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Comment by alkonaut | Hacker News Reader

I have asked this before in various contexts but never got a good answer - why are smart watches so smart (but in return clumsy, expensive, power hungry etc)?

I don't need another smartphone I might need a companion device. It should just display a few things from my phone, e.g display navigation, notifications. My phone already has a big arm CPU and a GPS receiver, I don't want to carry another one!

It should cost peanuts and have weeks of battery.

Do these exist? If not, why? Because they can't be made? Because no one apart from me wants one?

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The closest the industry came to what you're describing, unfortunately, was Pebble. They were cheap (IIRC the OG Pebble was around $99); while they didn't last _multiple_ weeks you could get 7-10 days out of a charge depending on model.

I use my Pebble Time Steel pretty much exactly how you're describing; to glance at the time, weather, and notifications, so I can keep my phone on silent in my pocket.

Apparently nobody except you and I want that, though :(

I'd want it to have the kind of integration and polish that e.g Apple could pull off if it was their product. I think it could be a thing, especially if it could work reasonably well on its own (watch, fitness features etc).

I can't agree more. I use mine for the same reasons. I'm hoping the remaining pebbles will drop in price so I can buy them all up.

Agreed. For me the appeal of a smart watch would be to minimize the amount of times I actually have to take out my phone, which is always a potential distraction. Smart watches are interesting to me if they reflect a trend towards more limited devices that help instead of hindering focus---rather than so many devices that do everything...

Pebble existed for a while, and it was basically what you ask for. There weren't really enough buyers.

I'm looking for the exact opposite. I don't need two devices to read my notifications. Make the watch a phone replacement or just don't bother me! I think the fitness enthusiasts are happy enough with a fitness band with basic/core fitness apps.

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