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Comment by djsumdog | Hacker News Reader

I still have the first gen Pebble Steel and I really like it. The display gets a little funky sometimes, but it's held up.

The problem with their model is they kept pushing newer watches. I'm fine with my black and white Pebble. It does everything I want. I mean the new ones look nice. I'd get one if I didn't have one already. I still like the design of the original Steel over most of the newer watches as well.

I hope it lasts several more years. They made a great product, and I'm glad they didn't depend on planned obsolescence like the cellphone manufactures that have left us in this Android mess. I wish that model wasn't required for growth.

They should had found some other means to support the company while keeping the wearables as just one of a larger line of products or services. Even something totally unrelated like professional grade home routers or garden watering systems or some other IoT crap.

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"They should had found some other means to support the company while keeping the wearables as just one of a larger line of products or services."

Misfit tried this (beddit for sleep tracking, and smart lighting). They still got acquired by fossil (though for 240m)

The fix is identical to the OG Pebble. Contact them first and they might replace it -- but you'll still have the same issue.

1. Turn off your OG Pebble

2. Remove the rear panel, either with the proper screwdriver or a small precision flathead

3. Gently lift up the panel and move it to the side. The vibration is glued to this panel, so go slowly. You do not have to remove the vibration piece.

4. Cut two small pieces of paper to fit the side of the pebble with the board exposed. Cut a space for the wiring, then slip it in.

5. Reassemble the Pebble

6. Turn it on.

I did that, and it worked for a while, but then the issues were back something like a month later. Adding more padding causes the back panel not to close properly so that's not an option. I'm stuck with the display getting weird every once in a while now(replacement is not an option, the watch is almost 4 years old at this point).

contact them anyway. Before I discovered this fix, I had one replaced.

Its worth a shot. They'll give you a case number and ask you to take a photo of the screen tearing along with your case number. Pretty standard.

agreed, nephew got his pebble steel replaced no questions for serious screen issues. I have minor screen issues occasionally though have had mine for a couple of years. Might try for a replacement. Might they send me a fitbit now instead..?

Contact them. When you get the new one, try the fix above on the old one to see if you can get it fixed.

I'm concerned about this acquisition. The few people I know with Fitbits have had nothing but trouble with them.

It took significant fighting (my original Pebble was 6 days out of warranty), but they replaced mine too, since it was doing some terrible screen tearing. I've purchase the Kickstarter Time 2, so hopefully it won't have the same issues (screen tearing is so prevalent for users of Pebble Classic, it's kind of amazing that it hasn't turned into a bigger issue).

You probably tried this already, but for reference there is an easy fix for the screen issue which seems to work for most. Google "Pebble display fix", takes 5 minutes max.

Yeah, the original steel is the nicest watch they've made. Some of the new ones are nice, but not as nice.

Ditto on first gen Pebble, unfortuantely my battery is starting to wear after 2 years and once was 7 days, to only 3 days.

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