Pebble Time Round

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EDIT: Mod, please move or delete. As I suspected, there was a forum for these watches and I simply missed it on first glance. Thank you.

It doesn't seem like the Pebble watches get a lot of talk on these forums....that is unless I'm missing the topics and I apologize if that is the case. The new round watch has me very intrigued....

https://blog.getpebble.com/2015/09/23/timeround/

https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...y-pebble-time-round-smartwatch&token=CaYTAYBz

 

[srkmagnus]

I really like this design - simple yet elegant. Do you plan on picking one up?

 

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I really like this design - simple yet elegant. Do you plan on picking one up?

I do actually. I just came across these yesterday for the first time. I was following the time steel fairly closely when it dropped a few months ago. I was even going to jump in on the Kickstarter but decided to wait so that I can see in person first. I'm glad I did. I prefer this design. It's similar to the Moto 360 style-wise, but has what I prefer...a much thinner frame and design. The new 360 was still too big for my taste. I'm going to keep researching the watch and may pick up the cognac band with silver frame when it is released. I will certainly report back if/when I do grab one.

 

[srkmagnus]

Awesome! Let us know what you think!

 

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I did order the one as pictured above. Currently says backordered, but I'm hoping it ships soon. Pebble gives 30 days to evaluate so I'll report back. Can't wait to receive it!

Also, received 10% off after I was prompted to sign up for an email list. No tax or shipping, total cost was $225. Not bad. Was about to pull the trigger on the full price.

Posted via the Android Central App on my Moto X Pure

 

[jeffreytz]

So black Pebble Time Round arrived Monday, I got it set up with my Blackberry Priv last night but I also received my Kairos MSW115 mechanical smartwatch at the same time so it won out to be today's test watch

I have nearly all the Pebbles; the original, the Steel (black), and Time Steel (2X Champion Edition) and now the Time Round. I like them due to their long battery life and I particularly like the Time's new software, but my underlying problem with all Pebble watches is the screens are just too small, I have a hard time reading the details in poor lighting without putting on my reading glasses. My "daily driver" smartwatch is the 2015 Moto 360, both because I like the design and it's bright, large text is easy to read in indoor/office lighting. I don't have large wrists, but I do tend to gravitate towards larger watches; I like the Moto 360 46mm size especially because it's almost all screen.

The few observations I can make about the Time Round so far:

1. It really looks tiny compared to every other watch I own (smart or "dumb"). It's super thin which continues to make it look toy like when coupled with that large bezel. Pebble really needs to bite the bullet and make a 40mm+ screen sized watch and support two platforms of screen sizes.

2. It's incredibly thin - it might be the thinnest watch I own. It's really comfortable to wear with the leather strap, you'll hardly notice its there.

3. The backlight's max setting seems brighter than the Time Steel. Might be a function of the round design, maybe Pebble upgraded it, or maybe I just imagined it - I'll know more when I wear for a couple of days (probably starting tomorrow).

4. I can't wait for the metal band to arrive - it should make the entire watch look more substantial. The leather is nice, but makes it look like a $10 swatch knock-off.

5. I tried a couple of round-specific watch faces and they look good, better than the square Time faces.

Like I said, I'll be wearing it for a few days straight probably starting tomorrow to see what I think. I already know what the "Time" experience is like from my Time Steel, so it will really be a function of the physical watch itself being enough with the Timeline software to replace my Moto 360.

 

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Nice review Jeffrey. Thank you. This will be my 1st smartwatch, and the first watch I have worn in years. I normally do not like wearing anything on my wrists, that is why i could never come to a compromise with all of the larger watches out there. I thought the new 42mm Moto 360 was finally going to be the one, but the size (depth) of the case has kept me from pulling the trigger. I tried it on a few times and just couldn't do it. I wanted something smaller and lighter, and the PTR finally seems like it may be the one. Since it will be my 1st smartwatch, i won't miss any of the features offered on Android wear or on the Apple watch, because I never had them anyway. I'm hopeful the form and function of the PTR will be what I was waiting for in a smartwatch. Now, if it will just ship already that would be great!

 

[jeffreytz]

OK so I've worn my Pebble Time Round exclusively this weekend. There's a lot to like about it, so thin and light, and the buttons are really responsive. I also like the cartoony UI and animations, they're fun. However I'm a little shocked how quick the battery dies - this thing is in the range of my 2nd gen Moto 360, meaning it lasts about 18 hours or so the way I have it setup (8 second back light, "blinding" brightness setting). I took it off the charger at 9 am this morning and it's now at 10% 14 hours later (granted, I've been playing with it a lot today trying to find a watch face I like). I've dialed back the backlight brightness to "high" and 5 seconds duration to see if that makes much of a difference.

As I said before, its small and with the leather strap looks like a toy. I think it will actually look pretty good with a metal band (which I've ordered, but since I still don't have my metal band that was supposed to come with my Pebble Time Steel yet I'm not holding my breath for the Round metal band to show up in the next 6 to 8 weeks).

It took a while to find a round watch face I actually like. Most are pretty plain. The one I settled on is the "Edge" by Kiezel Watchfaces. It looks pretty simple, but its actually very elegant and I like that I can have the weather temperature and the date displayed. TimeStyle by Freakified is also nice, but I prefer the "analog" function of the minute indicator on the Edge.

That said, none of these watch faces can hold a candle to the beautifully detailed ones you get with Android Wear on the Moto 360. Some of the new ones by thema are stunning, and most are interactive in a way the Pebble never can be.

Since I bounce between my personal Priv phone and my Droid Turbo 2 work phone during the week, my Moto 360 is paired to the Turbo for use during the week and the Pebble to the Priv for the weekends. If Android Wear could get its act together and let you pair a watch to two different devices I probably wouldn't use the Pebble at all.

The screen of the Pebble Time Round needs to be larger in diameter and dramatically increase its resolution so it doesn't look like an 8-bit throwback. Pebble has a lot of good ideas on the software side and things like checking in on Swarm, adjusting my Nest thermostats and setting timers work great. It's fast, responsive, and never seems to bog down. But when it comes to watches, I need them to look great. When the Pebble was the only thing on the market (the MetaWatch sadly never really competed) it could get away with this display. Now that Motorola and the other Android Wear manufacturers have made devices that can last an entire day with "always on" ambient displays, the Pebble's low-res tech just doesn't cut it.