Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Pebble Smartwatch For The Farm?

For a while now I've been looking forward to getting an iWatch, or as it ended up being called, an Apple Watch.

Reserved for Apple Watch

When the Apple Watch was actually shown this month, I ended up being underwhelmed. The more I thought about it the more I realized that even if I wanted to spend close to $400 on a watch, the Apple Watch couldn't survive life on the farm.

Big, bulky, and expensive. That's a good description for a tractor, not a watch.



I decided to reevaluate why I wanted a smartwatch to begin with. Pulling my iPhone out of my pocket to check to see if I had a call, message, or notification has started to get old. Often, I'm on a loud tractor or around mooing calves and don't notice the rings, beeps, or chirps. When I've been expecting a call I've even carried my phone in my hand while I worked to keep me from missing it. That's not always safe for it or me. With the onset of winter and extra layers of coats and gloves keeping abreast of those messages and notifications will be darn near impossible.

Most of the time being late to a conversation or message isn't a problem. However, when my wife texts and I don't respond, well, that's not a great situation to be in.


I realized that I didn't need a full blown computer on my arm. What I really need is something practical. Something that works well. Something that solves my problems. I decided what I really need is a Pebble smart watch.


  • The Pebble displays notifications (texts and calls from my wife won't be missed!)
  • Is highly water resistant (which is a must for farm life!)
  • Readable screen in daytime (I'm always outside)
  • Replaceable bands (in case I catch it on something)
  • Scratch resistant screen (I'm rough on things)
  • Battery lasts for 5-7 days (!)
  • Affordable
  • Last, but not least, it tells time. 
Can the Pebble survive the farm, the cows, and the chores? Can it deliver on the notifications when I need them most? Dear Pebble, this is your chance to find out. I volunteer to put your watch through the paces in the demanding job of dairy farming. Dusty silos, spraying water, spattering cow manure, greasy tractors, and much, much more. Send me your smartwatch and I will gladly test it out as only a farmer can. If you are interested please contact me here.


3 comments:

  1. Hi, really enjoyed this post, -I probably need one of these : if it's durable and cheap, I love it, always missing my messages - working in noise, and with phones off a lot: is it not too bulky?
    Does it have "flight mode"? This is important to my job.

    I found your blog through your book, counting cows, on kindle, my daughter loved it - she really likes cows ,(but we'd both've liked to see 6 to 10:-).
    Please contact me if you'd like to have it on http://www.freekidsbooks.org.

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    Replies
    1. I think it has an airplane mode which turns off the bluetooth and it works only as a watch. I have yet to actually hold one so I can't speak to how bulky it is, however, the Pebble is on sale right now for $99 so it is even more tempting to try. :)

      I'm glad you both enjoyed the book! You also stated the biggest complaint about it, that it needs to go to ten. Hopefully, I will get the pictures finished soon. I would love it to be added the freekidsbook site. That would be awesome!

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  2. When the Apple Watch was actually shown this month, I ended up being underwhelmed. The more I thought about it the more I realized that ... ppebblesmartwatch.blogspot.de

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