I was quite emotional the day I learned Pebble was RIP while from this article it seems the CEO gave a good shot to do the best for his customers and employees.

Alas, nothing can replace it (yet)

My Pebble Classic (!) can do:

* Time/Date (with many watchfaces) * Calendar * Weather * Stepcounter * Sleep tracker * Alarms, Timers, and Stopwatch (smart alarm for sleep, other ones useful in the kitchen) * HRM (via SimplyHRM or Strava) * Running/bike tracking (native or e.g. w/Strava) * Music control (Spotify, awesome during sports) * Google Maps support (also with navigation) * 2FA HOTP * Oh, and notifications (w/filters) * With recharging once a week. Which also means the battery is gonna last, unlike those watches who recharge daily. * Works under shower, too. * And all this, for the price of ~100 EUR (a few EUR for some of the above apps).

My Pebble had the dreaded graphics issue. Pebble 2 has build-in HRM, but it isn't as accurate as my Polar H7. Pebble 2 has a crystal clear screen, the design looks more professional, and the wristband is better than the previous iteration.

The only thing I've never quite been able to set up, is managing a shopping list for in the grocery store (just with the ability to flag what is done). I miss such a feature so much! Using my smartphone for this is a ticking timebomb. One day, a kid is just gonna bump into me and poof its gonna drop on the floor. Won't happen with a smartwatch. And that is a use case right there, one no other device than a smartwatch can fulfill.

I admit, smartwatch use cases right now are niches, but that doesn't mean they're irrelevant. Plus, in The Netherlands it is going to be illegal to use a smartphone on the bike. A smartphone is far more safe, and it won't drop. Being attached on the wrist has a clear advantage for use cases like these.

One disadvantage is information leaking. Although smartphones are also vulnerable to that.