Two new PebbleOS watches

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Positioning & Purpose

  • New watches are framed as “Pebble reborn”: simple, long‑battery smartwatches focused on notifications, time, light health tracking, and hackability, not on competing head‑on with Apple/Garmin as full sports watches.
  • Target audience is explicitly niche: enthusiasts, developers, people who liked the original Pebble “ethos” (purpose‑built, low‑friction, always‑on display).

Hardware Features & Omissions

  • Core 2 Duo: monochrome memory‑LCD, plastic case, compass + barometer, no heart‑rate, no NFC, no GPS, “standard Pebble” pogo‑pin charger, 30fps screen, July ship.
  • Core Time 2: larger 64‑color reflective LCD, metal case, heart‑rate sensor, speaker/mic, but no compass/barometer, December ship.
  • Lack of NFC and GPS is a recurring complaint, especially from runners and people used to watch payments; others point out that phones can provide GPS and payments for many use cases.
  • No LTE, no wireless charging; proprietary magnetic cable but very long battery life is expected to reduce cable pain.
  • Some concern about comfort and sleep tracking with the HR sensor “bump”.

Openness, Hacking & Ecosystem

  • Firmware will be open; same BLE protocol as legacy Pebbles, so Gadgetbridge and existing tools should “just work”.
  • Existing open companion app (Cobble); new open library planned for others to build apps.
  • Old Pebble SDK, docs and appstore (Rebble) remain relevant; updated SDK and better docs are promised.
  • Thread/Zigbee/802.15.4 support is theoretically possible via the nRF52840 but not planned; community is encouraged to experiment.
  • Clarification that the current GitHub firmware repo description is outdated; aim is to make it actually buildable.

Design, Naming & Form Factors

  • Strong split on aesthetics: some love the retro/Casio‑like, “fun” look; others find Core Time 2 bulky or “step back” versus Pebble Time Steel/Round and want slimmer, round or more “timeless” cases.
  • Many requests for a future Pebble Time Round‑style model; hints that it’s plausible but not this year.
  • The “Core 2 Duo” name is widely debated: some find it funny and nostalgic, others see trademark risk with Intel and poor searchability.

Price, Warranty & Business Risk

  • Prices ($149 / $225) are seen by some as high relative to cheap Amazfit/BangleJS‑type devices, and by others as reasonable given low volumes and inflation vs 2015 Pebbles.
  • One‑year warranty and explicit refusal to promise cheap “at‑cost” replacements spur concern from users wary of hardware failing just after coverage.
  • Tariff clause (customer may owe more if import duties spike) deters some international buyers; others appreciate the transparency but prefer to wait.

Comparisons & Use Cases

  • Compared against Apple Watch, Garmin, Amazfit, BangleJS, etc.:
    • Pebble‑style strengths: battery life, always‑on reflective display, physical buttons, hackability, open ecosystem.
    • Weaknesses: no GPS, no NFC, no advanced fitness metrics, iOS limitations due to Apple’s APIs.
  • Use‑case split:
    • Fans: notifications triage, media control, simple fitness (steps, sleep, HR), open experimentation, diabetic CGM display, minimalist/less‑phone lifestyles.
    • Skeptics: for serious sports or rich health analytics they still prefer Garmin/Apple; some feel 2025 alternatives are more capable for less money.

Health, Data & Privacy

  • Strong interest in open access to health data (steps, HR, sleep) and bulk export; frustration with other vendors’ lock‑in (e.g., processed “sleep phase” data).
  • Questions about HR accuracy and suitability for HRV; earlier Pebble HR API only exposed ~1 Hz data.
  • Some want fully offline or de‑Googled/GrapheneOS‑friendly setups, ideally with no cloud dependency; consensus is that openness plus Android makes this feasible, but iOS remains constrained.

Community Sentiment & Nostalgia

  • Many long‑time Pebble users are enthusiastic, pre‑ordering to “support the cause” and keep the ecosystem alive.
  • A minority is openly distrustful due to how the original company shut down, and others are simply nostalgic but conclude they don’t truly need a smartwatch anymore.