1 00:00:00,033 --> 00:00:04,400 [Music] 2 00:00:13,866 --> 00:00:16,133 This is a review of the Pebble Time 2. 3 00:00:16,566 --> 00:00:17,766 This is the coolest 4 00:00:17,766 --> 00:00:19,266 smartwatch I've ever used. 5 00:00:19,500 --> 00:00:22,166 It's a cute and competent, if niche, 6 00:00:22,199 --> 00:00:23,566 smartwatch. It's 7 00:00:23,633 --> 00:00:25,266 everything I want from a wearable, 8 00:00:25,399 --> 00:00:27,600 and that means it probably won't be a 9 00:00:27,600 --> 00:00:29,466 good fit for the average person. 10 00:00:30,566 --> 00:00:33,133 Let me explain. Back in June, I 11 00:00:33,133 --> 00:00:35,100 pre-ordered the Pebble Time 2, the 12 00:00:35,100 --> 00:00:36,866 long-awaited follow-up to the 13 00:00:36,899 --> 00:00:39,700 Pebble line of smartwatches, a brand that 14 00:00:39,700 --> 00:00:42,166 people thought was dead. So 15 00:00:42,166 --> 00:00:44,600 back in 2012, Pebble basically 16 00:00:44,633 --> 00:00:46,899 kicked off the smartwatch craze with a 17 00:00:46,899 --> 00:00:49,000 Kickstarter campaign that was, at the 18 00:00:49,000 --> 00:00:50,533 time, the most funded 19 00:00:50,533 --> 00:00:52,866 campaign to date. There was huge demand 20 00:00:52,866 --> 00:00:53,866 for this Inspector 21 00:00:53,866 --> 00:00:56,299 Gadget-looking device, and seemingly 22 00:00:56,366 --> 00:00:59,066 everyone wanted one. The company turned 23 00:00:59,066 --> 00:01:00,433 down multiple acquisition 24 00:01:00,433 --> 00:01:02,100 attempts until, in 2016, 25 00:01:02,366 --> 00:01:04,500 they became insolvent, which means they 26 00:01:04,500 --> 00:01:06,333 weren't able to actually pay their debts, 27 00:01:06,533 --> 00:01:09,900 and they were acquired by Fitbit. Now, 28 00:01:09,900 --> 00:01:11,333 after Fitbit announced the 29 00:01:11,333 --> 00:01:13,266 discontinuation of support for Pebble 30 00:01:13,266 --> 00:01:16,033 products, a bunch of renegade enthusiasts 31 00:01:16,066 --> 00:01:17,333 picked up the slack and 32 00:01:17,333 --> 00:01:19,566 created Rebel, a community-made 33 00:01:19,566 --> 00:01:21,866 suite of services that replaced Pebble's 34 00:01:21,866 --> 00:01:23,133 online connectivity, 35 00:01:23,266 --> 00:01:25,000 including the App Store for more 36 00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:27,566 updates and other support functions. Now, 37 00:01:27,599 --> 00:01:28,666 most of these were free to 38 00:01:28,666 --> 00:01:30,433 use, but the dictation feature 39 00:01:30,633 --> 00:01:32,733 and the weather service actually cost 40 00:01:32,766 --> 00:01:34,666 about three bucks a month. And guess 41 00:01:34,666 --> 00:01:37,000 what? People used it. Even 42 00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:38,766 this many years on, people have still 43 00:01:38,766 --> 00:01:41,566 been using and paying for the use of 44 00:01:41,633 --> 00:01:43,266 their original smartwatch 45 00:01:43,266 --> 00:01:45,599 from Pebble. That's amazing, and it's a 46 00:01:45,599 --> 00:01:47,000 testament to what Pebble 47 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:48,933 created, and the community that 48 00:01:48,933 --> 00:01:51,566 now is founded. Now, in 2021, Fitbit was 49 00:01:51,566 --> 00:01:53,799 acquired by Google, and all of the Pebble 50 00:01:53,833 --> 00:01:55,599 IP was subsumed too. 51 00:01:56,133 --> 00:01:58,933 In January of 2025, Google ended up 52 00:01:58,933 --> 00:02:00,666 making Pebble OS open 53 00:02:00,666 --> 00:02:02,733 source. Shortly thereafter, 54 00:02:02,799 --> 00:02:05,299 Eric Medjikovsky, the founder of Pebble, 55 00:02:05,466 --> 00:02:06,933 announced new watches 56 00:02:07,033 --> 00:02:09,266 using Pebble OS. In March, 57 00:02:09,400 --> 00:02:11,733 Medjikovsky's newly founded Core Devices 58 00:02:11,900 --> 00:02:13,766 unveiled the Core 2 Duo, 59 00:02:14,033 --> 00:02:15,633 which is a familiar name for 60 00:02:15,666 --> 00:02:18,133 everyone who's into CPUs, and the Duo 61 00:02:18,133 --> 00:02:20,133 here was actually meant to mean "due 62 00:02:20,133 --> 00:02:21,966 over." Then, they also 63 00:02:21,966 --> 00:02:25,099 announced the Core Time 2. They were soon 64 00:02:25,099 --> 00:02:27,800 made available to pre-order, and in July, 65 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:30,000 Core Devices recovered the Pebble 66 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:32,900 trademark. They renamed the devices to 67 00:02:32,900 --> 00:02:34,666 the Pebble 2 Duo and the 68 00:02:34,666 --> 00:02:38,133 Pebble Time 2. By December, Core Devices 69 00:02:38,133 --> 00:02:39,666 had open sourced the Pebble 70 00:02:39,666 --> 00:02:41,566 Companion App, and in January 71 00:02:41,599 --> 00:02:44,466 2026, the Pebble Round 2 was announced. 72 00:02:44,766 --> 00:02:46,466 Three new watches, a 73 00:02:46,466 --> 00:02:48,033 bunch of open source software, 74 00:02:48,266 --> 00:02:50,433 all of which started shipping earlier 75 00:02:50,433 --> 00:02:53,900 this year, 2026. Now, I never owned a 76 00:02:53,900 --> 00:02:55,133 Pebble, but I had always 77 00:02:55,133 --> 00:02:57,599 really wanted one, so the announcement of 78 00:02:57,599 --> 00:02:58,800 a new Pebble device 79 00:02:58,933 --> 00:03:00,833 truly caught my attention. 80 00:03:01,266 --> 00:03:03,566 And not being the kind of guy who takes a 81 00:03:03,566 --> 00:03:04,533 gamble on a new and 82 00:03:04,566 --> 00:03:06,133 unproven company that often, 83 00:03:06,500 --> 00:03:09,099 I decided to wait. Once devices started 84 00:03:09,099 --> 00:03:10,633 landing in people's hands and the 85 00:03:10,633 --> 00:03:12,000 consensus was mostly 86 00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:14,300 positive, I got in line for my Pebble 2, 87 00:03:14,566 --> 00:03:16,833 and I got it right here. Now, getting 88 00:03:16,833 --> 00:03:18,033 started with the Pebble 89 00:03:18,033 --> 00:03:20,833 Time 2 was an absolute breeze. You just 90 00:03:20,833 --> 00:03:22,533 install the open source app on your 91 00:03:22,533 --> 00:03:24,000 phone, in this case, 92 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:27,433 it's GPL3 licensed. Then, you give the 93 00:03:27,466 --> 00:03:28,300 app the requisite 94 00:03:28,300 --> 00:03:30,333 permissions it needs. You scan the QR 95 00:03:30,466 --> 00:03:32,266 code on the Pebble screen, and then 96 00:03:32,266 --> 00:03:34,599 confirm the pairing with your watch. 97 00:03:34,833 --> 00:03:36,199 Boom, it's that easy. 98 00:03:36,300 --> 00:03:37,900 I don't even know if you need to make a 99 00:03:37,900 --> 00:03:39,133 Pebble account, honestly. 100 00:03:39,400 --> 00:03:41,000 Like, it's that freaking simple. 101 00:03:41,166 --> 00:03:43,066 But I do know you don't need a Google 102 00:03:43,066 --> 00:03:45,033 account to kick off the pairing process, 103 00:03:45,366 --> 00:03:47,633 unlike my Fitbit 2. Now, people might be 104 00:03:47,633 --> 00:03:48,733 saying, "Why do you care 105 00:03:48,733 --> 00:03:49,900 about having a Google account 106 00:03:49,900 --> 00:03:52,099 or not with a device?" Well, it's because 107 00:03:52,099 --> 00:03:53,099 I don't trust Google, and I 108 00:03:53,099 --> 00:03:54,500 don't want them having any of 109 00:03:54,533 --> 00:03:56,266 my biometric data. 110 00:03:57,266 --> 00:03:57,966 So let's talk about 111 00:03:57,966 --> 00:03:59,033 the design for a second 112 00:03:59,033 --> 00:04:01,733 because the design here is terrific. 113 00:04:01,866 --> 00:04:03,033 And first and foremost, 114 00:04:03,300 --> 00:04:05,433 it's not an enormous 115 00:04:05,466 --> 00:04:07,466 gaudy chunk of glass and metal 116 00:04:07,566 --> 00:04:09,599 precariously mounted to my wrist. 117 00:04:09,966 --> 00:04:12,066 No, this thing is sleek. 118 00:04:12,233 --> 00:04:13,366 It is elegant. 119 00:04:13,533 --> 00:04:14,666 It is understated. 120 00:04:14,800 --> 00:04:16,199 And it comes with all of 121 00:04:16,199 --> 00:04:17,899 the charm and retro aesthetic 122 00:04:17,933 --> 00:04:19,566 of like a Casio digital 123 00:04:19,566 --> 00:04:20,833 watch from my childhood, 124 00:04:21,100 --> 00:04:23,733 yet with some modern upgrades 125 00:04:23,733 --> 00:04:25,633 and a professional fit and finish. 126 00:04:26,433 --> 00:04:28,899 It comes in four colorways. Now, I opted 127 00:04:28,899 --> 00:04:31,033 for the black and gray variant here, 128 00:04:31,566 --> 00:04:34,000 which I feel is the classiest personally, 129 00:04:34,233 --> 00:04:35,166 though I also do like 130 00:04:35,166 --> 00:04:36,166 the silver and gray. 131 00:04:36,533 --> 00:04:38,866 Again, this is understated. If you as a 132 00:04:38,866 --> 00:04:39,866 casual observer on the 133 00:04:39,866 --> 00:04:41,133 street didn't know that I was 134 00:04:41,133 --> 00:04:43,466 wearing a smartwatch, it wouldn't really 135 00:04:43,466 --> 00:04:45,533 jump out as one. I've used many 136 00:04:45,533 --> 00:04:46,600 smartwatches before, 137 00:04:46,699 --> 00:04:48,766 and always. The silicone band just pulls 138 00:04:48,766 --> 00:04:50,066 on my arm hairs. This 139 00:04:50,066 --> 00:04:51,633 one is really not that bad, 140 00:04:52,133 --> 00:04:54,366 and because of that, it's actually 141 00:04:54,399 --> 00:04:57,800 surprisingly a good band to wear. It's 142 00:04:57,800 --> 00:04:59,366 also easily replaceable 143 00:04:59,366 --> 00:05:01,699 with any standard 22 millimeter quick 144 00:05:01,699 --> 00:05:03,633 release strap. Now, I've been 145 00:05:03,633 --> 00:05:05,133 eyeing a few, and I actually 146 00:05:05,133 --> 00:05:08,133 bought this one recently. I would love 147 00:05:08,133 --> 00:05:09,133 some suggestions in the 148 00:05:09,133 --> 00:05:10,533 comments of straps that you 149 00:05:10,566 --> 00:05:12,600 like to use. They don't even have to be 150 00:05:12,600 --> 00:05:13,833 for the Pebble Time 2. As 151 00:05:13,833 --> 00:05:15,300 long as they're a 22 millimeter 152 00:05:15,733 --> 00:05:17,933 quick release strap, they will work. The 153 00:05:17,933 --> 00:05:19,000 last big piece of the 154 00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:20,733 physical puzzle is the screen. 155 00:05:20,933 --> 00:05:22,533 So let's get into it, because I have a 156 00:05:22,533 --> 00:05:24,433 lot to say. It's large with 157 00:05:24,433 --> 00:05:26,133 a minimal bezel. The screen's 158 00:05:26,166 --> 00:05:29,000 glass sits slightly proud of the housing 159 00:05:29,000 --> 00:05:32,133 by a few millimeters. This has led to 160 00:05:32,133 --> 00:05:33,333 reports of the screen 161 00:05:33,333 --> 00:05:35,800 breaking among some enthusiasts, though 162 00:05:35,833 --> 00:05:37,133 Eric and his team have said 163 00:05:37,133 --> 00:05:38,800 that this has only led to about 164 00:05:38,800 --> 00:05:41,633 50 or so devices needing to be replaced. 165 00:05:42,533 --> 00:05:43,833 It is a bit of a concern 166 00:05:43,833 --> 00:05:45,500 for me. I'm looking into 3D 167 00:05:45,500 --> 00:05:48,066 printing some kind of way to, you know, 168 00:05:48,066 --> 00:05:49,366 keep this secure and not 169 00:05:49,399 --> 00:05:51,300 smashing. Now, while I'm out in 170 00:05:51,300 --> 00:05:54,066 direct sunlight, the screen absolutely 171 00:05:54,166 --> 00:05:57,266 sings. I can't fully describe how 172 00:05:57,266 --> 00:05:58,933 wonderful this looks 173 00:05:59,033 --> 00:06:01,266 in daylight. Direct sunlight makes 174 00:06:01,300 --> 00:06:04,266 e-paper pop, and it is an e-paper 175 00:06:04,266 --> 00:06:06,066 display. Don't confuse that 176 00:06:06,066 --> 00:06:08,366 with e-ink. They are two entirely 177 00:06:08,366 --> 00:06:10,133 different technologies. To put it 178 00:06:10,166 --> 00:06:11,800 succinctly, this screen 179 00:06:11,833 --> 00:06:14,733 looks like an LCD minus the persistent 180 00:06:14,733 --> 00:06:16,033 backlight, but with a 181 00:06:16,033 --> 00:06:18,033 mirror behind the display. 182 00:06:18,500 --> 00:06:20,966 That's really how it feels to me. I don't 183 00:06:20,966 --> 00:06:22,333 know if that's actually how it works. 184 00:06:22,966 --> 00:06:24,433 Colors are fairly muted 185 00:06:24,433 --> 00:06:25,766 and there's only 64 of them. 186 00:06:25,766 --> 00:06:27,066 There's very little in 187 00:06:27,066 --> 00:06:28,466 the way of contrast either, 188 00:06:28,699 --> 00:06:30,266 but it looks amazing 189 00:06:30,733 --> 00:06:31,766 under the right light. 190 00:06:31,966 --> 00:06:34,300 The screen is less OLED 191 00:06:34,300 --> 00:06:35,633 and more Game Boy Color, 192 00:06:35,800 --> 00:06:37,899 complete with a 200 by 228 193 00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:40,033 resolution, and that's fine. 194 00:06:40,100 --> 00:06:42,166 In fact, I love it that way. 195 00:06:42,399 --> 00:06:44,600 It absolutely sips power. 196 00:06:44,866 --> 00:06:46,699 Apps and watch faces are built 197 00:06:46,699 --> 00:06:48,300 with this limitation and mind, 198 00:06:48,566 --> 00:06:49,366 and it has everything 199 00:06:49,366 --> 00:06:51,033 it needs where it counts. 200 00:06:51,233 --> 00:06:52,666 Well, in dark environments, 201 00:06:52,666 --> 00:06:54,566 it's impossible to read this screen 202 00:06:54,566 --> 00:06:55,466 without the backlight. 203 00:06:55,766 --> 00:06:57,033 In my first 24 hours 204 00:06:57,033 --> 00:06:58,033 with the Pebble Time 2, 205 00:06:58,466 --> 00:07:00,566 I found this really disappointing. 206 00:07:00,766 --> 00:07:03,066 However, I quickly learned how to 207 00:07:03,066 --> 00:07:04,199 actually use this thing. 208 00:07:04,466 --> 00:07:06,366 A quick and deliberate flick of the wrist 209 00:07:06,366 --> 00:07:08,399 will actually turn the backlight on. 210 00:07:08,466 --> 00:07:10,000 And if you have the other hand free, 211 00:07:10,166 --> 00:07:11,066 a double tap of the 212 00:07:11,066 --> 00:07:13,199 screen or a press of any button 213 00:07:13,199 --> 00:07:14,333 will do the same thing. 214 00:07:14,833 --> 00:07:16,266 After a brief timeout, the 215 00:07:16,266 --> 00:07:18,066 backlight will fade to off. 216 00:07:18,233 --> 00:07:19,300 The always on display 217 00:07:19,300 --> 00:07:20,066 doesn't seem to have 218 00:07:20,100 --> 00:07:20,833 any perceptible 219 00:07:20,866 --> 00:07:22,300 impact on the battery life, 220 00:07:22,300 --> 00:07:23,533 which I really like. 221 00:07:23,766 --> 00:07:24,600 I've been using this 222 00:07:24,600 --> 00:07:26,333 device for eight days already, 223 00:07:26,333 --> 00:07:29,033 and I'm still at around 63% battery life. 224 00:07:29,399 --> 00:07:31,433 Meanwhile, my old Fitbit 225 00:07:31,466 --> 00:07:33,500 would use about 1% of battery 226 00:07:33,566 --> 00:07:35,399 anytime the ML lead display 227 00:07:35,533 --> 00:07:37,333 was activated for more than a second. 228 00:07:37,766 --> 00:07:38,966 I need to mention that while 229 00:07:39,000 --> 00:07:40,600 the battery life is impressive, 230 00:07:40,899 --> 00:07:42,033 with the features that I 231 00:07:42,033 --> 00:07:43,300 personally have enabled, 232 00:07:43,600 --> 00:07:45,166 I am nowhere near on 233 00:07:45,166 --> 00:07:46,166 track to actually hit 234 00:07:46,166 --> 00:07:48,166 the advertised 30 day battery 235 00:07:48,333 --> 00:07:50,166 that Pebble lists on their website. 236 00:07:50,233 --> 00:07:51,633 My experience tells me 237 00:07:51,666 --> 00:07:53,899 that if I completely disable 238 00:07:53,899 --> 00:07:56,833 the backlight or remove most of the apps, 239 00:07:56,866 --> 00:07:58,300 I might get close to 240 00:07:58,300 --> 00:07:59,766 30 days of usage here, 241 00:08:00,133 --> 00:08:01,500 but it feels like that 242 00:08:01,500 --> 00:08:02,866 would make the Pebble Time 2 243 00:08:03,066 --> 00:08:04,699 far less usable, if 244 00:08:04,699 --> 00:08:06,566 not entirely unusable, 245 00:08:06,766 --> 00:08:08,633 at least the way I want to use it. 246 00:08:09,266 --> 00:08:11,399 What will use up the battery, and quite 247 00:08:11,399 --> 00:08:12,566 quickly I might add, 248 00:08:12,866 --> 00:08:14,866 is the screen's RGB backlight. 249 00:08:15,300 --> 00:08:16,300 Yeah, RGB. 250 00:08:16,833 --> 00:08:18,199 While I haven't seen any 251 00:08:18,199 --> 00:08:19,500 rainbow breathing patterns 252 00:08:19,500 --> 00:08:21,733 for this thing, the backlight's color 253 00:08:21,766 --> 00:08:23,066 is fully customizable from 254 00:08:23,066 --> 00:08:24,199 within the companion app. 255 00:08:24,366 --> 00:08:25,466 Kind of neat, I guess, 256 00:08:25,466 --> 00:08:27,233 but I prefer a static, 257 00:08:27,433 --> 00:08:30,133 neutral to warm white for mine. 258 00:08:30,566 --> 00:08:32,833 Plus, the aforementioned low saturation 259 00:08:32,833 --> 00:08:34,700 of the screen's colors means that 260 00:08:34,866 --> 00:08:36,500 any strongly tinted backlight 261 00:08:36,533 --> 00:08:38,933 will make the colors basically illegible. 262 00:08:39,600 --> 00:08:41,366 Now, this watch ships with 263 00:08:41,366 --> 00:08:42,700 a little magnetic charger, 264 00:08:43,066 --> 00:08:44,666 and it's the same actual 265 00:08:44,666 --> 00:08:46,866 connector of its older brother. 266 00:08:46,933 --> 00:08:48,533 Charging takes just a few minutes, 267 00:08:48,566 --> 00:08:49,733 though keep in mind I've 268 00:08:49,733 --> 00:08:51,133 really only charged this device 269 00:08:51,166 --> 00:08:53,100 once since I unboxed it. 270 00:08:53,399 --> 00:08:54,666 The charging adapter also 271 00:08:54,666 --> 00:08:55,899 comes with a little lanyard 272 00:08:55,899 --> 00:08:58,066 so that you can hang it on a key chain 273 00:08:58,066 --> 00:08:59,833 or maybe hang it on 274 00:08:59,866 --> 00:09:01,100 your luggage or something 275 00:09:01,100 --> 00:09:02,533 where you're gonna be 276 00:09:02,533 --> 00:09:04,666 carrying around a backpack perhaps. 277 00:09:04,933 --> 00:09:05,700 Put it somewhere with 278 00:09:05,700 --> 00:09:07,066 your everyday carry, right? 279 00:09:07,333 --> 00:09:08,633 Let's talk about the software though. 280 00:09:09,066 --> 00:09:10,366 Pebble OS, which is open 281 00:09:10,366 --> 00:09:12,399 source under the Apache 2.0 license, 282 00:09:12,633 --> 00:09:14,899 has incredibly cute animations 283 00:09:14,899 --> 00:09:16,266 that give the device a 284 00:09:16,266 --> 00:09:18,333 level of both charm and polish. 285 00:09:18,700 --> 00:09:20,333 They're unique to Pebble OS 286 00:09:20,333 --> 00:09:22,666 and feel somewhat Looney Tunes-esque. 287 00:09:22,966 --> 00:09:24,566 I've never seen anything 288 00:09:24,566 --> 00:09:26,633 quite like the animations here. 289 00:09:26,766 --> 00:09:28,100 They seem to be dynamic 290 00:09:28,133 --> 00:09:30,833 and icons look to be animated 291 00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:33,866 in real time and I would be surprised 292 00:09:33,866 --> 00:09:36,299 if these had bespoke animations. 293 00:09:36,966 --> 00:09:37,866 Now let's talk about some 294 00:09:37,899 --> 00:09:39,000 other parts of the software 295 00:09:39,000 --> 00:09:39,966 like the timeline. 296 00:09:40,366 --> 00:09:42,366 This is a super neat feature 297 00:09:42,366 --> 00:09:43,299 and it's one that I never 298 00:09:43,299 --> 00:09:44,633 really knew that I needed. 299 00:09:44,933 --> 00:09:45,899 It's also one that I 300 00:09:45,899 --> 00:09:47,766 hope will gain new features 301 00:09:47,766 --> 00:09:50,000 and become even more useful over time. 302 00:09:50,266 --> 00:09:51,399 From your watch face, you 303 00:09:51,399 --> 00:09:52,833 can press the down button 304 00:09:52,833 --> 00:09:55,299 to scroll to today in the timeline. 305 00:09:55,533 --> 00:09:57,866 And it will show you today as it stands. 306 00:09:57,866 --> 00:09:59,333 It will also let you scroll through 307 00:09:59,333 --> 00:10:00,899 the next two days worth of events. 308 00:10:01,100 --> 00:10:02,433 And it's great to wake up 309 00:10:02,433 --> 00:10:03,366 first thing in the morning 310 00:10:03,566 --> 00:10:05,500 and see a quick summary of your day, 311 00:10:06,166 --> 00:10:07,566 with a screen that doesn't 312 00:10:07,933 --> 00:10:09,733 immediately assault your eyes. 313 00:10:10,100 --> 00:10:12,366 This will pull in your Google Calendar 314 00:10:12,366 --> 00:10:13,933 or presumably on iOS, 315 00:10:13,966 --> 00:10:15,500 your iCloud Calendar events. 316 00:10:15,700 --> 00:10:16,799 It will also show other 317 00:10:16,799 --> 00:10:18,666 things like sunrise or sunset 318 00:10:18,666 --> 00:10:19,799 or reminders or alarms 319 00:10:19,799 --> 00:10:20,766 that you've set for yourself. 320 00:10:20,833 --> 00:10:22,100 It shows weather forecast 321 00:10:22,100 --> 00:10:23,433 for your location and more. 322 00:10:23,566 --> 00:10:25,166 Now I've asked the dev team 323 00:10:25,200 --> 00:10:27,833 to support CalDAV compatible calendars 324 00:10:27,966 --> 00:10:29,133 because I much prefer 325 00:10:29,166 --> 00:10:31,399 Proton or NextCloud over Google. 326 00:10:31,600 --> 00:10:32,733 And they said that that's actually 327 00:10:32,733 --> 00:10:34,200 a planned feature going forward. 328 00:10:34,566 --> 00:10:35,633 The home screen is 329 00:10:35,633 --> 00:10:36,966 your chosen watch face. 330 00:10:37,100 --> 00:10:38,833 You can select from a huge 331 00:10:38,833 --> 00:10:40,100 collection of watch faces 332 00:10:40,100 --> 00:10:41,466 on the repel store. 333 00:10:41,733 --> 00:10:42,733 And you can even add 334 00:10:42,733 --> 00:10:44,700 custom Pebble app repos. 335 00:10:44,833 --> 00:10:47,033 My favorite so far is TimeStyle, 336 00:10:47,299 --> 00:10:48,433 which has a gorgeous 337 00:10:48,433 --> 00:10:49,899 native feeling weight 338 00:10:50,066 --> 00:10:52,000 of presenting the current time, 339 00:10:52,000 --> 00:10:53,866 as well as a column of complications 340 00:10:54,166 --> 00:10:55,466 that can be fully customized. 341 00:10:55,899 --> 00:10:57,333 My personal setup from top to 342 00:10:57,333 --> 00:10:59,333 bottom has weather displayed, 343 00:10:59,333 --> 00:11:00,500 which shows the current 344 00:11:00,500 --> 00:11:01,600 conditions and temperature. 345 00:11:01,833 --> 00:11:03,200 I also have selected the 346 00:11:03,233 --> 00:11:04,399 step counter for the middle 347 00:11:04,666 --> 00:11:06,666 and the date for the bottom. 348 00:11:06,966 --> 00:11:08,133 Another really fun watch 349 00:11:08,133 --> 00:11:10,433 face is Royale by Evie Finch. 350 00:11:10,766 --> 00:11:12,933 It's a bit of a skeuomorphic design 351 00:11:12,966 --> 00:11:14,133 that resembles the Casio 352 00:11:14,133 --> 00:11:15,500 watches I mentioned earlier. 353 00:11:15,566 --> 00:11:17,466 It's a really fitting and fun throwback 354 00:11:17,466 --> 00:11:19,266 for this form factor specifically, 355 00:11:19,299 --> 00:11:20,566 but it also uses a bit more 356 00:11:20,566 --> 00:11:22,200 battery than the TimeStyle does. 357 00:11:22,433 --> 00:11:24,133 And it doesn't comport with the rest 358 00:11:24,133 --> 00:11:25,399 of the Pebble OS aesthetic. 359 00:11:25,533 --> 00:11:26,799 And me being who I am 360 00:11:26,799 --> 00:11:28,066 as a designer by trade, 361 00:11:28,299 --> 00:11:29,566 I'm sticking with the TimeStyle. 362 00:11:30,066 --> 00:11:31,166 I'd really like a 363 00:11:31,166 --> 00:11:32,733 stylish watch face though, 364 00:11:32,933 --> 00:11:34,566 something like TimeStyle that 365 00:11:34,566 --> 00:11:36,733 displays my blood glucose data. 366 00:11:37,266 --> 00:11:38,433 But all the ones that I 367 00:11:38,433 --> 00:11:40,066 could find in the app store 368 00:11:40,100 --> 00:11:42,200 rely on internet connectivity 369 00:11:42,500 --> 00:11:45,299 for some unbelievably asinine reason. 370 00:11:45,766 --> 00:11:48,233 The data is already on my phone 371 00:11:48,333 --> 00:11:50,299 in Android Health Connect locally. 372 00:11:50,433 --> 00:11:51,466 So why should the 373 00:11:51,466 --> 00:11:53,399 watch face have to log in 374 00:11:53,399 --> 00:11:55,833 as a Dexcom or Night Scout follower? 375 00:11:56,066 --> 00:11:58,133 That doesn't make any sense to me, 376 00:11:58,266 --> 00:11:59,566 especially since out here 377 00:11:59,566 --> 00:12:01,100 in rural Maine where I live, 378 00:12:01,500 --> 00:12:03,333 I lose connection all the time. 379 00:12:03,700 --> 00:12:06,000 Literally the biggest reason I wanna have 380 00:12:06,000 --> 00:12:08,266 my blood glucose data on my wrist 381 00:12:08,433 --> 00:12:10,666 is so I can check my blood sugar 382 00:12:10,666 --> 00:12:12,433 just at a glance while I'm driving. 383 00:12:12,733 --> 00:12:15,333 And yes, I side loaded X-Trip Plus's 384 00:12:15,333 --> 00:12:17,000 built in watch face for Pebble, 385 00:12:17,299 --> 00:12:19,733 but it just is too basic for my taste. 386 00:12:19,866 --> 00:12:20,833 It's not just the watch 387 00:12:20,833 --> 00:12:22,133 faces that are customizable. 388 00:12:22,299 --> 00:12:22,966 In fact, there are 389 00:12:22,966 --> 00:12:24,500 seemingly hundreds of settings 390 00:12:24,500 --> 00:12:25,566 that you can tweak to 391 00:12:25,566 --> 00:12:26,733 your heart's content. 392 00:12:26,899 --> 00:12:28,066 And a big one that I 393 00:12:28,066 --> 00:12:29,266 have found invaluable 394 00:12:29,466 --> 00:12:31,166 are the buttons that can be 395 00:12:31,166 --> 00:12:33,033 mapped to perform any action. 396 00:12:33,399 --> 00:12:36,966 Taps, holds, presses, hold combos. 397 00:12:37,133 --> 00:12:37,799 They can all be 398 00:12:37,799 --> 00:12:39,299 customized to launch an app 399 00:12:39,399 --> 00:12:40,600 or to trigger actions 400 00:12:40,733 --> 00:12:42,000 that will put your watch 401 00:12:42,000 --> 00:12:43,500 into quiet time, for example. 402 00:12:43,700 --> 00:12:44,566 Speaking of apps, 403 00:12:44,799 --> 00:12:46,500 installing apps is really simple. 404 00:12:46,600 --> 00:12:47,533 You just need to open up 405 00:12:47,533 --> 00:12:48,533 the Pebble Companion app 406 00:12:48,533 --> 00:12:50,466 on your phone and head into the store. 407 00:12:50,600 --> 00:12:52,799 There are a huge number of apps 408 00:12:52,799 --> 00:12:53,799 and I have found quite a 409 00:12:53,799 --> 00:12:55,200 few of them quite handy. 410 00:12:55,466 --> 00:12:57,133 For example, there's a guitar tuner, 411 00:12:57,633 --> 00:12:59,233 a medication tracker and 412 00:12:59,333 --> 00:13:01,333 indispensable apps like this, 413 00:13:01,600 --> 00:13:02,433 you know, something that 414 00:13:02,433 --> 00:13:03,766 Leslie Nielsen would love. 415 00:13:06,299 --> 00:13:08,233 One of my favorite features of Pebble OS 416 00:13:08,266 --> 00:13:09,600 is the music app. 417 00:13:09,799 --> 00:13:10,566 If you're listening 418 00:13:10,566 --> 00:13:12,066 to music on your phone 419 00:13:12,066 --> 00:13:13,166 or if you're like me 420 00:13:13,166 --> 00:13:14,399 and you have KDE Connect 421 00:13:14,399 --> 00:13:16,033 set up on your phone and 422 00:13:16,033 --> 00:13:17,366 it's connected to your desktop, 423 00:13:17,799 --> 00:13:19,000 when you're listening to music, 424 00:13:19,033 --> 00:13:21,766 you can play, pause, skip tracks 425 00:13:21,766 --> 00:13:24,666 and even adjust the volume on your phone. 426 00:13:24,966 --> 00:13:26,766 And the music app doesn't 427 00:13:26,766 --> 00:13:28,100 close until you quit it. 428 00:13:28,333 --> 00:13:30,333 So if you're out on a walk or a run 429 00:13:30,533 --> 00:13:31,700 and you don't wanna pull 430 00:13:31,700 --> 00:13:32,833 your phone out of your pocket, 431 00:13:33,066 --> 00:13:33,799 you can just press the 432 00:13:33,799 --> 00:13:34,933 middle button on your watch 433 00:13:35,100 --> 00:13:37,866 or up or down to skip forward or back. 434 00:13:38,399 --> 00:13:39,899 And what's really great about this 435 00:13:39,899 --> 00:13:40,700 is you don't even need 436 00:13:40,700 --> 00:13:42,266 to like be coordinated. 437 00:13:42,500 --> 00:13:43,600 You don't have to like find 438 00:13:43,600 --> 00:13:45,000 the play button and tap it 439 00:13:45,000 --> 00:13:46,533 because there is a touchscreen 440 00:13:46,566 --> 00:13:47,200 but that's not 441 00:13:47,200 --> 00:13:49,100 supported in the music app. 442 00:13:49,133 --> 00:13:50,200 You can just grab your 443 00:13:50,200 --> 00:13:51,666 wrist and hit the middle button. 444 00:13:51,933 --> 00:13:54,033 Why did we ever move away from buttons? 445 00:13:55,066 --> 00:13:55,899 All right, now it's 446 00:13:55,899 --> 00:13:57,733 time for a couple of gripes 447 00:13:57,733 --> 00:13:58,299 that I have with the 448 00:13:58,299 --> 00:14:00,600 device, namely notifications. 449 00:14:01,166 --> 00:14:03,166 Notifications will stay on your screen 450 00:14:03,200 --> 00:14:04,600 until you manually dismiss them. 451 00:14:04,766 --> 00:14:05,533 And I actually find 452 00:14:05,533 --> 00:14:06,666 that to be really cool. 453 00:14:06,766 --> 00:14:09,066 That's even true if you open your phone 454 00:14:09,066 --> 00:14:10,700 and dismiss the notification, 455 00:14:11,233 --> 00:14:13,566 which I find less intuitive. 456 00:14:14,033 --> 00:14:15,200 And that's my biggest 457 00:14:15,200 --> 00:14:16,566 bone to pick with Pebble OS. 458 00:14:16,833 --> 00:14:18,233 In fact, it's not just 459 00:14:18,266 --> 00:14:19,566 an active notification 460 00:14:19,566 --> 00:14:21,066 that's currently being displayed. 461 00:14:21,433 --> 00:14:23,566 All notifications stay in the 462 00:14:23,566 --> 00:14:25,700 notification app on your watch 463 00:14:25,799 --> 00:14:27,066 until they are manually 464 00:14:27,066 --> 00:14:28,700 cleared from your watch. 465 00:14:28,933 --> 00:14:30,700 What's even more puzzling is that 466 00:14:30,799 --> 00:14:32,700 if you select the open on 467 00:14:32,700 --> 00:14:34,399 phone option on your watch, 468 00:14:34,566 --> 00:14:36,366 it will open it on your phone 469 00:14:36,566 --> 00:14:37,266 and that will clear the 470 00:14:37,266 --> 00:14:38,866 notification on your phone 471 00:14:39,066 --> 00:14:41,799 and it will open the app on your phone. 472 00:14:42,333 --> 00:14:43,566 But it doesn't clear the 473 00:14:43,566 --> 00:14:46,066 notification from your watch. 474 00:14:46,200 --> 00:14:47,166 And not only that, 475 00:14:47,233 --> 00:14:48,100 it still lives in your 476 00:14:48,100 --> 00:14:49,233 notification history. 477 00:14:49,766 --> 00:14:51,500 Similarly, if you clear a 478 00:14:51,500 --> 00:14:52,899 notification on your phone, 479 00:14:53,166 --> 00:14:54,833 it stays on your watch. 480 00:14:55,200 --> 00:14:56,333 The notifications app on 481 00:14:56,333 --> 00:14:58,166 your watch acts as a log 482 00:14:58,200 --> 00:14:59,600 of all notifications 483 00:14:59,600 --> 00:15:00,899 that you have ever received 484 00:15:01,066 --> 00:15:03,433 since you last clicked cleared all. 485 00:15:03,733 --> 00:15:05,133 Personally, I find this 486 00:15:05,133 --> 00:15:07,466 behavior unintuitive at best 487 00:15:07,466 --> 00:15:09,700 and more importantly, undesirable. 488 00:15:09,833 --> 00:15:10,633 I mean, if someone 489 00:15:10,633 --> 00:15:11,799 gets a hold of your watch, 490 00:15:12,000 --> 00:15:13,233 they're gonna be able to read through 491 00:15:13,233 --> 00:15:15,233 at least one side of your conversations 492 00:15:15,266 --> 00:15:17,133 as far back as they exist. 493 00:15:17,799 --> 00:15:18,866 I dislike that. 494 00:15:19,500 --> 00:15:22,133 I wish the notifications app had a mode 495 00:15:22,333 --> 00:15:24,266 where notifications were just cleared 496 00:15:24,299 --> 00:15:26,100 when I dismissed them on my watch 497 00:15:26,333 --> 00:15:27,200 or when I interacted 498 00:15:27,200 --> 00:15:28,166 with them on my phone. 499 00:15:28,466 --> 00:15:29,566 Or at the very least, 500 00:15:29,799 --> 00:15:30,500 there was a way to 501 00:15:30,566 --> 00:15:32,266 automatically clear notifications 502 00:15:32,266 --> 00:15:33,466 after they became like 503 00:15:33,466 --> 00:15:34,899 10 minutes old, let's say. 504 00:15:35,666 --> 00:15:36,233 All right, let's talk 505 00:15:36,233 --> 00:15:37,233 about health tracking. 506 00:15:37,733 --> 00:15:39,333 I have a Fitbit Sense 2, 507 00:15:39,333 --> 00:15:41,966 and I have hated it since day one. 508 00:15:42,399 --> 00:15:45,399 It's ugly, it requires a Google account, 509 00:15:45,500 --> 00:15:46,933 it's artificially limited, 510 00:15:47,033 --> 00:15:48,833 and the screen was AMOLED, 511 00:15:48,833 --> 00:15:50,299 which is the opposite of 512 00:15:50,299 --> 00:15:51,833 healthy, as far as I'm concerned. 513 00:15:52,266 --> 00:15:54,966 So when the Pebble Time 2 was announced, 514 00:15:55,066 --> 00:15:56,466 with its sleep tracking, 515 00:15:56,466 --> 00:15:57,500 its heart rate monitor, 516 00:15:57,633 --> 00:15:59,100 six gyros and e-paper 517 00:15:59,100 --> 00:16:01,200 display, I was really excited. 518 00:16:01,333 --> 00:16:03,033 Admittedly, the Pebble Time 2 519 00:16:03,200 --> 00:16:05,200 isn't billed as a fitness tracker. 520 00:16:05,733 --> 00:16:07,166 Core Devices says that if 521 00:16:07,266 --> 00:16:08,633 you want a fitness tracker, 522 00:16:08,633 --> 00:16:10,166 you should buy a Garmin instead. 523 00:16:10,466 --> 00:16:11,466 I kind of love that 524 00:16:11,600 --> 00:16:14,500 self-effacing and realistic approach 525 00:16:14,500 --> 00:16:16,333 to talking about the product, 526 00:16:16,733 --> 00:16:19,000 but it's also got everything that I need 527 00:16:19,000 --> 00:16:20,033 for fitness tracking, 528 00:16:20,333 --> 00:16:21,866 while also having all 529 00:16:21,866 --> 00:16:23,166 the watchitude that I want. 530 00:16:23,566 --> 00:16:25,366 When I go for a run, I 531 00:16:25,399 --> 00:16:26,700 just hold the up button, 532 00:16:26,933 --> 00:16:29,066 which I have mapped to the run activity, 533 00:16:29,299 --> 00:16:30,833 and then I press the up 534 00:16:30,833 --> 00:16:32,233 button again to start it. 535 00:16:32,366 --> 00:16:33,833 It continuously tracks my 536 00:16:33,833 --> 00:16:35,366 heart rate, and I have a blast. 537 00:16:35,666 --> 00:16:37,566 I can then review my heart rate data 538 00:16:37,600 --> 00:16:39,333 in the health screen of the app. 539 00:16:39,433 --> 00:16:41,366 I can see my averages, whatever. 540 00:16:41,500 --> 00:16:43,200 Now you can see your biometrics 541 00:16:43,233 --> 00:16:46,333 on a daily, weekly, and monthly scale, 542 00:16:46,333 --> 00:16:47,899 and it's pretty neat in my book. 543 00:16:48,266 --> 00:16:49,399 You can also totally 544 00:16:49,399 --> 00:16:51,266 hide this tab in the app 545 00:16:51,266 --> 00:16:52,933 or turn off all of these features 546 00:16:53,000 --> 00:16:54,433 completely on your watch 547 00:16:54,533 --> 00:16:55,733 to save battery life if 548 00:16:55,733 --> 00:16:56,866 you don't want to use them. 549 00:16:56,899 --> 00:16:58,799 The flexibility here is amazing, 550 00:16:58,799 --> 00:17:00,299 and it's a refreshing throwback 551 00:17:00,433 --> 00:17:02,633 to the early 2010s approach to gadgetry, 552 00:17:02,966 --> 00:17:05,166 one that respects your autonomy 553 00:17:05,166 --> 00:17:05,766 and keeps you 554 00:17:05,799 --> 00:17:07,433 completely in the driver's seat. 555 00:17:07,566 --> 00:17:09,033 There's even an optional 556 00:17:09,033 --> 00:17:10,933 setting to sync this data 557 00:17:10,933 --> 00:17:12,200 with Android Health Connect, 558 00:17:12,200 --> 00:17:13,866 which is how I'm able to get this data 559 00:17:13,966 --> 00:17:15,433 into Home Assistant. 560 00:17:15,500 --> 00:17:16,633 Do note, though, that if 561 00:17:16,633 --> 00:17:17,933 you have the Google Fit app 562 00:17:17,933 --> 00:17:20,033 on your phone and you have the Health 563 00:17:20,033 --> 00:17:21,266 Connect option enabled 564 00:17:21,333 --> 00:17:22,666 in the Pebble app, 565 00:17:22,933 --> 00:17:23,966 these biometrics will 566 00:17:23,966 --> 00:17:25,500 probably be uploaded to Google, 567 00:17:25,666 --> 00:17:26,633 and they, meaning 568 00:17:26,633 --> 00:17:28,333 Google, will in all likelihood 569 00:17:28,500 --> 00:17:30,066 violate HIPAA and use 570 00:17:30,066 --> 00:17:31,333 these data to target you 571 00:17:31,333 --> 00:17:32,766 with malicious advertisements. 572 00:17:32,833 --> 00:17:35,133 Now keep in mind that as with all 573 00:17:35,133 --> 00:17:36,433 consumer health gadgets, 574 00:17:36,533 --> 00:17:38,500 there's no guarantee that the pedometer, 575 00:17:38,633 --> 00:17:39,233 the heart rate 576 00:17:39,233 --> 00:17:40,700 monitor, or the sleep tracker 577 00:17:40,700 --> 00:17:41,733 will have any degree 578 00:17:41,733 --> 00:17:43,099 of accuracy whatsoever. 579 00:17:43,200 --> 00:17:44,533 For what it's worth, these 580 00:17:44,533 --> 00:17:46,366 numbers are mostly in line 581 00:17:46,500 --> 00:17:48,733 with what my Fitbit Sense 2 was saying, 582 00:17:48,933 --> 00:17:50,833 though, again, there's no guarantee 583 00:17:50,833 --> 00:17:51,833 that the Fitbit Sense 584 00:17:51,833 --> 00:17:53,433 2 was any good either. 585 00:17:53,566 --> 00:17:55,666 I just find them to be more broad strokes 586 00:17:55,666 --> 00:17:56,933 that help keep me motivated. 587 00:17:57,233 --> 00:17:58,433 Plus, I can do fun home 588 00:17:58,433 --> 00:17:59,733 automation things with my data, 589 00:17:59,733 --> 00:18:00,933 which is kind of the whole 590 00:18:00,933 --> 00:18:02,466 point of all of this for me. 591 00:18:02,966 --> 00:18:04,633 So the Pebble Time 2 592 00:18:05,133 --> 00:18:06,500 is an open source watch 593 00:18:06,533 --> 00:18:08,366 that is standards compliant, 594 00:18:08,500 --> 00:18:09,933 and it leaves me 100% in 595 00:18:09,933 --> 00:18:11,066 charge of my experience 596 00:18:11,299 --> 00:18:12,233 with this device. 597 00:18:12,366 --> 00:18:13,733 That immediately sets 598 00:18:13,733 --> 00:18:14,933 the Pebble Time 2 apart 599 00:18:14,933 --> 00:18:16,400 from all of its competition. 600 00:18:16,599 --> 00:18:18,400 To me, it's best in class. 601 00:18:18,866 --> 00:18:20,066 The e-paper display is 602 00:18:20,066 --> 00:18:21,266 more energy efficient, 603 00:18:21,433 --> 00:18:23,133 not to mention healthier to look at. 604 00:18:23,533 --> 00:18:25,933 The companion app is 100% open source. 605 00:18:25,966 --> 00:18:28,799 The operating system is 100% open source. 606 00:18:29,033 --> 00:18:30,566 The community is amazing. 607 00:18:30,733 --> 00:18:32,766 The device is just fun to use. 608 00:18:33,333 --> 00:18:34,466 The Pebble Time 2 is 609 00:18:34,466 --> 00:18:35,900 the most gadgety gadget 610 00:18:35,966 --> 00:18:38,133 the market has seen in ages. 611 00:18:38,433 --> 00:18:39,900 It's not trying to sell your watch's 612 00:18:39,900 --> 00:18:41,366 screen to advertisers. 613 00:18:41,599 --> 00:18:42,366 It's not looking to 614 00:18:42,433 --> 00:18:44,266 exfiltrate your health information 615 00:18:44,266 --> 00:18:45,866 and weaponize it against your mind. 616 00:18:46,200 --> 00:18:48,566 It's not trying to make you addicted 617 00:18:48,566 --> 00:18:49,466 to a never-ending 618 00:18:49,466 --> 00:18:50,966 feed of algorithmic slop. 619 00:18:51,266 --> 00:18:52,433 It's not trying to sap 620 00:18:52,433 --> 00:18:53,966 your attention with rage bait. 621 00:18:54,266 --> 00:18:57,033 It's just a watch that gives you control. 622 00:18:57,299 --> 00:18:59,799 It puts the smart back in smartwatch. 623 00:19:00,099 --> 00:19:02,099 The king is back, and it's here to stay. 624 00:19:02,599 --> 00:19:03,533 But the question is, 625 00:19:03,933 --> 00:19:05,433 will the Luddite consumers 626 00:19:05,433 --> 00:19:06,900 who want something that just 627 00:19:06,900 --> 00:19:08,866 works see the value in this, 628 00:19:08,900 --> 00:19:10,533 or will the display feel too 629 00:19:10,566 --> 00:19:12,366 dated for consumers' tastes? 630 00:19:13,000 --> 00:19:14,533 Given the pace of development 631 00:19:14,533 --> 00:19:15,200 and the relative 632 00:19:15,200 --> 00:19:17,733 affordability of the new Pebble devices, 633 00:19:17,933 --> 00:19:19,299 I'm hopeful, though 634 00:19:19,299 --> 00:19:20,633 it is still admittedly 635 00:19:20,633 --> 00:19:22,000 a small batch product. 636 00:19:22,200 --> 00:19:23,500 We just need to make sure that there are 637 00:19:23,500 --> 00:19:24,533 resources available, 638 00:19:24,566 --> 00:19:26,466 like my website, The Bryant Review, 639 00:19:26,733 --> 00:19:28,133 to help people have more 640 00:19:28,133 --> 00:19:29,500 fun with their devices again 641 00:19:29,733 --> 00:19:31,633 and reclaim their digital autonomy. 642 00:19:33,033 --> 00:19:34,666 (upbeat music)