this post was submitted on 27 Jan 2025
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The Pebble smartwatch is making a comeback. Google has open-sourced the Pebble software, which means anyone — including Pebble’s founder — can make one. (www.theverge.com)
submitted 3 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/25280992

Google agreed to release Pebble OS to the public. As of Monday, all the Pebble firmware is available on GitHub, and Migicovsky is starting a company to pick up where he left off.

The company — which can’t be named Pebble because Google still owns that — doesn’t have a name yet. For now, Migicovsky is hosting a waitlist and news signup at a website called RePebble. Later this year, once the company has a name and access to all that Pebble software, the plan is to start shipping new wearables that look, feel, and work like the Pebbles of old.

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[–] [email protected] 145 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (6 children)

Dude, Migicovsky fucked it up once and already wants back in? He sold the Pebble company and fucked almost all the workers on the way out. They were promised their jobs, that their jobs would be part of the deal. At the last minute they find out, nope, Migicovsky signed off on the deal that left them all without jobs. He walked away with a fat stack of cash.

Then the idiot spun up Beeper and hacked his way into the iMessage system with a workaround which Apple them promptly blocked within a few days. People were paying for this service. What was Migicovsky's plan? None, he gave up after Apple blocked them once.

Further, Beeper is just a re-skinned Matrix client with the Beeper company hosting the open source bridges between services, which means they have always had some weirdly serious access to the chats they're helping you compile all in one place. Initially you basically had to give them way too much control over your Apple account to use the iMessage stuff since they had to have a fleet of Macs for each iMessage user they were supporting.

I'm sorry. I don't care how good it was. Don't let Migicovsky take your money and mismanage it again.

Why do people keep giving this guy good graces when he fucked over his own devs on the way out and didn't even have a plan on how to keep his iMessage system working for paying customers?

Please stop letting this guy fuck up and walk away with the money.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I'm aware that pine64 sells a smart watch that they encourage flashing your own OS onto. I wonder how hard it'd be to just port the pebble code onto that hardware (a lot harder than I just made it sound, no doubt.) It could be a good way to get a pebble-like experience for people who prefer not to support this guys new company.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 days ago

I've sadly never seen this, thank you!

[–] [email protected] 20 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Thank you for this perspective. It is against reminder of how sad it is to be a part of something as an Engineer, or even as a janitor so long as it wasn't a contracted out company, where those above make way to save themselves while the workers who made everything get left with nothing or another round of a resume update. The workers should get the sold profits, not just the executive parts. They sometimes don't even get the ethics and degrees that allow you to understand the work.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 3 days ago

None, he gave up after Apple blocked them once.

There were actually a couple attempts, but it's kinda in Apple's hands... I think he was hoping he could generate enough public outcry to force them to not block it. You can also still access it now, if you have your own mac.

Further, Beeper is just a re-skinned Matrix client with the Beeper company hosting the open source bridges between services

It's their own client, not just reskinned, and it has a bunch of new features designed to make cross-service nice and simple. Also, the bridges ARE open-source, but the beeper company wrote a few of them and decided to open source them.

Don't let Migicovsky take your money and mismanage it again.

He refunded everyone who bought a subscription when Apple blocked it. Beeper main is also free.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I'm hoping someone else comes up with a better open source service

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Than matrix? Me, too. It's so complex, cumbersome, and full of half-functional clients.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Thankfully someone invented xmpp omemo way back in the day.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 days ago

XMPP is a mess as well.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 days ago

I wasn't interested in one at the time so I didn't know any of this, I thought they just stopped making watches. I've been reconsidering getting one and probably wouldn't have looked into the history of each company so I appreciate the rant.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 days ago

Having been in company at sales time my self, I can tell you that management will say all sorts of things. But once the sale completes the new owners can do anything, that could be drop all the staff.

I my self also loved the pebble, till it all died. I did try repebble. But the android app was way past it then.

My hope is that the mobile apps get a much needed update, then all the working watches get a firmware update. If that happens, I might have to get my working watch out and setup.

[–] [email protected] 44 points 3 days ago (2 children)

I just want a watch that can read text messages and has a long battery life. The Pebble and Pebble 2 fit that bill for me.

Until the buttons fell of the Pebble 2.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

My gramin instinct fits this description. Mine is 1st gen and if I didn't use it for gps activity tracking the battery would probably last 2 weeks. Think I've had it for 4 years now.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (3 children)

Wait you had a Pebble 2? Most people never received them because the company went under and canceled orders before they officially got released.

Are you sure you’re not thinking of Steel, Time or Round?

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 days ago

Pebble 2 was released in "HR" and "SE" models. You're thinking of the Pebble Time Steel 2.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 days ago

Yeah, I was one of the backers. I got it about the same week the company went under.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 days ago

I also had a pebble 2 hr, even had two because I bought another one off eBay (unopened box). 3d printed some buttons and used is for many years until the battery basically died, and the software started to show it's age. Notifications became unreliable and such things, making it kinda pointless.

Still want nothing more than for it to work properly again. It's easy enough to swap the battery, now with the ability to fix the software, there might be a point to it.

[–] [email protected] 33 points 3 days ago (1 children)

The pebble time is still the best Smart Watch I've ever owned. Perfect with notifications, good battery life, easy controls, beautifully efficient e-paper screen. Can't wait to see what they do now!

[–] [email protected] 10 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I think it was something like reflective LCD and not epaper, that's what allowed it to have a fast refresh rate but still use very little power. I'm still surprised I haven't seen much tech using that type of screen.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I've made many posts on many platforms wondering the same thing, especially for something like a watch that you want to be always on. Sure, amoled exists, but isn't e-paper much better for that use case?

I'm even daily driving an e-paper android tablet for notes and reading and it's awesome. A charge lasts me over a week with heavy use.

Also, not entirely sure of the exact tech for the original pebble, was it TFT? The RePebble site linked by OP talks about e-paper but maybe that's just what they want going forward

[–] [email protected] 10 points 3 days ago

It was a Sharp "Memory LCD".

https://sharpdevices.com/memory-lcd/

Basically "visible memory storage".

You treat it as addressable memory and write into it, and it will hold that state using about 15 microwatts to do so.

You can still buy the display modules , there's a few boards that let you easily drive them with arduinos and etc.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 3 days ago

Saddest thing ever that it got killed in the first place

[–] [email protected] 14 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

!!!!!!!!

I hope they make one I can make calls from without a phone I tried to switch to smartwatch-only late last year but even the Samsung watch couldn't handle that.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

There are LTE Samsung watches, you can use them for calls without your phone around, what are you talking about?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

It could barely make calls. It can make calls as a party trick but you can't really access your contacts book in an easily usable way, you can't start new text conversations, and you can't view your full calendar and you definitely can't add events. I don't need much for a watch to replace my phone but I do need it to call and text well and I need to be able to access my calendar. It's very clear that those devices are designed and intended to add more tracking and monitoring and dopamine hooks on top of your phone, not to replace it with a less intrusive alternative. It was actually fairly frustrating.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Well, on a screen so small, you'd always be limited in what can be shown. I definitely can add events to my Calendar on Galaxy Watch 6 though, the problem is if I'd ever want to do it from the watch or check them on it. I use it for reminders and notifications checking mostly, personally.

Maybe it's way more usable with Bixby or other voice assistants, but I'm really put off by the privacy and battery-draining aspects of those.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

I liked my Pebble. I'm curious what they do with modern hardware. I'd love something repairable.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 3 days ago

This is interesting timing! I was considering trading in my Pebble Time, since Samsung was running one of their "trade in any smartwatch, any condition" deals. But I couldn't do it. I found myself reconnecting the watch and setting it up to connect to the third party Rebble servers and putting apps on it like the old days. It's remarkable how well this device aged, and its interface is still so much more fun and endearing than anything WearOS can offer. So I wish them the best!

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 days ago

To this day, I've yet to find a smartwatch that I like using and find as useful versus my former Pebble and Pebble 2. Those were the days, I guess.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 days ago (1 children)

What I'm most looking forward to on a new Pebble:

  • Battery life. With the battery and cpu efficiency improvements in the last 10 years, if the features and other specs stay the same then battery life should be incredible. I think month-long battery is likely possible.
  • Improved voice recognition and AI features. Pebble had voice recognition but it sent everything to a server to process. Now they could run speech-to-text on the watch itself or on the connected phone.
  • More durable buttons. A known issue with the Pebble 2 is eventually the buttons turn to mush.
[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 days ago

My AmazFit Bip could do a month when it was new (it's down to ~10 days now after a few years), so I would think a month from Pebble would be feasible.

I don't understand using a watch that you can't use for AT LEAST a weekend without power ... as it is, I'm pissed off that I'm down to 10 days (it's stayed steady here for 6 months or so, so, I'm hoping it won't degrade too much more before the new Pebble comes out).

[–] Omega_Jimes 6 points 3 days ago

I still have my pebble time, and it's still my favorite smartwatch os.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 days ago

I'm beyond stoked for this. I might even still have a Pebble Time Steel hanging around. So glad to see it back!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 days ago

My pebble time is sitting in the bottom of a box exactly where I left it the second the company went under. :(

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 days ago

God dman it. I just bought a Galaxy Fit last Sunday.