content/blog/2022-04-09-pinetime.org

  1#+date:        <2022-04-09 Sat 00:00:00>
  2#+title:       Overview of PineTime: Open-Source Smartwatch Hardware and Features
  3#+description: Technical description of PineTime smartwatch capabilities, including heart rate measurement, step counting, sleep monitoring, and smartphone connectivity functions.
  4#+slug:        pinetime
  5#+filetags:    :smartwatch:opensource:hardware:
  6
  7* PineTime Product Information
  8
  9** Overview
 10
 11The [[https://www.pine64.org/pinetime/][PineTime]] is an open-source
 12smartwatch, created by [[https://www.pine64.org][PINE64]]. Originally
 13announced in September 2019, this ARM-based watch is a fantastic option
 14for users who want the benefits of a modern smartwatch with the backing
 15of open-source components and software.
 16
 17** Product Specifications
 18
 19I won't dive into too many details that you can find on
 20[[https://www.pine64.org/pinetime/][the product page]], but I wanted to
 21point out the prices for each watch and the primary functions:
 22
 231. Price:
 24
 25   - $26.99 (Sealed)
 26   - $24.99 (Dev Kit)
 27   - $51.98 (One Sealed + One Dev Kit)
 28
 292. Primary Functionality:
 30
 31   - Clock (+ Smartphone Sync)
 32   - Pedometer
 33   - Heart Rate Monitor
 34   - Sleep Monitor
 35   - Calories burned
 36   - Messaging
 37   - Smartphone Notifications
 38   - Media Controls
 39
 40* Unboxing
 41
 42Now, my PineTime was ordered on 2022-02-17, shipped on 2022-02-22, and
 43was delivered on 2022-03-23. With the current delays on shipping times
 44around the world (and the semiconductor shortage), a month for delivery
 45from China seems reasonable to me.
 46
 47The packaging is simple, and the watch comes with instructions,
 48technical information, the watch, and a charger (it does not include a
 49USB wall adapter).
 50
 51The watch itself was able to turn on immediately when I pulled it out of
 52the box, but the battery was depleted and required charging right away.
 53
 54* Software
 55
 56** Watch OS: InfiniTime
 57
 58While turning on the watch for the first time, some of the main design
 59choices you can see in the watch OS,
 60[[https://wiki.pine64.org/wiki/InfiniTime][InfiniTime]], are:
 61
 62- A square bezel, not too thin against the sides of the watch.
 63- A simple, rubber band.
 64- Basic font and screen pixel design.
 65- Swipe gestures to access other screens.
 66
 67The OS itself is fantastic in terms of functionality for me. It does
 68exactly what a smartwatch should do - track time, steps, heart rates,
 69and connect to another smart device, without being overly burdensome to
 70the user.
 71
 72My only gripe so far is that it's /really/ difficult to swipe to
 73different screens, such as pulling down the notification tray. I'm not
 74sure if this is an OS or hardware issue, but it makes it quite hard to
 75quickly move around the screens.
 76
 77However, my absolute favorite design choice is that the button the side
 78turns the screen on and off and tilting/waving my wrist doesn't
 79accidentally turn on the screen. With other watches, I absolutely hated
 80not being able to turn off the raise-to-wake or wave features (i.e.,
 81blinding myself while wearing a watch at night because I moved my arm).
 82
 83** iOS App: InfiniLink
 84
 85Since I am using iOS as my primary mobile device OS, I am using the
 86[[https://github.com/xan-m/InfiniLink][InfiniLink]] app to connect my
 87watch.
 88
 89This app provides the following for PineTime owners:
 90
 91- Firmware updates
 92- Steps
 93- Charts
 94- Notifications
 95
 96Another big feature of InfiniLink is the ability to track pedometer
 97steps in a collection of beautiful graphs, with the option to change
 98your step goal and add in manual steps.
 99
100Finally, there are charts to display the battery percentage and heart
101rates over time. This area also comes with an option to clear data.
102
103* Final Thoughts
104
105** Pros
106
107After wearing my watch for a few weeks, I have mostly positive thoughts
108about the watch so far. In the past, I have owned smartwatches by
109FitBit, Fossil, Apple, etc. - *but I prefer the PineTime over all of
110those watches*.
111
112The PineTime strips out all the unnecessary features and performs the
113functions that it provides effectively and efficiently.
114
115The battery life is amazing on this device. By default, the watch seems
116to last anywhere from a few days to a week before dying.
117
118And of course, it's open source and backed by some of the most dedicated
119enthusiasts and developers I've seen. Watching the Matrix channel,
120forums, and website have been exciting to see.
121
122** Cons
123
124If I had to complain about anything, it would simply be the small bugs
125in some features that can be contributed to the companion apps more than
126the watch itself.
127
128A regular user would want native notification support out-of-the-box,
129which is the biggest item not working for me at the moment.
130
131My only other complaint is that the battery indicator on the watch
132doesn't seem accurate when it's nearing depletion - it seems that
133there's a bit of battery life left and then my watch is dead very
134suddenly after. This could just be me misinterpreting the battery level
135icons, but it has fooled me a few times into thinking I had more battery
136left than I actually did.
137
138Other than those small items, I really do love this watch and am glad I
139replaced my Apple Watch with the PineTime.