Review: Pebble Smart Watch

Buy Pebble Smartwatch at Amazon

I really should have done this review a long time ago, but today's review is on the Pebble Smartwatch. The Pebble Smartwatch is one of the most well-known Kickstarter campaign success stories which met it's $100,000 goal within 2 hours. There was (and still is) a high demand for smart watches.

What's unique about this little smart watch is it's e-ink display which requires less power to run than a smart watch with a full color LCD display. The battery's life is advertised to last for "7+ days." When it first came out, it retailed for $249, but as of the time of the review is now $99. Let's take a look at what this little smart watch has to offer.

Features and Specs
Before we get down to the nitty-gritty, let's take a look at the features and specs of the pebble watch.

• Screen - 1.26" e-Ink display at 144 x 168 px
• Other Hardware: backlight, accelerometer, magnetometer, ambient light sensors, and vibrating motor for feed back and notifications.
• Pebble SDK for third party apps and clock faces
• Water resistant

Software

Pebble connects with both Apple and Android phones (sorry Windows) with a corresponding Pebble app. For this review, we'll be using the iOS app for iPhone. This is where you manage everything with your pebble from notifications, clock faces and apps. Actually the software is extremely intuitive, easy to use, and looks really nice.

Once you've paired Pebble with your phone, you're all set up to receive notifications from SMS, e-mail, and phone calls. The watch does not have a speaker, but you're able to accept and deny calls quickly, something I didn't realize would be as handy as it actually is.

With advanced notifications, you can setup any app that does notifications to show up on your watch. You have to have a second bluetooth connection (which get's setup automatically from the app) which requires the App to be open to use. I found this to be hit or miss with connections dropping occasionally on the advanced notifications, not to mention that I would inadvertently close the app when I am closing all my apps or restarting my phone.

Sometimes I'm surprised at what actually shows up, for instance, the Amazon iPhone app sends a notification when a package has been delivered and shows up on my watch. Pretty cool.

The software updates are handled through the app which will automatically check and update your phones software. The process is pretty painless.

Pebble Store

One of the big selling points is third party apps and custom watch faces. There are eight storage slots which can be filled with watch faces and/or apps. As far as I could tell, all apps and watch faces are free. I did notice that there were come direct links to PayPal to essentially tip the developer.

There are a lot of third party app options including fitness trackers, games, remotes, notes, stocks, store gift cards with QR, scores, news, and more. Though I found that really any of the useful apps would require a companion app on the phone which is kind of inconvenient, but it's understandable given the Pebble's limitations, especially for fitness tracking.

Selecting new watch faces is half the fun of the Pebble. There are thousands of watch faces to choose from. Some of them also show weather, date, and other useful (or not) information. I found that some watch faces drain the battery much quicker than other apps, especially the ones with animations or changes every second. The way e-Ink works is that when the screen is idle, there is minimal power draw and en the screen transitions is where most of the power draw occurs. If you want longer lasting charges, opt for the ones that change on the minute.

Day-to-Day Use

The Pebble has been an overall very positive experience. I love the customizations to make it feel more personal. I have found the seven day charge to be mostly true (depending on your watch face) and that charging once a week to not be that big of a deal. It would be cool if we could eventually hit the one month mark with it, though batteries still have a ways to go still for that to happen.

The notifications are extremely handy. Yes, you could read all of these on your phone, but there are situations where it is nice to just take a quick glance at your watch to decide if it's urgent enough to deal with from the phone. Again, it falls into the #FWP category, but I found it to be less rude checking the notification on my watch than it would be to pull my phone out of my pocket in a meeting at work.

Really, the Pebble is a great value, especially now at $99 at the time of this writing. It's simple, it's fun to use, easy to see, and useful.

Review: Tech Armor Retina Shield Blue Light Filter for iPad Mini with Retina Display

Buy for iPad Mini at Amazon
Buy for iPad Air at Amazon

Like many of you, I use my phone or tablet on a daily basis. Getting the screen covered is crucial to keep the device in pristine shape to handle regular use. Really, you want to protect your hard earned purchase. Well, Tech Armor makes an interesting proposition to protect something else, your eyes. Here are there claims they make regarding this particular screen protector:

• Works with iPad Mini and iPad Mini with Retina Display

• Filters harmful Blue Light from phones and tablets which may damage your eyes and make it more difficult to achieve fast, peaceful sleep

• Ideal for children and adults

• Promotes healthy melatonin levels for better sleep AND protects from digital eye strain

Now, I am by no means an expert on these claims so I can only review them from experience over time, which is why this review will be done in two parts. The first portion will be everything that can be reviewed on the first day of use while the second will be to review of the effects of the blue light filter. All I can say is, I do use my iPad pretty much every night before bed.

Ease of Use and Application
One thing I have really come to like about the Tech Armor screen protectors is their ease of application. The instructions that come with it are clear and the same as seen on other Tech Armor screen protectors. I will also direct you to their helpful video for those who have not applied screen protectors, which can be found here:

http://www.techarmor.com/how-to-install.html

I highly recommend you watch it if you have not done this before, especially since this pack only comes with one screen protector. I would rather there be at least two protectors included, just in case of a slip up. Fortunately, I have done enough of these and have the best luck in applying Tech Armor screen protectors that I got it right on the first try.

Look and Feel
Before I applied the screen protector, I did notice there was a slightly darker tint to it than the HD Clear, but that's not a bad thing, it's just an observation. I can say that there is no perceptible change in the overall look once I had it on than that of the HD Clear or with no screen protector.

The feel is very much the same as the HD Clear screen protector I reviewed from Tech Armor in the sense that I do not even know it's there.

Package contents.

Blue Light Filtering
This is really at the heart of this particular screen protector. Again, I am not an optics expert so testing this out quantifiably is rather difficult, so I did the best with what I had. The first day into it, I realized very quickly that in order for this to be effective I would have to minimize my time with my other electronics: laptop, other tablets (yes, more than one), my phone, PS Vita, television, and even the LED lighting in my house. So, my challenge was to try and just use the iPad which proved to be more difficult than I care to admit.

There are other variables that come in to play with my sleep patterns: my wife, my kids, my dog, my day at work, etc. So basing how well I slept on my iPad use really is next to impossible to quantify.

With that said, I did have one of my better weeks of sleep in a while. Whether or not that was the blue light filter technology, or that my kids and wife have been sleeping better is the reason is hard to say. I guess I can say that I don't feet like it impeded my sleep any.

Bottom Line
If you are a heavy electronics user, especially before bed, it may not hurt to grab one of these. I would suggest you go all in however and get a blue light filter for each of your devices if you need to go this route.

Something to keep in mind is no-hassle Tech Armor Lifetime Warranty. I luckily haven't had the need to exercise this, but if you are having problems with your screen saver they will send you another. Really, it sounds like you can't go wrong here, especially if you're having troubles installing it.

A good measure for me is whether I can tell if the screen protector is there or not and again, Tech Armor does very well here. I would recommend these to someone who uses their iPad heavily before bed and may have trouble sleeping. Though I may not be able to perceive it doesn't mean someone else wouldn't, this is still a reasonably priced and high quality screen protector so you can't go wrong really.

Upcoming Reviews...

Adonit Jot Script Evernote Edition

Let's just say I am really excited to try this one and will be getting it in a few days. I also want to point out that I will be reviewing this on the iPad mini with retina display (which I haven't found a review that does yet). Should be interesting to compare with the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 I had for a while.

Tech Armor Premium Ballistic Glass Screen Protector for iPhone 5s and 5c

My wife's iPhone 5 will be the perfect candidate for this particular review. The phone is in and out of her purse all the time with small hands trying to grab the phone and play games and watch movies on a daily basis.

REVIEW: Tech Armor HD Clear Screen Protectors for Retina iPad Mini

Let me start off by saying that I go through a lot of devices from phones, tablets, cameras, laptops, etc. One thing that is common among those is the need for quality protection for the device. I personally recommend the combination of a case that covers the corners and key components of the device and a screen protector. In this instance, I got my shiny new 2013 Retina iPad Mini and wanted to cover the screen immediately. On a tablet, the screen is front and center and the crowned centerpiece of the device; you want to keep it covered and safe. Since the iPad Mini and iPad Mini with Retina Display have the same physical 

Number of Sheets
There is not a lot to say about screen protectors, but there are few things to look for and remember. One of the top things I look for is how many come in the package. This is important because there is a high probability that you will mess up at least once and possibly twice. I can not tell you how many screen protectors I have burned through in my days, and not to mention i do not like bubbles or blemishes because they are hard to ignore.

The TechArmor packet comes with three screen protectors which gives plenty of confidence and practice if needed. I can happily report that I was able to get mine on the first try. I even bought some for my mother and got hers on the first time as well. Keep in mind I have done this a lot, which leads me to my next point...

Instructions
I have seen other screen protectors that simply do not explain how to apply their product, and if you have not done this before, you will burn through all of your protectors (it's nice to end with extra).

TechArmor does a great job of explaining in simple detail how to apply it. Follow it to the T and you will get your first or second on satisfactorily. I felt their explanations were sound and would help a newbie. They also have a good website for us visual learners:
http://www.techarmor.com/how-to-install.html

Clarity and Use
I have had protectors in the past that seem to affect the clarity of the picture and it can be a real drag and become a nuisance quickly. Some will have a sort of sticky feel and resistance when using the screen interface in daily use.

The TechArmors have been awesome this way, super clear with no perceived image quality degradation. You know you have a good screen protector when you forget it's there and these live up to that in day-to-day use,

Conclusion
The price is excellent for getting three and the value per dollar isn't even in the same league as what you buy in-store, which are often overpriced and you typically only get one or two.

If your serious about keeping your iPad Mini in tip top shape, and like me eventually sell to upgrade, these TechArmor screen protectors are a must. I will continue to buy TechArmor screen protectors and possibly other accessories in the future.

I will do my best to answer any questions. Thanks for reading.

Welcome to Go-To Tech Reviews!

Let me introduce myself. My name is Matthew and I am addicted to technology and have been a gear-head as long as I can remember. Some of my earliest memories are playing the original NES or figuring out how the camcorder worked. I have always been the go-to guy among family, friends, and co-workers. I finally decided, what the heck, let's open up the audience and start to tech reviews on a larger scale. I am still in the early stages, but plan on extending the content as I start making reviews. Also, I'm sure the process and layout will evolve the more reviews that I do, so stay tuned!