All I want is a smartwatch which will let me own all my personal health data, I don’t want to get locked in to some monthly subscription just to access my own health metrics
The FOSS app GadgetBridge, has a number of supported smartwatches.
Supported watches can sync your health, activity, GPS, heart, O2, sleep data to GadgetBridge locally on your phone, instead of sending it online to who knows where.
May need to use the watches app to set it up, but then all happens locally.
Are there any specific watches that are known to work really well with Gadget Bridge
I have a rule: I never preorder anything. I broke that rule recently. https://www.repebble.com/
Their website has a question at the bottom “Are you still interested in Pebble?” And if you click yes, it’ll show you their new models, but there’s also a button for No, which takes you to Google’s latest smart watch. The “we’re not a big tech msgacorp” vibes are strong with this one.
I mean this project was made by Google engineers (some of whom are ex Pebble engineers) so it’s not exactly a unbiased decision to link to Google smart watches
Someone else has it direct then to Apple store. They were on a Mac. They figure it’s user agent based and not Google being Google
The only reason Pebble has come back is that Google agreed to open source the software after the original pebble founder pleaded with them.
This is probably a cheap “thank you” for that.
Pebble in its current state is absolutely not a big tech megacorp lol
It sent me to the Apple Watch. I have a Mac, so it’s probably using the User Agent.
Get something which works with GadgetBridge. You’ll be in complete control.
Pretty wild that the author didn’t set up app notifications. Getting specific notifications from specific people on my wrist is a big part of the reason I use a smartwatch. But to each their own.
It’d be pretty cool to get a significant use case of my pricey pricey Garmin for ~CAD$40.
I’m the author. I’ve now set up notifications on the advice of just about everyone. It’s pretty cool!
Nice!
I enjoyed reading your blog. It’s been a while since I looked at an honest to goodness enthusiast blog. Thanks for writing it!
You like breakfast? Anywhere near Massachusetts?
I’ve been working on a super simple blog about breakfast in all 351 cities/towns. I’m at 133.
Can throw a link if you wanna look.
I’m nowhere near Massachusetts but I am a huge fan of breakfast food so I applaud your efforts.
Mmmm… eggs bene 😁
Shakshuka is my novel breakfast these days
Okie dokie
I had flashbacks to Parks and Rec breakfast scenes and I believe Leslie Knope would support your cause.
Ha, yep, she would.
East Brookfield has got a pretty mean breakfast game.
Oh yeah… I need that on my list.
Whatcha got?
Only requirement is it must be a sit down establishment.
Also, I hate “cash only” spots. They’re an automatic “Nay!” on my: yay or nay blog.
Charlie’s has the hash brown encrusted omelet. Trolly stop is very cheap and simple. Good views in the back… Kostas is absolutely professional with some advanced breakfasts.
Ty
If you visit Toronto hit up The White Lily Diner for breakfast—best Southern breakfast up North!
I’ll keep it in mind. I went to Toronto in 1985 for an international High School Jazz competition.
I was suppose to pop into a Toronto brewery the week of the total eclipse a couple Aprils ago, but, we kept driving East for a reason that I don’t recall.
Some day again, I’m sure. Ty.
Honestly, it’s baffling how good some of the stuff you can get off of AliExpress is, especially when taking the low price into account.
My ~$100 N100 server is a testament to that. Just need to score some additional storage for it
I wouldn’t say aliexpress stuff is good, but rather that amazon stooped down to aliexpress-levels of quality, to which we got ourselves used to.
You’d be surprised, actually. You have to be careful, yes - the default option is that you get crap - but all of the high-quality cycling gear/running gear/variety consumer electronics I’ve scored is a testament to the possibility of getting great stuff.
I’m familiar with it, I’ve ordered more than 100 items off aliexpress.
And I feel like the modern amazon experience got worse and is closer to the intense searching required to find the good stuff at the right price from aliexpress.
I suppose I never actually had a good experience with Amazon to be able to compare against.
It was pretty good 10+ years ago I’d say, then it slowly got worse and worse
Without an appropriate price drop
I just ordered a shitload of little soldering projects for $1-4 to practice soldering and have been quite satisfied. The instructions are only in Chinese and minimal, but easy enough to translate with a phone camera and the lack of hand holding sorta encourages learning.
Which one do you use/have?
I got a GMKtec G3.
dude this thing has a flashlight? you son of a bitch, I’m in
No, he said torch. I assume butane.
Should I Buy One?
That’s up to you, champ. I’m not your real dad and I’m not trying to take his place. But I’m here for you if you need me.
Love it. 🤣🤣🤣
Loved the article.
One pet peeve of mine: PD plugs are too powerful to charge puny devices. Not the first time I’ve run into this problem.
So sad that we’ve finally gotten a good standard (USB c) but there are still things that look like they should fit together and work, but don’t.
The actual problem is that many brick chargers assume that a low current means charging is finished so it cuts the power, this is extra common with battery packs.
You want USB PD PPS for a charger which is much more likely to actually understand that the device wants and should get the specific amount of power it’s asking for, either low or high.
On a side note I wish hybrid smartwatches were still a thing. Most of the product lines are discontinued, but I liked the idea of it.
I got a cheapo Xiaomi one a few years back.
Pretty sure it just makes the heart rate up and infers it from how many steps you’re doing.
When it gets wet, it randomly skips songs on Spotify.
The water thing is just a quirk of capacitive touchscreens. The same happens on the most expensive watches too, which is why there is usually a water mode that you can put the watch into. It sorta locks the touchscreen until you disable it using one of the physical buttons.
I think you need to pay extra for physical buttons.
This one sometimes has a “lockscreen” that needs a swipe up to unlock, but the rain can do that.
Interestingly it doesn’t always have a lockscreen. Sometimes it just switches it on and off depending on how it feels.
I’ve got one of the bands (10, I think). That seems to be a solved problem. I can’t interact with it in the shower, but it doesn’t go haywire.
As for the heart rate, it’s at least consistent. It matches what my blood pressure measurements report, and follows exercise, rather than steps.
I’m bad at breaking or losing watches. I don’t buy expensive smart watches, I aim for a cheap, functional one.
Heh, of course it has a knock-off UI too.
Please check in with an update after 6 months.
I had no idea USB C charging was such a rarity for smart watches
I keep looking weird at people who say phones give you cancer and that you should never sleep with one next to you. Same people wear smartwatch with sensors pressing against your skin 24/7
The joys of not understanding ionising radiation
Is it esp32 based?
A phone for the price of a couple of pints? £16? Two pints? Very London of him to assume that’s the price of a couple of pints. Actually unreadable.
How much are pints actually?
Not in London; about a fiver. Depends on the establishment and the drink itself, ranges from £3-4 ish to £6. The usual cooking lager to Guinness range.
I really like my Amazfit Neo. Okay, it doesn’t charge with USB-C but I appreciate its “always on” display and retro aesthetic. Can’t believe they don’t make 'em anymore!
Is there a worthy successor or can anybody recommend a similar minimalist smartwatch that won’t break the bank?
Garmin instinct. Used they are often pretty cheap. They look like an old 80s retro digital but have a bunch of smart features. I love mine.
Looks good, tnx
Wicked!
