Pebble Watch Face: Predator

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Very recently, the Pebble SDK was made available to the public. Several watch faces have been popping up on the Pebble forum, and I myself threw together a very simple one based on the wrist computers used by the Predators from the Predator movies.

Predator Wrist Computer

My version looks slightly less intimidating…

Pebble Watch Face Predator

All that it took to cook that up was a bit of modification of some preexisting C code. It is a 24hr-clock with the first row corresponding to hours and the second row to minutes. The symbols are just replacements for the standard numeral system and correspond as outlined here:

I plan on making improvements to it as time goes on. Currently, it is available here.

Using a Binder Clip as a Wallet

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Wallet

Recently it came to my attention that my wallet was full of a bunch of junk. Rewards cards I’ve never used, expired gift cards, and business cards that were close to becoming dust. Then I stumbled upon this video:

The video is a bit long, but the idea is great. One binder clip, which costs maybe a few cents, can serve as a replacement for your expensive wallet. It also motivated me enough to actually get rid of my unused cards and other items I had in my possession at all times even though I never needed them.

Pebble Watch Initial Impression

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Pebble

I recently received a Pebble smartwatch in the mail yesterday after quite a long wait. The development time for this product took longer than everyone anticipated, and when I finally had the watch in my hands, I could only think, “well, it’s about time”. To be fair, I have never been involved the mass manufacture of a prototype product, so who am I to complain? In this past day of use, I can say that I am genuinely impressed by it, but still have some minor concerns.

The build quality overall is good. The buttons however, are somewhat annoying. Pressing them requires a bit more force than you would expect, making navigating the phones built-in options more challenging than it should be. There were most likely considerations to be taken to make the phone meet its waterproof specification, but even so, this makes them feel incredibly cheap. Another thing that makes this watch feel like something you got out of a cereal box is the rubber wristband. Fortunately, this can be replaced by a 22mm watchband that you may come across. The e-paper screen does deserve some praise for its clarity, and it does live up to this even under direct light.

The built-in software on the watch is very basic in its functionality. As of the current firmware, v1.9.0, you can set an alarm, select a few watchfaces, tweak settings, and control your music (which is incredibly handy). This functionality is expanded upon by the Pebble watchapp store; however, with it still being very early in this product’s market life, there are only a few apps around. I can only expect there to be many more in due time, especially given that the Pebble SDK has not yet been released to the general public.

Using the watch was enjoyable with my Android phone. Having texts, calls, email, and IMs sent to the watch got rid of the hassle of pulling out my phone  to see what was going on. Music control was nice to use as well, and I’m sure there will be several scenarios in which it will come in handy. This is the first smartwatch I have owned, so the feeling was a bit of a novelty. I did not run into any glitches, battery problems, or any other problems for that matter. The watch also does a pretty good job at, well, being a watch.

While not perfect, Pebble is a piece of tech that is a great accessory for a smartphone. The functionality may be basic now, but with the data it can access from its paired phone, the possibilities for new software features are endless. Once the SDK is made available, it will be interesting to see the things people create.

Minimalism

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Image credit goes to http://meeish.deviantart.com/

“The things you own end up owning you.”

-Tyler Durden (Fight Club, 1999)

Throughout the course of our lives we amass an array of items that become not only just things we own, but things that fundamentally define who we are. These things can be a burden even though at one point in time they may have been useful. They are the items that stacked up in the closet, they are the clutter that got moved into the garage, and they are the things that do nothing but add unnecessary concern.

It may not even be apparent that just having many things is a bad thing. Out of sight, out of mind. That’s the default mentality. It gets the job done,  it can get you through life. But you may find yourself dreading cleaning out that closet or that garage. Perhaps when you travel, you feel as though you forgot something as you vigorously tear through seven suitcases.

Life is simple. We as humans create the complexities. We construct the realities that consume us.