Enterprise Communications

I Did Need a Smart Watch

by Colin Berkshire

Colin here, and you may recall that I previously bought and returned an Apple Watch. The Apple Watch experience was terrible.

I now have a “Pebble Time” watch. The Pebble Time is the newest smart watch from Pebble, just released. When I got it I was prepared to return it, too. But I like it.

I didn’t know what I wanted my smart watch to do until I got the Pebble Time. Now I know. Here is what I found my needs were:

  1. Show me the time, all the time, easily, without having to do some magic wrist flip. Just be a decent, readily visible watch. (Apple Watch fails this.)
  2. Show me the time when I am outside, in the sun. I need to know the time anytime. (Apple Watch fails this.)
  3. Buzz my wrist when something happens, so I can be as silent as possible.
  4. Show me the title and starting text of eMails and text messages, so I can decide if I want to pull my phone out of my pocket.
  5. Show me who is calling so I can decide if I want to pull my phone out of my pocket.

This is what I need. I don’t need anything more. The Apple Watch couldn’t do the first two things on this list, and those were the most important things a watch should do. You can’t read it in the sun and it was difficult for me to make it show me anything. The Pebble Time displays the time all the time, without doing anything. It looks like a watch and acts like a watch.

I also like that the pebble time runs for about three days between charges (but definitely not the advertised seven days!) and it charges in about an hour.

For a lot of people, a smart watch needs to be basic and simple. Apple created the “Windows of Watches.”

The wearable is available for pre-order starting today for $200 through Best Buy in the US and in Pebble’s online store if you live outside of the States.