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Comment by jbob2000 | Hacker News Reader

jbob2000

Everyone who wasn't wearing rose-tinted glasses knew this. Even when the pebble came out, I was skeptical. What can you do with an interface and battery that small?

It's too awkward to hold your arm out for the amount of time needed to meaningfully interact with it. They're big and clunky on small wrists, and the screen is way too small for people with big fingers. For the price you pay for one, you can get a really nice designer watch, which isn't limited by the lifetime of lithium-ion batteries.

It's just a silly gimmick, but so many people have buyer's remorse about it, that they forced themselves into the habit of using it.

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I don't think my pebble time is a gimmick. Not having to fumble through my bag to pull out my phone on every other notification or to check the time makes the pebble worth it. It's not a gimmick, it's a time saver.

I also no longer have notification noises on, I just have a thing on my wrist that vibrates. Again, a not insignificant quality of life improvement.

If I used iOS instead of Android I'd probably have an Apple Watch instead of a PT, since that works better with that platform.

I don't really care about smart watches being a platform for apps. Maybe that has stalled, but it doesn't matter to me. I haven't found a single app for the PT I think is useful. It doesn't mean I don't find my PT useful. If I lost it today, I'd order another one without hesitation.

> Not having to fumble through my bag to pull out my phone on every other notification or to check the time makes the pebble worth it.

How many notifications do you receive that it would come out to be worth it? Seems like cutting down on the notifications would yield a higher return than spending money on a pebble time, or any other smartwatch.

I carefully manage notifications. Notifications that buzz actually require my immediate attention: slack notifications, texts from my wife, important emails.

Perhaps this is where you and I differ, but I can honestly say there is no notification I have received in the last week, even month, that required my immediate attention. Every single one could have waited 5-10 minutes until I was able to pull out my phone. And my phone is generally on the desk in front of me, so I can see the notifications anyways.

I have to ask, what are you doing that it is so important for you to see the notifications immediately? I just have a hard time imagining what notification is so important that you need something vibrating on your wrist to tell you of it.

Speaking as a person who goes to a lot of meetings, having the right notifications on my wrist are great. I am rarely late for meetings now, and I can keep track of key events while sitting in those meetings. A look at my wrist is much more subtle than a look at my phone.

I don't need to check notifications right away - but I like to. It's definitely a personal preference and nowhere near a necessity. This is why I don't see smartwatches becoming as universal as smartphones.

For me, it's not about notifications being so urgent. It's about convenience. I definitely do get very important notifications sometimes, but probably very few that need to be responded to faster than 5-10 minutes.

The thing is that I never have to even remember to check. That's why it's so convenient. I've completely eliminated "check phone for notifications" from my mental to-do list. That's a task I simply never have to do again. That might not count for much for you, but in my case I like just being able to place my phone down, forget about it for potentially hours, and still not have to worry about missing anything.

Well then clearly you have no need of one while he does. Can't both situations be valid?

As other commenters have noted, this seems like hyperbole. But on the off chance this is true, it really sounds like you need a vacation. HN is a little culty at times, but I'd suggest a long look in the mirror or a good mai tai session on a beach. Get back to you and what is really important to you, we only have so much time on this planet, and responding to every email is likely not going to be on your highlights reel

For the price you pay for one, you can get a really nice designer watch

To flip around, you mean for all the money I pay for that designer watch, all it does is tell time? Hell, I've got my phone for that. An expensive device that takes up space on my wrist just to tell time in a world full of clocks is just a silly gimmick, but so many people have buyer's remorse about it, that they forced themselves into the habit of using it.

Of course, I don't believe any of that. Different strokes and all, and if folks want to blow cash on time-telling jewelry that can't even tell me what the weather is tomorrow, more power to them.

Signed, happy Pebble Time owner

> It's just a silly gimmick

I think expectations are to high and it has a low ceiling in terms of potential. Apple shouldn't have gotten into this market for years to come but the pressure from investors forced them.

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