I can't help be feel like this is already ewaste, destined for the same landfill grave as countless RabbitMQs and Humane Pins that came before. A few reasons I feel this way: It's expensive, $75...
I can't help be feel like this is already ewaste, destined for the same landfill grave as countless RabbitMQs and Humane Pins that came before. A few reasons I feel this way:
It's expensive, $75 is way too much for plastic with a button and a mic. $100 is insane.
It's a single use, disposable piece of tech. Sure it'll last a year or so, then it's garbage.
It's less functional then any other smart ring out there. Heck, the functionality it DOES provide could have been done directly on the Pebble itself or with the programmable button on iPhones.
Talking into your ring is not a social norm.
Warranty is only 30 days, seems like they aren't too confident on the quality.
Uses LLMs (even if local).
It feels like the target audience of people interested in Pebble watches and those that would be interested in disposable tech that uses LLMs are very different, which means targeting a completely new segment by a company that isn't a well known name.
I was actually fairly interested in it towards the beginning of the pitch as I find myself, multiple times a week (sometimes multiple times a day), where I think up something as I'm falling asleep...
I was actually fairly interested in it towards the beginning of the pitch as I find myself, multiple times a week (sometimes multiple times a day), where I think up something as I'm falling asleep or driving or at a meeting etc. But most of the time it's inconvenient for me to write or speak it into my phone, and I don't wear a smart watch.
It would be very handy for me to just push a button on a screenless, silent device, quietly make a note, and done. I'd happily pay $75 even if it is pennies worth of parts if it worked well and was durable.
The thing that instantly killed it was when they mentioned that at the end of its life, you send it to them to recycle. Hell nah. You could have so easily made it wirelessly chargeable, even if you quartered the battery life to do so. It'd charge in a matter of a few minutes. Immediately lost all interest.
I may be in the minority who would find it useful but even for me, if you are making a dead simple product, it needs to last. I'm the type to enjoy an old work truck with manual locks, windows, rubber floor, no a/c, because they are meant to last for a billion years of hard work. I miss products that just work and never die. This type of product is a prime candidate to bring that back a little.
Funny enough, I actually use a Palm Pilot Tungsten T3 in my day to day to solve the exact use case of the Index 01. It has a dedicated button that you press and hold to instantly start recording a...
I miss products that just work and never die.
Funny enough, I actually use a Palm Pilot Tungsten T3 in my day to day to solve the exact use case of the Index 01. It has a dedicated button that you press and hold to instantly start recording a voice memo. Great for ideas or noting todos that pop into my head before bed, no need to look at the screen. 22 years old and it the device works perfectly.
To me this is the opposite expectation I'd have for a product like this. I could be wrong but I doubt that button would last a lifetime if its used as much as one would expect for someone who...
To me this is the opposite expectation I'd have for a product like this. I could be wrong but I doubt that button would last a lifetime if its used as much as one would expect for someone who would buy this. And the explanation for why it doesn't have an option to charge makes sense, and if the battery had to be cut substantially to make room for charging circuitry then it just becomes another annoying device that requires charging upkeep on too frequent a basis and then becomes useless too often as you forget to charge them. There's already way too many products that people might use that all need charged on too frequent of a basis that they're incredibly annoying to use if you acquire too many of them.
As for sending it back to them to recycle, if this was cheap and easy enough to do, that seems like a fairly solid compromise. I'd assume it may require some kind of special packing/labeling or such to ship it back since it still has a battery in it but I don't know the rules on that.
Mouse button switches are rated in the millions of clicks, even if I used it 100 times a day, every day, it would last my lifetime. They say the battery should last multiple years, so even if it...
Mouse button switches are rated in the millions of clicks, even if I used it 100 times a day, every day, it would last my lifetime. They say the battery should last multiple years, so even if it were quartered, at worst it'd last 6 months before needing a charge. Hardly an inconvenience imo
I wasn't just figuring the switch itself but also the silicon cover on the button from repeated wear. I'd assume it being a ring that it would get a lot of fidgeting wear, but perhaps since...
I wasn't just figuring the switch itself but also the silicon cover on the button from repeated wear. I'd assume it being a ring that it would get a lot of fidgeting wear, but perhaps since pressing the button would cause recordings to happen it may dissuade people from fidgeting with it.
They compared this ring to the Oura which they claimed has to be charged every couple days. Maybe they made that comparison just to make the single use option seem more favorable, or perhaps it's not realistic to achieve the same design and integrate the charging circuit and keep even 1/4th of the battery. Perhaps it would be substantially less than that, I don't know. I'd agree with you that 1/4 of the battery and the charging interval for that wouldn't be nearly as bad, but that's not the comparison they made for what the drawback would be if they integrated a charging circuit.
I think it's a bit disingenuous to call it disposable tech at this point. Eric mentioned that when configured to be just a programmable button (versus a recording device) the battery should last...
I think it's a bit disingenuous to call it disposable tech at this point. Eric mentioned that when configured to be just a programmable button (versus a recording device) the battery should last well over a decade. And when it dies it's still a ring and probably a decent fidget if it's as clicky as described. There's also no risk of the battery swelling and getting stuck on your finger like what recently happened with the Samsung ones
How is it disingenuous? It literally is disposable tech. I don't know how you can argue otherwise. You can't replace the battery; it's designed to be just thrown out after a few years maximum. If...
How is it disingenuous? It literally is disposable tech. I don't know how you can argue otherwise. You can't replace the battery; it's designed to be just thrown out after a few years maximum. If it dies it's still a ring isn't an argument that it's not disposable. If my car dies it doesn't suddenly become still an attractive driveway decoration. It no longer serves the function I bought it to do.
I would potentially be interested in a disposable voice memo ring for 30 bucks or so. 100 dollars doesn't seem worth it for me to temporarily solve the problem of taking my phone out of my pocket when I want to remember something.
Nearly everything is disposable depending on how you frame it, this one is actually up front about it. I wouldn't say it's disingenuous to call it disposable because it very much is disposable,...
Nearly everything is disposable depending on how you frame it, this one is actually up front about it. I wouldn't say it's disingenuous to call it disposable because it very much is disposable, but I also don't see why it should be scrutinized too much different than other products of similar category as I think many of them are treated as disposable and just aren't acknowledged for that being their likely future in the vast majority of cases. This is just based on my observation of other people and how I've seen them treat products so it's strictly my opinion from personal experience.
I think if Pebble wants more credit for offering to recycle it they should have put more emphasis in what they are doing to make it easy for people to do so, otherwise it could come across like a throwaway empty gesture while knowing most people won't bother to actually do it. Like estimated costs to ship it back or if they're providing prepaid mailers or such, while that wouldn't likely address human behavior or tendency for some to just throw it in the trash compared to sending it back to recycle it, I'd consider it the least amount of effort they could have put into the announcement of such a product.
In the product category, as in wearable tech, I'd agree that basically everything is disposable, but that's not true of all tech. I have 30 year old speakers that still sound great, and barring...
In the product category, as in wearable tech, I'd agree that basically everything is disposable, but that's not true of all tech. I have 30 year old speakers that still sound great, and barring any accidents as long as they're cared for, should still sound great for the rest of my life.
I have an IBM model M keyboard that I've used almost every day for the past 15 years. It's older than I am; built in 1985.
I think it would be hard to make a wearable ring that's not disposable, but it wouldn't be impossible. That's also a big reason why I don't have a smart ring, or wireless earbuds, or anything like that. The idea that you're going to pay 100 dollars or more for something that will absolutely just stop functioning one day in a few years just really rubs me the wrong way.
I can't help be feel like this is already ewaste, destined for the same landfill grave as countless RabbitMQs and Humane Pins that came before. A few reasons I feel this way:
It feels like the target audience of people interested in Pebble watches and those that would be interested in disposable tech that uses LLMs are very different, which means targeting a completely new segment by a company that isn't a well known name.
I was actually fairly interested in it towards the beginning of the pitch as I find myself, multiple times a week (sometimes multiple times a day), where I think up something as I'm falling asleep or driving or at a meeting etc. But most of the time it's inconvenient for me to write or speak it into my phone, and I don't wear a smart watch.
It would be very handy for me to just push a button on a screenless, silent device, quietly make a note, and done. I'd happily pay $75 even if it is pennies worth of parts if it worked well and was durable.
The thing that instantly killed it was when they mentioned that at the end of its life, you send it to them to recycle. Hell nah. You could have so easily made it wirelessly chargeable, even if you quartered the battery life to do so. It'd charge in a matter of a few minutes. Immediately lost all interest.
I may be in the minority who would find it useful but even for me, if you are making a dead simple product, it needs to last. I'm the type to enjoy an old work truck with manual locks, windows, rubber floor, no a/c, because they are meant to last for a billion years of hard work. I miss products that just work and never die. This type of product is a prime candidate to bring that back a little.
Funny enough, I actually use a Palm Pilot Tungsten T3 in my day to day to solve the exact use case of the Index 01. It has a dedicated button that you press and hold to instantly start recording a voice memo. Great for ideas or noting todos that pop into my head before bed, no need to look at the screen. 22 years old and it the device works perfectly.
To me this is the opposite expectation I'd have for a product like this. I could be wrong but I doubt that button would last a lifetime if its used as much as one would expect for someone who would buy this. And the explanation for why it doesn't have an option to charge makes sense, and if the battery had to be cut substantially to make room for charging circuitry then it just becomes another annoying device that requires charging upkeep on too frequent a basis and then becomes useless too often as you forget to charge them. There's already way too many products that people might use that all need charged on too frequent of a basis that they're incredibly annoying to use if you acquire too many of them.
As for sending it back to them to recycle, if this was cheap and easy enough to do, that seems like a fairly solid compromise. I'd assume it may require some kind of special packing/labeling or such to ship it back since it still has a battery in it but I don't know the rules on that.
Mouse button switches are rated in the millions of clicks, even if I used it 100 times a day, every day, it would last my lifetime. They say the battery should last multiple years, so even if it were quartered, at worst it'd last 6 months before needing a charge. Hardly an inconvenience imo
I wasn't just figuring the switch itself but also the silicon cover on the button from repeated wear. I'd assume it being a ring that it would get a lot of fidgeting wear, but perhaps since pressing the button would cause recordings to happen it may dissuade people from fidgeting with it.
They compared this ring to the Oura which they claimed has to be charged every couple days. Maybe they made that comparison just to make the single use option seem more favorable, or perhaps it's not realistic to achieve the same design and integrate the charging circuit and keep even 1/4th of the battery. Perhaps it would be substantially less than that, I don't know. I'd agree with you that 1/4 of the battery and the charging interval for that wouldn't be nearly as bad, but that's not the comparison they made for what the drawback would be if they integrated a charging circuit.
I think it's a bit disingenuous to call it disposable tech at this point. Eric mentioned that when configured to be just a programmable button (versus a recording device) the battery should last well over a decade. And when it dies it's still a ring and probably a decent fidget if it's as clicky as described. There's also no risk of the battery swelling and getting stuck on your finger like what recently happened with the Samsung ones
How is it disingenuous? It literally is disposable tech. I don't know how you can argue otherwise. You can't replace the battery; it's designed to be just thrown out after a few years maximum. If it dies it's still a ring isn't an argument that it's not disposable. If my car dies it doesn't suddenly become still an attractive driveway decoration. It no longer serves the function I bought it to do.
I would potentially be interested in a disposable voice memo ring for 30 bucks or so. 100 dollars doesn't seem worth it for me to temporarily solve the problem of taking my phone out of my pocket when I want to remember something.
Nearly everything is disposable depending on how you frame it, this one is actually up front about it. I wouldn't say it's disingenuous to call it disposable because it very much is disposable, but I also don't see why it should be scrutinized too much different than other products of similar category as I think many of them are treated as disposable and just aren't acknowledged for that being their likely future in the vast majority of cases. This is just based on my observation of other people and how I've seen them treat products so it's strictly my opinion from personal experience.
I think if Pebble wants more credit for offering to recycle it they should have put more emphasis in what they are doing to make it easy for people to do so, otherwise it could come across like a throwaway empty gesture while knowing most people won't bother to actually do it. Like estimated costs to ship it back or if they're providing prepaid mailers or such, while that wouldn't likely address human behavior or tendency for some to just throw it in the trash compared to sending it back to recycle it, I'd consider it the least amount of effort they could have put into the announcement of such a product.
In the product category, as in wearable tech, I'd agree that basically everything is disposable, but that's not true of all tech. I have 30 year old speakers that still sound great, and barring any accidents as long as they're cared for, should still sound great for the rest of my life.
I have an IBM model M keyboard that I've used almost every day for the past 15 years. It's older than I am; built in 1985.
I think it would be hard to make a wearable ring that's not disposable, but it wouldn't be impossible. That's also a big reason why I don't have a smart ring, or wireless earbuds, or anything like that. The idea that you're going to pay 100 dollars or more for something that will absolutely just stop functioning one day in a few years just really rubs me the wrong way.