I had the opportunity to test the Pebble SmartWatch, an ultra-connected watch that works with your smartphone via Bluetooth. This watch was designed by young innovators who raised substantial funds through Kickstarter. The Pebble can easily receive notifications from Android phones or from an iOS operating system.
First of all, you can see that the Pebble watch has a particularly unique design. Indeed, its strap is made of plastic, and in my case it’s white, because the blue watch was the one that gave me the chance to test this watch in that color.
Next, on the sides, there are plastic buttons: three on the right side, which let you change the Pebble’s settings, and a single button on the other side that takes you back.
The Pebble’s screen is an e-ink (electronic ink) display. I find it rather poor in quality, though it has one advantage: in sunlight you can clearly see the screen, but on the other hand it’s not very practical. In everyday use, the screen is always off, so you have to press the left button to turn it on and check the time, and the problem is that the watch only shows the time for a few seconds, which isn’t very practical for the user.
In addition, the Pebble runs a small operating system to power the watch. It’s fairly easy to use, but not very ergonomic because of its screen, which can’t display color or even perspective. Watch updates are easy to install, with reminders delivered as notifications.
As for notifications, which is the most important point of this watch, the Pebble does a pretty good job: when you receive notifications on your phone at the same time, your Pebble displays them, which is a positive point. Moreover, the Pebble only shows the title, which gives the user a quick overview of the latest notifications and lets them use their phone if needed, depending on the news.
The Pebble offers its users the ability to download Watch Faces to personalize the watch, which is really nice because you can make your watch look the way you want. You’ll truly be the master of your watch.
As for the watch’s alerts, everything is handled through a vibration system, which is a good thing. In other words, it would be impossible for the user to know (with a simple display on their wrist) whether they had received notifications.
Another positive point: you no longer need to take out your phone to listen to music. Indeed, everything can now be controlled from your wrist, with a next button or a back button. It’s worth noting, however, that it’s impossible to control the volume or to fast-forward the music.
The watch offers external apps that you can download with an app on iOS and Android, and therefore later boost the watch’s capabilities by adding, for example, a camera or the Foursquare app, which lets you easily share your location with friends.
Another good thing is that this watch is waterproof (waterproof), so you can wash with it, shower with it, and splash water on it, though do still be a little careful…
To charge your Pebble, a positive point is that there’s a cable that connects to the watch magnetically, much like the power cable on a MacBook Air. The battery really holds up, lasting about a week.
In summary, this watch isn’t a revolution in itself, but in what it brings. Indeed, it will help you save time, because you’ll be able to receive your SMS messages, your Twitter and Facebook notifications, and many more, right on your wrist.
Finally, if you want to buy this watch, you’ll need to pay 149 € on the French site la montre bleue, which sells this watch with fast delivery.
