a PVT coating that tends to get dirty but is easy to clean. The rest of the body is made of polycarbonate. Four function keys, which controls the Pebble Time smartwatch (non-touch screen), is sometimes difficult to press, but the gadget is very durable. The watch can also withstand being submerged in water up to 30m deep, so there's no need to worry about rain or washing up.

The silicone strap was also surprising. It is very soft, flexible and pleasant to the touch. Even after prolonged wear there is no rash or irritation. The device uses standard fasteners, so you can replace it with another 22 mm wide bracelet.

The case of the Pebble Time smart watch, according to the description, is 9.7 mm. The figure seems significant, but in reality they fit perfectly to the hand and there are no problems when wearing them. A few minutes after the device is put on your wrist, you simply forget about its existence. The device is very comfortable for everyday wear, which cannot be said about all gadgets from the smartwatch category.

Operation and display

As already mentioned, the Pebble Time screen is not touch-sensitive, and is controlled by 4 buttons. The controls are simple and intuitive. Left key – return to previous tab, buttons on the right – menu navigation. For the first time, Pebble has a color display. The device doesn't use LCD technologies like IPS or AMOLED, so you shouldn't expect rich, vibrant colors. They are a little fuzzy and dull. Despite this, the display itself is quite pleasing to the eye. There is one drawback - the screen is placed deep under the glass, which reduces viewing angles.

The display backlight has been redesigned. Now its duration and brightness can be adjusted at will. It is also better practiced to activate it with a flick of the wrist. Previously, this required an overly noticeable gesture. Now the sensor has become more sensitive.

Interface

The new smartwatch from Pebble uses a somewhat unusual interface. The menu map, icons, animations look funny, even somewhat childish. But it fits perfectly into the overall design of the Pebble Time. The animations are a little drawn out, but they are just as charming, so the developers can be forgiven.

Pebble is the first company to use the Timeline interface. This is very useful for those who use the calendar frequently. Simply pressing up/down is enough to see the past, present and future events recorded in the organizer, as well as the weather, sunrise and sunset times, etc. It is incredibly convenient, allowing you to easily view everything that is expected during the day.

This is not to say that the Pebble Time smartwatch provides the same capabilities as competitors with Android Wear or Apple Watch. But this was not the intention of the developers. They wanted to create a smartwatch that would be the perfect complement to a smartphone, and not copy it. And they succeeded perfectly.

Notifications always arrive on time, informed about them through vibration on the wrist. WITH latest update we can change the vibration intensity or use the “do not disturb” mode.

Unfortunately, at the moment, Pebble Time owners can only use all the features with Android devices. The functionality for iPhones is currently very limited. But most likely this defect will be corrected in the near future.

Applications

When synchronized with a smartphone, the device gains access to the directory additional applications. The list is not as extensive as that of competitors, but we have to admit, there is nothing useless here. Exceptionally functional additions. Previous models provided for the installation of only 8 applications. Time allows you to set up to 50. Here you can find not only functional “apps”, but also designs for dials.

Synchronization is carried out through an application installed on the phone. And here also some problems arose. It has been significantly improved compared to previous versions, but there are still some shortcomings. It also starts draining your smartphone’s battery, which has been confirmed on several phones.

Pebble Time and everyday use

The manufacturer promises about seven days of operation on a single charge. In fact, with continuous use of Pebble, the time is reduced to about 4 days. But even this is an excellent result compared to most competitors, which typically require daily charging. Pebble Time reaches a full charge in just 50 minutes, after which it is ready to use for another 4-7 days.

SmartWatch is a rather controversial technology. First of all, because the manufacturers have not yet decided on its purpose. Many developers are trying to replace phones directly with watches, which seems quite pointless. Is it really that difficult to get a smartphone out of your pocket? But Pebble took a different route and created a device that perfectly complements the functions of phones. And we have to admit that this is perhaps the best of the options offered. Not everything about this device is perfect, but the company has chosen the right direction.

Bottom line

First of all, Pebble Time's unusual style and simple everyday use make you get used to the smartwatch.

Very disturbing limited quantity color options compared to competitors - but for me they are quite enough, although I think that one could expect a lot more from such equipment.

However, given the battery life and how much time we use our iPhone, the Pebble Time smartwatch is basically the only alternative to the Apple Watch, but is significantly cheaper.

Nevertheless, Pebble smartwatch Time range from $249 to $300 (depending on whether we're talking about the plastic version or the steel version).