cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/19284817
Iβd love a successor to Pebble which doesnβt require an account. There are a number of options, but my issue is that most require creating an account with vendor, and app integration with - no doubt - copiuos data harvesting and reselling. Many are absurdly expensive.
There are several cheap options on Alibaba.
Goodreader.com lists a number of expensive e-ink watches, some of which look quite nice.
But Iβve got my eye on Watchy (github, old review); it was introduced a couple of years ago and is still being updated. Itβs also available from a couple of vendors, including preassembled through Amazon.
my eye on Watchy
Have one after the Pebble, let me know if you have questions.
let me know if you have questions.
I have all the questions. Iβm peripherally aware of ESP32; my experience with it, and its capabilities, is severely limited, and IME interface changes require recompiling and re-flashing things. Many of my questions stem from that ignorance.
- Integration support. I assume GadgetBridge on Android is how youβd do it? Or is there another app?
- How is the battery life IRL?
- What does the watch face & app space look like? The FAQ mentions a βgalleryβ, and instructions for contributions describe the github PR process. Is the gallery just the list of watch faces on the sqfmi website?
- Whatβs the process for changing faces, and installing additional functionality? From the docs, it looks as if this must be done over a serial cable, despite the device having WiFi capability. I assume thatβs because adding faces is basically re-flashing the firmware, which is not supported over wireless? So, to get a new face, you clone the repo, compile a new firmware, and flash the device over a serial cable?
- The FAQ verbiage is confusing regarding the display technology, but I think itβs saying the display isnβt reflective LCD like the Pebble.
- Can you have multiple faces on the device, or do you have to re-flash it to change the face? The FAQ says the face is the entire firmware, implying only one face on the device at a time.
- If youβre part of the community: have there been any discussions about future development to add, e.g. health monitor hardware?
- Is there any integration with a phone, such as notifications? This is sort of the GadgetBridge question, but more about what integrations - if any - are supported. Vibrate on phone ringing? Quick responses to texts? Phone calls over the watch - yeah, I know itβs not that advanced, but for example.
- Whatβs your opinion of the device? Do you use it as a daily driver?
At under $70, Iβm not expecting much, but itβd be nice to know what you expect. The sqfmi site is pretty sparse on details. If thereβs an additional, deeper FAQ or Wiki, a link to that would be great.
Thanks!
- Iβm not using that
- about a week
- itβs indeed like the gallery
- yes, you need to compile the firmware and flash it over USB. The first time is a tricky but then it takes just few minutes
- strangers have said it looked like actual paper. Itβs extremely readible
- indeed itβs one face per firmwareβ¦ but assuming there is enough space, you could imagine modifying it in order to have more faces
- for now I just briefly chat on Discord to get the basics going as I was one of the very first to have the new ESP S3, cf https://github.com/sqfmi/Watchy/issues/252
- cf 1 but I bet there is, I was thinking of changing the WiFi HTTP server to possibly send data to HomeAssistant but I didnβt explore that yet
- itβs my daily driver, itβs a HUGE thing but it works and often sparks interesting conversations, I like it
Happy to clarify a bit more if need be.
I had an Amazfit BIP for a while that had a color e-paper display with a battery that lasted over 30 days. I think they have since gone OLED but one cool thing about it was, while they had their own app with a login, I could alternatively sync it directly with a third party app on Android that was called βNotify And Fitnessβ. I only mention it because within this particular app the info never left the device. Perhaps there is something similar today, but I have since just given in and gone Garmin.
Tried https://bangle.js? Loving mine so far. Edit: my bad https://banglejs.com/
3-4 days easy. Thatβs with turning on all the gps/heartrate/iOS sync functions tho. Turning off the gps and heart rate monitor and Iβm sure I could get 7 days easy, and turning fewer notifications I have no doubt itβs go 2weeks.
My bad itβs actually https://banglejs.com/
