As you may be aware I am some what of a gadget / technology geek! So it won’t come to much of a surprise that the latest update to the ADORED website is a gadget.
One of the most annoying things about owning a smart watch is the fact that you find yourself constantly checking it for updates, so this next gadget is an absolute godsend for me. Gentlemen I give you the wonderful Pebble watch. Pebble was originally part of the Kickstarter program which basically asked people for donations to get a project created in return for some benefits, in fact it had a staggering $10,266,845 pledged to get the project off the ground and running.
I was toying with the idea of a smart watch for some considerable time but was largely put off by 3 main factors 2 of which Pebble eliminated anyway, they where
Price – at just under $100 (£63) at the time of purchase for the 1st edition plastic case / rubber strap edition although it is available in various different case covers but which in my opinion is the perfect edition to see if you like Pebble or it performs for you. There is a more upmarket POSH Pebble Steel edition that really does look the part especially if you’re a watch connoisseur, although this edition does retail at the princely sum of $199 (£126) which is till reasonable to be honest. There is a BUT though these prices don’t include UK VAT which I got stung for when it arrived as Royal Mail took it on themselves to pay and then add on there pound of flesh before delivering the said item, so be warned.
Compatibility – Pebble connected to your device through Bluetooth 4.0 and is both IOS & Android friendly so this was an absolute box ticker for me as I currently use IOS 8.1.1 on my IPhone 5s but as I am due for an upgrade next year I wanted a smart watch that I would be able to use if I changed OS when I updated, in addition to this I also have an android tablet but I don’t really use it that much as I find myself constantly being drawn to using my IPhone.
IWatch – I waited eagerly for Apple’s Keynote speech in 2014 for an announcement on the IWatch as this was what I really wanted my 1st smart watch to be but when the important part about price $349 (£223) was announced this immediately priced me out as I wasn’t willing to pay that much for essentially a 1st edition gadget that if previous apple new product launches are anything to go by this will be hampered by numerous technical difficulties, so its wise to wait a while A) for the price to be slashed B) all technical difficulties ironed out by then ( hopefully). As you have probably guessed this is the one factor that pebble couldn’t tick the box for.
So the pebble what does it do and how? Pebble is really a smart watch it allows the user to receive text messages, phone calls, emails, and virtually any update you receive on you phone directly to your wrist via a subtle vibration that wont disturb anyone else meaning you never have to take your phone out of your pocket anymore!. Pebble also works well with third party apps and if your on Android apparently you can send generic reply’s but unfortunately this isn’t possible on IOS unless your phone is jailbroken and you purchase the Smartphone + app through cydia, I haven’t yet tried this but I plan too purchase it through Cydia. Pebble is totally customizable to which absolutely loads of brilliant watch faces and apps that make it more than just a notification receiver, for instance you can get apps to check the weather, football news / scores, fitness apps, transport apps, & many more cool apps. Pebble is also customizable in terms of skins and straps especially as the strap is a standard 22mm watch strap held in place by a spring bar so there are millions of various customizations you can do if you’re adventurous.
Weighing in at 38g the Pebble boasts a 1.26” 144 x 168 pixel e-paper white display very much like the Amazon Kindles so although pebble feels like and old 70’s / 80’s Casio digital watch the display actually works very well, this aside I can defiantly see a market for a colour display version in the near future. Its also uses a brilliant magnetic USB Charger that when the Lithium – ion polymer battery that when fully charged supplies the watch with upto 7 days (depending on amount of notification you receive) but I have to admit this can be a little annoying as on the original watch this can be dislodged very easily but apparently this is addressed on the Pebble Steel. Pebble uses its own app store that can be downloaded through ITunes & Google Play that has plenty of things to keep Pebble current and interesting. Pebble is also water resistant of upto 50m but I haven’t tried this out yet as I have never really trusted these promises on my loved tech and
So in a nut shell I have had my Pebble for a few weeks and so far I cant imagine life without one now they are absolutely brilliant in fact I am not sure that I would WANT another smart watch now I have had a Pebble but if anyone wants to buy me an IWatch (hint hint apple) I will gladly use it and review its functionality.
There are plenty of video’s on YOU TUBE for you to check out plus countless sites about pebble, below is the link to the main Pebble site.
Get Pebble
One of the most annoying things about owning a smart watch is the fact that you find yourself constantly checking it for updates, so this next gadget is an absolute godsend for me. Gentlemen I give you the wonderful Pebble watch. Pebble was originally part of the Kickstarter program which basically asked people for donations to get a project created in return for some benefits, in fact it had a staggering $10,266,845 pledged to get the project off the ground and running.
I was toying with the idea of a smart watch for some considerable time but was largely put off by 3 main factors 2 of which Pebble eliminated anyway, they where
Price – at just under $100 (£63) at the time of purchase for the 1st edition plastic case / rubber strap edition although it is available in various different case covers but which in my opinion is the perfect edition to see if you like Pebble or it performs for you. There is a more upmarket POSH Pebble Steel edition that really does look the part especially if you’re a watch connoisseur, although this edition does retail at the princely sum of $199 (£126) which is till reasonable to be honest. There is a BUT though these prices don’t include UK VAT which I got stung for when it arrived as Royal Mail took it on themselves to pay and then add on there pound of flesh before delivering the said item, so be warned.
Compatibility – Pebble connected to your device through Bluetooth 4.0 and is both IOS & Android friendly so this was an absolute box ticker for me as I currently use IOS 8.1.1 on my IPhone 5s but as I am due for an upgrade next year I wanted a smart watch that I would be able to use if I changed OS when I updated, in addition to this I also have an android tablet but I don’t really use it that much as I find myself constantly being drawn to using my IPhone.
IWatch – I waited eagerly for Apple’s Keynote speech in 2014 for an announcement on the IWatch as this was what I really wanted my 1st smart watch to be but when the important part about price $349 (£223) was announced this immediately priced me out as I wasn’t willing to pay that much for essentially a 1st edition gadget that if previous apple new product launches are anything to go by this will be hampered by numerous technical difficulties, so its wise to wait a while A) for the price to be slashed B) all technical difficulties ironed out by then ( hopefully). As you have probably guessed this is the one factor that pebble couldn’t tick the box for.
So the pebble what does it do and how? Pebble is really a smart watch it allows the user to receive text messages, phone calls, emails, and virtually any update you receive on you phone directly to your wrist via a subtle vibration that wont disturb anyone else meaning you never have to take your phone out of your pocket anymore!. Pebble also works well with third party apps and if your on Android apparently you can send generic reply’s but unfortunately this isn’t possible on IOS unless your phone is jailbroken and you purchase the Smartphone + app through cydia, I haven’t yet tried this but I plan too purchase it through Cydia. Pebble is totally customizable to which absolutely loads of brilliant watch faces and apps that make it more than just a notification receiver, for instance you can get apps to check the weather, football news / scores, fitness apps, transport apps, & many more cool apps. Pebble is also customizable in terms of skins and straps especially as the strap is a standard 22mm watch strap held in place by a spring bar so there are millions of various customizations you can do if you’re adventurous.
Weighing in at 38g the Pebble boasts a 1.26” 144 x 168 pixel e-paper white display very much like the Amazon Kindles so although pebble feels like and old 70’s / 80’s Casio digital watch the display actually works very well, this aside I can defiantly see a market for a colour display version in the near future. Its also uses a brilliant magnetic USB Charger that when the Lithium – ion polymer battery that when fully charged supplies the watch with upto 7 days (depending on amount of notification you receive) but I have to admit this can be a little annoying as on the original watch this can be dislodged very easily but apparently this is addressed on the Pebble Steel. Pebble uses its own app store that can be downloaded through ITunes & Google Play that has plenty of things to keep Pebble current and interesting. Pebble is also water resistant of upto 50m but I haven’t tried this out yet as I have never really trusted these promises on my loved tech and
So in a nut shell I have had my Pebble for a few weeks and so far I cant imagine life without one now they are absolutely brilliant in fact I am not sure that I would WANT another smart watch now I have had a Pebble but if anyone wants to buy me an IWatch (hint hint apple) I will gladly use it and review its functionality.
There are plenty of video’s on YOU TUBE for you to check out plus countless sites about pebble, below is the link to the main Pebble site.
Get Pebble