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Re:Quest for My Perfect Watch by jacknews on Monday November 21, 2022 @02:26AM (#33689837)
There are the nordic nrf52xxx based btle smartwatches for <$30, search 'smartwatch P8' for example.

The firmware can be replaced with your own.

The battery won't last a year though.

Re:Quest for My Perfect Watch by triyambakam on Monday November 21, 2022 @02:37AM (#33689900)
Any good resources for replacing the firmware and other hacks?
Re:Quest for My Perfect Watch by Donckele on Monday November 21, 2022 @03:37AM (#33690266)
Try wasp-os https://github.com/daniel-thompson/wasp-os

I have a colmi P8 and it was easy to get wasp-os uploaded and now have micropython available with direct connection into the watch!

Battery life is really only 24-48hrs if you don’t do anything heavy.

Sometimes I wonder how more useful it is than my apple watch.

Re:Quest for My Perfect Watch by kelvinquee on Monday November 21, 2022 @02:51AM (#33689976)
Just a happy customer of and hacking: https://wiki.pine64.org/wiki/PineTime
Re:Quest for My Perfect Watch by Markoff on Monday November 21, 2022 @03:36AM (#33690253)
From what I found judging by display these will last just few days unlike Amazfit Bip which can easily last one month with display perfectly readable in daylight without any backlight plus allowing custom firmware.
Re:Quest for My Perfect Watch by jacknews on Monday November 21, 2022 @06:01AM (#33691216)
Still for sale on their website $39.99.

Is that a different model? Is the website defunct?

Re:Quest for My Perfect Watch by Markoff on Monday November 21, 2022 @08:58AM (#33692494)
Dunno what's their website, it is not sold in any online shop in my country, only power hungry successors are sold. Care to link site where they are still selling new Amazfit Bip or Amazfit Bip S?
Re:Quest for My Perfect Watch by jacknews on Monday November 21, 2022 @09:59AM (#33693232)
https://us.amazfit.com/products/amazfit-bip-s

on closer inspection, it does say 'out of stock'

Re:Quest for My Perfect Watch by tmd83 on Monday November 21, 2022 @06:55AM (#33691577)
Amazfit have a few model even Bip has a few. Do you have particular recommendation on them?

Do you care to comment on the smartwatch features or health monitoring one?

Re:Quest for My Perfect Watch by Markoff on Monday November 21, 2022 @08:51AM (#33692439)
Only original Bip and then successor Bip S have battery life measured in weeks, the new versions with fancy displays have already crap battery life. In my country none of the old two is sold anymore. I don't really care for health monitoring (i need smart watch only to get and read notifications), it measures heart rate, sleep, steps, sleep is quite accurate, the others can't say.

I remember there is now basically rebranded Bip with different firmware sold under different name (Bangle.js 2 or some other unknown chinese models), but nothing improved in last few years for low price in compact body. Everything else like those Casio or Garmin watch with good displays and battery life or LILYGO TTGO T-Watch-2020 are like 15mm, more than 50% ticker than original Bip.

Re:Quest for My Perfect Watch by Humpelstilzchen on Monday November 21, 2022 @02:01PM (#33696417)
Bangle.js 2 is SMA Q3. But yes, its a nRF52840.
Re:Quest for My Perfect Watch by TMWNN on Tuesday November 22, 2022 @03:20AM (#33703340)
In addition to what Markoff said, I recommend sticking with the original Bip or Bip Lite; nothing else, including other Bip models. Only those two give you access to [the world's largest library of watch faces](https://amazfitwatchfaces.com/bip/fresh).

I like Bip so much that when it failed (because of a design flaw fixed in Lite and later Bip models), I bought Bip Lite (since I never used Bip's GPS, always using the phone's instead).

Re:Quest for My Perfect Watch by Markoff on Friday November 25, 2022 @09:04AM (#33742460)
I just found Garmin Approach S20, they seem relatively thin, use MIP display and should have also battery life in weeks used as smartwatch without GPS.