Another enthusiastic Bangle.js user here: I had the original and used it, programmed it until the strap (integrated into the body) broke.
Apparently you can actually connect it to phone notifications using gadgetbridge[0] but I didn't have much success when I tried it. The BLE was a little flaky at the best of times (pairing to a PC for programming failed more often than I'd like).
Re:The Quest for a Simple Smartwatch
by lazycog512 on Thursday June 29, 2023 @11:28AM
(#36521745)
Banglejs2 user here, Gadgetbridge works perfectly fine for my basic usage.
idk if Bangle1 strap is different but (don't remember exact measurement) you can put any standard watch strap with a normal strap pin on it. I replaced the broken stock strap with a nylon one off the net and it's great.
Re:The Quest for a Simple Smartwatch
by wanderingmind on Thursday June 29, 2023 @02:22AM
(#36517043)
Sorry there is an FDroid Gadgetbridge App specifically for Banglejs [0], so I just assumed it must connect to the phone.
[0] https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.espruino.gadgetbridge.ba...
Interesting, this is the first time I've heard about the Bangle.js. Seeing as it's an open project and it's based around Nordic's nRF52840 I wonder if an enterprising developer could expand the wireless interfaces to include the 802.15.4 radio for 6lowpan, Zigbee, and/or Thread support.
Re:The Quest for a Simple Smartwatch
by wanderingstan on Thursday June 29, 2023 @08:16AM
(#36519407)
The Bangle most definitely connects to the phone and receives notifications. I used extensively at my last job and modified exactly this portion of the messaging code.
But I'm not sure it's what OP is after. The requirements are:
> Phone notifications (so I don’t miss calls/ texts)
> Step counting
> A long battery life
Bangle.js doesn't connect to your phone at all, so you won't get any phone notifications. I don't personally use step counting, but when I have tried it I found it didn't work very well. Maybe that's just me.
The battery life depends a lot on what you're doing. In particular, clock faces that show seconds (i.e. have to wake up the CPU every second) drain the battery faster than clock faces that only go down to minutes. It still easily lasts longer than a day, which is good enough for me. I just charge mine overnight.