I can't wait for my already EOL'd Pebble that was acquired by FitBit to be resurrected as a surveillance/adtech nightmare by Google.

Get your EOL'd Pebble unEOL'd with Rebble! https://rebble.io/

Given that your EOL'd Pebble currently uses servers maintained by an independent nonprofit using an open source stack, it's about as far from Google's influence as anything can be.

My EOL Pebble doesn't use any servers at all, with Gadgetbridge. Why should moving data from my watch to my phone, over bluetooth, require a server on the internet? Silliness.

An app store, watch face store, dictation, weather. those features are the reason it requires a server. That's what you give up by not using rebble or similar services.

You can sideload Pebble apps AFAIR. I vaguely recall doing that recently to restore the watchface on my wife's Pebble after migrating it to a new phone.

You can. It's nice to have a working app store though!

Also, any third party apps that create timeline pins unfortunately need to go through a server.

I can't wait for my Pebble 2 I paid for via crowdfunding (shhh I know I got refunded) to get manufactured and shipped before the company decided to go out of business, not delivering the product they hyped, and sell themselves to FitBit.

Lol I have a P2 HR that I use, still think it’s the best watch they ever made.

Me too. I was all hyped up for my new Pebble 2 up until the money came back :/. I guess, at least they did refund us.

Yeah I was really excited. I left Apple's ecosystem when I switched to Project Fi and really did find my Gen1 Apple Watch useful, the Pebble 2 looked like it was going to handle the stuff I used the most on the Apple Watch and after having already been disappointed by an Android watch (ZenWatch 2) I was really looking forward to it.

It'll be interesting to see if FitBit sales implode because of acquisition rumors.

I can literally buy a $30 Chinese smartwatch that does 95% of what Fitbit and their $200 devices claim. The Chinese product spies on me less, has better customer service, and isn't asking me to join their stupid service which just locked up parts of the device that used to come with it. I'm surprised that they haven't imploded already.

My $10 Chinese smartwatch actually does more than my wife's fitbit. The fitbit app syncs with her weight-watcher's account, which is the only reason she bought it, and is the only thing it can do that mine can't.