A vest (or ‘tank top’ to any Americans) and a pair of shorts are often the uniform of choice for any gym-goer. They offer a degree of lower-body mobility and general admission to the ‘gun-show’ up top. But should these be the standard apparel for the serious lifter? I posit there are far better choices.
Whether you’re an amateur lifter, a bodybuilder, a competitive powerlifter or anyone in between: we are all, at least to a degree, rather narcissistic. We like to catch a glimpse of ourselves in the gym mirrors; a fleeting flash of vascularity, a glance of glimmering perspiration that makes you feel like an Adonis.
It is, after all, why gyms adorn their walls with a multitude of mirrors. This regular, and hopefully, positive feedback can do wonders for a person’s confidence and motivation when initially starting out.
However, having trained in a serious capacity for a number of years, the reasons to cover up and step away from the mirrors have become more apparent to me.
When your focus has progressed to the search for optimal performance, to really push the boundaries of your own capabilities, narcissism falls by the wayside somewhat.
Powerlifters have often advised not lifting in front of mirrors, instead opting to face away from them. People will propose that mirrors offer feedback on form and technique, but the reality is that it only offers a distorted view, providing a view from a single plane – front on. When squatting and deadlifting, this isn’t the best method to judge or critique form and can be a distraction or, at worst, potentially lead to injury.
Consider, instead, facing away from the mirrors and trying to ‘feel’ the mechanical motions of a lift. If necessary, have a friend video or observe your technique for you and then adjust accordingly. Eventually, through muscle memory, the motions will become almost robotic and you won’t need any form of visual feedback.
When it comes to selecting gym apparel – I’ve observed that gyms often like to crank the air conditioning to 11. As if it were their aim to replicate the scene from Rocky where he pulverises a hanging carcass in a refrigerated meat locker.
Muscular performance is often compromised when not adequately warmed up; which is why it is always a good idea to actively warm up before hitting your working sets. Every now and then, even having done my warm up routine, I still feel like I’m not always in the best condition to get the job done and perform optimally.
So in recent workouts I’ve opted to wear a Uni Qlo HeatTech t-shirt in place of my go-to vest. The naturally heat-generating clothing ensures I feel like I’m lifting in optimal conditions and, although likely a placebo, I feel less prone to injury. The power of the mind, and in turn the central nervous system (CNS), play a critical role in lifting performance.
For the serious deadlifter, I have also always recommended wearing a pair of long jogging bottoms in place of shorts. This ensures your shins don’t get completely scraped to pieces when you keep the bar close to your body when deadlifting. Wearing long joggers also avoids your shorts riding up uncomfortably when squatting. Even the smallest distractions can affect your performance when you have a serious weight across your shoulders.
I always advise anyone stepping into the gym, whether completely new or a seasoned veteran, that they are only there to compete with themselves. There will always be someone out there bigger and stronger than you, what is most important is how you measure up against yourself and your own expectations.
It is with this mindset that am in the process of training myself to drop the narcissism and just get on with the job at hand – moving as much weight as I possibly can within the restraints of my current circumstance. It feels liberating.
I have already written at great length on the correct footwear but perhaps now is the time to consider the other items of apparel you wear to the gym?
Twitch is playing Pokemon and it’s like a microcosmic commentary on the human condition or something
Right now, as we speak, the Pokemon MMORPG (massively multiplayer online roleplaying game) of your nightmares is being played out on Twitch, the service you commonly associate with streaming video and gamer commentary.
Watch live video from TwitchPlaysPokemon on www.twitch.tv
An Australian programmer created the channel, which converts user input from the comments into in-game action, “to see how people would respond”. Well so far they have responded in droves.
What feels like the entirety of the Internet has gathered in the chat to input commands which are played out by the poor oblivious avatar known as Ash Ketchum within an emulated version of Pokemon Red.
The creator has described his creation as a “social experiment” and it’s so far generated a broad spectrum of emotions.
Across the past few days I have witnessed the great triumphs of the human condition, such as how through some miracle the Internet hive mind has managed to acquire the first three gym badges; right through to the lowest of lows as our poor hero failed to traverse a simple ledge for hours.
Literally hours.
The utter failing to make progress caused by a combination of the inherent difficulties of allowing upwards of thousands of people all battle to control a single avatar, combined with more sinister forces intentionally looking to hinder our hero.
Known as “trolls”, they have descended upon Twitch from sources such as 4Chan and Reddit and have become rather effective foils; collectively managing to trap our character in corners and repeatedly throwing him off cliffs.
They also type ‘Start’ an awful lot or repeatedly input ‘Down’. Something as simple as that can make progress at worst impossible or simply incredibly frustrating (but deeply amusing).
An enterprising soul has even created a script that can help identify some of the potential culprits.
Some have cried out for moderation or muting the antagonists. But to do so would be to destroy the very purpose of this at times abominable creation.
If you are not able to fully embrace the collective wishes of the Internet to either hinder or help our hero, then you had may as well be playing the game solo.
It is this constant battle between the opposing forces that makes this such an engaging experiment. It is like the age old battle of good against evil played out in 8-bit monochrome to infectious chip tune.
At time of writing the organised madness has been going on for over four days. It is incredibly compelling to ‘drop in’ on our hapless hero to see just what odds he has managed to overcome. Or simply find great amusement in watching him spin around in circles.
Some, rather optimistically, hope that as interest dwindles over time the number of antagonists will also decline - and therefore progress will be made easier. I wouldn’t expect this to end any time soon.
Review: Bongo Wireless Bluetooth Speaker by Otis & Eleanor
Bluetooth wireless speakers are a dime a dozen, from the premium priced Jawbone Jambox, Beats Pill and Bose Soundlink, to much less pricey options from the likes of Logitech and Creative. The Bongo, a Kickstarter graduate, from creators Otis & Eleanor falls distinctly in the latter category but offers some of the features of its more premium cousins.
Otis & Eleanor describe the Bongo as a “thoughtfully crafted 100% bamboo Bluetooth speaker with a natural vibe”, and its unique construction is certainly one of its defining features.
Shying away from the more industrial designs of most modern speakers, the Bongo harks back to days of old where speakers were constructed from natural materials like wood. The Bongo is not unique in this sense, there has been a trend towards vintage wood constructions and wood has a certain acoustic quality that many audiophiles favour.
Design
The Bongo certainly has an eye-catching design, with the natural wood grain giving the speakers a rustic charm. The design can be tailored to your preference with a number of coloured ring, hemp speaker cloth and wood grain options. Mine is the yellow ring, dark grain and blue & orange tweed cloth option.
Simple in design, the Bongo features two speakers on the front that follow through to the back which helps with the overall soundstage. The front is also adorned with three buttons, two for volume control and one multi-function button for call management and Bluetooth pairing.
On the right side, within a groove, are the power switch, microUSB port and auxiliary in connections for devices that don’t feature Bluetooth connectivity. An auxiliary in is a nice bonus not always included with Bluetooth speakers.
The housing for these connections proves slightly problematic, however. The connections are quite flush with the surrounding housing, meaning accessing the power switch is difficult unless you have long nails. The provided microUSB cable, due to being thicker than average at the connector end, does not connect all the way in as it is blocked by the housing. All other microUSB cables I tested fit, including a flat yellow cable I had lying around, which also aesthetically matched the Bongo.
Sound Quality
The all-important sound is provided by two 3 watt speakers driven by two 1.5” powered drivers and two 1.75” isolated passive bass radiators. What this means is that the Bongo puts out surprisingly punchy sound for a speaker of its size. At maximum volume the Bongo can fill a medium sized room easily. There is some distortion at maximum volume, so this might not be recommended.
Songs with low frequencies caused the most issues, with the bass vibrations rattling the housing. Otherwise, at more reasonable volumes, the Bongos have good sound quality with rich treble and reasonable bass response. From Explosions in the Sky to Dr. Dre, the Bongos handled different genres well and was certainly a surprise for its price. Having tested a Jawbone Jambox, it holds its weight respectfully but the Jawbone does have the superior sound signature.
Size and Accessories
The Bongo speakers are diminutive in size, meaning they are easy to transport. The Bongo measures 167 (l) x 68 (h) x 50 mm (d) and comes in at 300g. Bamboo is famous for its durability and lightweight, and this certainly helps. It also comes in attractive packaging that you might not always associate with products that have been born on Kickstarter.
The Bongo also comes with a hemp cloth bag for transport, further in line with the “natural vibes” associated with the speakers. Conveniently, the cloth bag features a front pocket for carrying any cables; with the Bongo coming with a hemp auxiliary cable (yes, more hemp) and the microUSB cable for charging.
Bluetooth Pairing and Battery Life
Wireless pairing is handled over Bluetooth 4.0+EDR, which should mean greater power efficiency. Bluetooth range clocks in at 30 ft which worked well in testing. The only time audio began to drop out is if the connection became separated by a thick wall.
In testing, the Bongo managed to crank out music for the advertised eight hours before needing charging. Battery life at eight hours does not rival the Jambox which clocks in at a superior 15 hours of performance. It does, however, feature the superior Bluetooth 4.0 protocol which should mean battery life of the connected device should take less of a hit versus the Bluetooth v2.1 in the Jambox.
A small LED on the front of the device indicates battery life, with a red LED flashing when the battery is running low. This is paired with an audible beep every 30 seconds to let you know the battery will soon run out. This is supposed to kick in when battery life is down to its last 5-10 minutes, but in testing the Bongo often had closer to 20 minutes of performance left. This means that the beeping can become an annoyance and is premature.
Paired with a smartphone over Bluetooth, the Bongo can also be used for hands-free calling due to its built in microphone. The multi-function button handles the answering, cancelling and diverting of calls through combinations of presses and long-presses. Call quality was good, with callers coming through loud and clear. Likewise, callers reported that the microphone was picking up my voice perfectly from about half a metre away with no feedback. At a push, the Bongo can be a good option for a stylish conference phone.
Another convenient feature is that when connected via USB to a computer, the Bongo is instantly recognised by Windows and installed as an external audio device. This means it can be used for PC audio over USB as well as being used as an external microphone for Skype or any other software. This was a pleasant surprise not mentioned on Kickstarter.
Conclusion
All in all, for the $75 asking price on Kickstarter (minus shipping) the Bongo from Otis & Eleanor is a surprising package. It manages to provide good audio quality, excellent hands-free calling performance and an attractive design. With its ease of transportation, it will certainly be a talking point and source of entertainment during that next picnic or visit to the beach.
However, the Bongo is retailing at a full retail price of $140 on the Otis & Eleanor site at which price it becomes far too close to more premium models.
Adidas Power Perfect 2.0 and the Revelation of Weightlifting Shoes
When someone is serious about running, they buy running shoes. When someone is serious about football, they buy football boots. When someone is serious about tennis… okay, you get the idea.
So why is it so many, who are of the strength training inclination, neglect to use the right footwear?
Form and technique goes hand in hand with performance. The correct form not only provides the most mechanically advantageous movement, pushing the most weight in the most efficient manner, it also protects you from injury. The positioning of your feet is often at the heart of generating the most power, and not only in the lifts that would seem obvious, such as the squat or deadlift, but is just as important in the bench and overhead press.
Just pop “leg drive” into Google and you’ll come across a plethora of articles and videos on how driving your feet hard into the ground on the bench press can help you push more.
So with your feet being so important, it’s often perplexing to see so many people lifting in inadequate footwear. Have a look around the weights room and you’ll see a vast array, from running shoes to fashion trainers to the favourites of old school lifters, the Chuck Taylors.
The latter has been a popular choice due to the distinct lack of any compressible heel, which is where any feet issues typically arise from. On a lift like the squat or deadlift, where much of the power is generated through the posterior chain, and you are schooled to “push through your heels”, you can see how much of the power is lost when you’re pushing through what can be compared to a squishy sponge underneath your feet.
As such, you’ll have many preach the benefits of Chuck Taylors for squats and deadlifts, or to go barefoot completely. For a long while, I was a member of this school of thought, although not wearing Chucks. Instead, for the longest time, I opted for a £3 pair of plimsolls from Primark which, like the famous Chucks, featured very little in the way of heel support.
Due to their low price and disposable nature, I’ve gone through a considerable number of pairs. But during that time my squat has approached nigh on two and a half times bodyweight and my deadlift is nearly at three times – so they must have been doing something right.
But after you’ve been lifting as long as I have and the gains slows down, it leads you to consider if you’ve reached your current genetic and equipment potential. This led me to consider investing in my first pair of weightlifting shoes to see if it could help me push through the current plateau (pun absolutely intended).
After considering a number of pairs and price ranges, I opted for the Adidas Power Perfect II which is available for around £90 in the UK. I decided these would be a good entry-level pair from which I can decide if I need to upgrade down the line. Other reviews stated they were quite versatile as well in terms of being functional for squats, deadlifts and power cleans.
In my three weeks of using the Adidas Power Perfect 2.0s, I can safely say I have no plans of going back to the £3 Primark plimsolls. For me, the first time wearing weightlifting shoes was on a par with the revelation of using liquid chalk for the first time. Good shoes does for your feet what liquid chalk does for your hands and grip.
The Power Perfects feel robust and sturdy, featuring what Adidas describe as "integral rear-foot heel support for superb lightweight stability”, which means the all-important heel is well supported. The shoes are light weight partially due to the material used for the heel, which isn’t wood as some weightlifting shoes may feature, however.
Whilst squatting, the first thing I noticed was how anchored I felt to the ground. My feet moved very little and there was very little “wiggle”. I take quite a wide foot stance for squat and felt solid as a rock, even with 145kg across my shoulders.
The squat movement suddenly becomes very mechanical feeling. Now, I’ve been squatting for going on three years now, so the number of reps I’ve squatted must number in the thousands, so muscle memory is certainly there when it comes to technique, but the efficient and mechanical nature has only been magnified since I started wearing weightlifting shoes.
Due to the raised heel, it feels more comfortable and stable to “sit back” into the squat and with a solid heel it’s easier to drive power back through the heels. Even with a heavy load I feel very little heel compression, which is of course positive. My numbers have only increased marginally during the period I’ve been wearing the shoes, adding an extra rep to my personal best, but I wasn’t expecting a silver bullet solution.
So far, my only complaint is that while the Power Perfects feature a “hook-and-loop instep strap for rear foot integrity”, meaning there’s a Velcro strap you can tighten to lock your rear foot in, the front foot is not given such importance. On more expensive pairs of shoes, like my friend’s Nike Romaleos 2 which retail at closer to the £150 mark, these feature double straps – one across the mid-foot and one across the front foot. In the Adidas pair, I find my toes still move around within the shoe which can be an issue if you find yourself leaning forward at any point (which you should be trying to avoid). I can see how a second strap would benefit in this regard.
In terms of sizing, I opted for my usual trainer/football boot size and they were spot on.
I would have loved to have taken the Nike Romaleos 2 for a test drive for a direct comparison but unfortunately I have larger feet than my friend – and you know what they say about big feet*.
Needless to say, the Adidas Power Perfect 2s have been a worthy investment and I can see myself wearing them for a long time before I consider upgrading. Even for lifts like the standing overhead barbell shoulder press, having your feet anchored to the ground, with no movement, means you can push with greater efficiency.
For any serious lifter out there, I would heartily recommend the Adidas Power Perfect 2 as a good starter pair or, at the minimum, for you to consider investing in good footwear in general.
*those with larger feet are unable to wear the Nike Romaleos 2 belonging to a friend who has smaller feet.
Not all Android devices support MicroSD cards, so sometimes this means you’re restricted to whatever internal storage you opted for when selecting your smartphone or tablet. Well the Meenova Android MicroSD Reader is one way of getting around this predicament.
Not altogether too dissimilar to a MicroSD USB card reader you might use with your PC or MAC or transfer files, the Meenova instead features a MicroUSB connection meaning it can plug directly into a select number of Android devices that feature USB On-The-Go support.
This list of supported devices include the Samsung Galaxy S3 and S4, HTC One, the Nexus 5, and both versions of the Nexus 7 and the Nexus 10 tablets. Support for the various devices will vary, however, from read-only access or the use of third-party software such as Nexus Media Importer (as is the case of the Nexus 5 and Nexus 7 on which the adapter was tested). Be sure to check the list of supported devices first before investing in one of these to avoid disappointment.
In the box you’ll receive a Mini MicroSD Card Reader, Snaphook and ring attachment, meaning you can easily attach the reader to your keyring. You’ll also receive a USB-to-MicroUSB Adapter so you can easily connect to your PC or MAC to transfer videos and anything else you might want to the MicroSD card. Note that a MicroSD card is not included, which is understandable given the low $12.00 price of the reader.
The Meenova is able to read MicroSD, MicroSDHC and MicroSDXC up to a whopping 64GB in size. This means you can carry an entire catalogue of movies with you in case you ever get bored, and being able to clip the adapter to your keyring means you shouldn’t get caught without some form of entertainment.
A minor complaint about the keyring attachment is that the snaphook attaches to the main body of the reader. Why is this a complaint you ask? It means that when you detach the reader from your keychain, you have to find a way to look after the cover cap that protects the MicroUSB connection.
What would have been more sensible is if the snaphook attached to the cover cap, meaning you just needed to detach the reader itself, making it more convenient and meaning the cap was accounted for. As it stands, you need to make sure you don’t lose the cap when you’re using the Meenova, which can be a pain.
Plug the device in and Nexus Media Importer offers to mount the storage device, from which you are then able to access the files contained. It’s all really straight forward and the experience will be familiar for anyone who has plugged a USB flash drive in via a USB OTG cable in the past. The overall experience, however, is far more elegant without the extra cable dangling out of your device and means holding the device is less cumbersome.
The Meenova reader itself is small in size, making a secure connection when plugged into the MicroUSB port on both the Nexus 5 and Nexus 7. Its official dimensions are 21x23x8 mm which is around the size of a 10 pence coin (with the cap removed). The Meenova is available in white, black, grey and orange colours.
Another minor annoyance is the blinking coloured LED that pulsates when data is being read from the adapter. If you’re using your device in a darkened room, it can be slightly distracting.
Aside from the minor niggles of the LED and peculiar snaphook attachment location, there is very little to complain about when it comes to the Meenova. It essentially does what it sets out to do and with its low price I have little reservation recommending it to anyone looking to expand their storage options for their Android device.
FITNESS AND TECHNOLOGY - WILL PERSONAL TRAINERS SOON GO EXTINCT?
This article was originally written by me for Catalysis.
Even through a tumultuous economy, the health and fitness industry has shown impressive stamina in riding the recession. In fact, the industry grew by 1.4% in 2012, achieving a market value of £3.86 billion in the UK. With such a booming industry, it is little wonder that technology companies have taken note. But what does this influx of fitness technology mean for the personal trainer of old?
Technology has always played a role in improving our lives, generally by making it easier, but increasingly technology has sought to improve the quality of our lives through benefiting our overall health and wellbeing.
Nowadays, there is a plethora of smartphone and web applications available to plan and track everything from your workouts through to your diet, and numerous gadgets to track and record everything from your athletic performance right down to the quality of your sleep. All of this provides a bounty of data for users to monitor their progress with the aim of better results and overall performance.
With such an abundance of tools and devices at anyone’s fingertips, I therefore wonder: “Will the personal trainer soon become a thing of the past?”
Traditionally, a fitness instructor might have provided a workout routine, a nutrition programme, taught the required form and provided a trainee the necessary motivation. All at a considerable cost, I might add. Today, however, these are all available through alternative means, potentially making the fitness instructor of old rather redundant.
An application like MyFitnessPal can track your calories and exercise regimen. Services like Fitocracy are popular for providing a means to track workouts through a ‘gamification’ approach, with the added motivation of a social networking element connecting users with similarly like-minded enthusiasts for motivation and support.
Even the global sporting brands have taken notice of the role technology can play in health and fitness. The Nike+ running app provides motivational audio cues from celebrity athletes alongside its ability to map and record users’ runs. Jawbone and Fitbit are two popular wrist-based devices to track your activity levels throughout the day, with the aim of getting us all more active. Samsung’s Galaxy Gear smartwatch includes number of health monitoring abilities, such as heart rate and fitness data.
For anyone looking to learn form for weight training, a commonly intimidating first step for new trainees, YouTube has become a veritable treasure trove of instructional videos. Tailored weight training programmes are now but a Google search away.
For a more hands on approach to form instruction, technology might soon pave the way in this as well. The BBC reported on this muscle suit which, whilst designed to assist manual labourers working with heavy loads, actually teaches you good form for a lift such as the deadlift (as well as providing hilarious fodder for the Internet meme ‘Do You Even Lift?’). A new dongle is reportedly able to connect to your smartphone in order to answer the question on everyone’s mind: “Do you walk like a flamingo, duck or penguin”? Could these be the future of fitness instruction?
Technology blogs are also jumping on board the fitness bandwagon, dedicating entire sections to exercise endeavours, such as Gizmodo’s ‘Fitmodo’ which is chronicling all of the technological developments in the world of fitness and nutrition.
Technology blogs are also jumping on board the fitness bandwagon, dedicating entire sections to exercise endeavours, such as Gizmodo’s ‘Fitmodo’ which is chronicling all of the technological developments in the world of fitness and nutrition.
The links between health, exercise and workplace productivity have been widely reported, so a healthy workforce would prove beneficial for the overall UK economy. This is just one of the reasons why Catalysis provides a lifestyle allowance which can cover gym or sports club memberships.
So what do you think? Can technology replace fitness instructors or is the human element still the key to success?
Smartphones equipped with cameras are now a ubiquitous accessory, capturing our everyday lives in increasing quality and clarity. We’re in a time where if there isn’t pictorial proof, we ask “did it really happen?” We are capturing and sharing more and more aspects of our lives, from a celebrity encounter to just what we had for breakfast. Through our smartphones, we all carry cameras that are primed and ready to chronicle our life’s journey.
Now Nokia is taking this one step further by allowing anyone to take snaps that rival digital cameras with its Nokia Lumia 1020. It packs in a staggering PureView 41 megapixel sensor, far higher than any other smartphone on the market today. But what does this mean for your everyday snapper?
By packing in so many megapixels, you are given far more scope to ‘zoom’ into photos you take. This means you can spot and zoom in on those serendipitous moments you might not have noticed – without any loss of image quality. That’ll explain the “Zoom. Reinvented” tag-line then.
At its launch event in New York, Nokia demonstrated this by literally zooming into a needle in a haystack. Whilst needle-finding might not be something we do every day, the possibilities do sound impressive. Imagine taking a photo of a large crowd and being able to zoom in on people’s individual expressions and you can begin to understand what this could mean.
Now you might be thinking a 41 megapixel image is going to leave you with some rather large file sizes – and you would be right. Fortunately Nokia have realised this too, and through a “dual capture” feature, the Lumia 1020 will create a 38 megapixel image, which you can edit to your heart’s content, simultaneously with a 5 megapixel image that you can easily share with friends and family on your favourite social networks.
For the Nokia Lumia 1020, Nokia have once again partnered with ZEISS optics to provide six physical lenses to ensure clear images. The smartphone also features optical image stabilisation to cut down on any possible camera shake; making low light photography a possibility when combined with the built in Xenon flash.
The Nokia Lumia 1020 runs Windows Phone 8 and will come supplied with Nokia Camera Pro, special software to make the photo taking experience as easy as possible. The new smartphone’s photography capabilities are further bolstered by an optional Nokia Camera Grip, providing extra battery power, improved ergonomics for photography and a proper mechanical shutter button to make the experience feel like a more traditional camera. This will set you back an additional $79 USD.
Let’s not forget that the Lumia 1020 is still a smartphone at its core, as well as an impressive camera, and in terms of specifications you are looking at a 4.5” AMOLED screen with a resolution of 1280x768 and featuring Corning Gorilla Glass 3. Processing power is backed by a 1.5Ghz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor and 2GB of RAM. Storage capacity weighs in at 32GB with 7GB of SkyDrive-based cloud storage thrown in. The rear-camera is the aforementioned PureView 41MP which creates images at 7712 x 5360 resolution, while the front-facing camera is a 1.2MP wide angle for those all-important selfies.
The Nokia Lumia 1020 will be available in the US on July 26th and across Europe in the coming months.
A week living with the wearable technology future that is the Pebble smart watch.
“Wearable technology”, seemingly the technology buzzword of the moment, a bit like “Phablet” of last year. A movement partly fuelled by excitement around Google’s Glass turning us all into living breathing privacy nightmares and rumours of impending wrist-based computing from the likes of Apple and Samsung.
But it all really started with the Pebble, 2012’s poster child for the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter and responsible for kickstarting (pun absolutely intended) this “smart watch” wearable technology movement.
In reality, Pebble wasn’t even the first “smart watch”; Sony already released its originally named SmartWatch device earlier in the year. However, whilst well intentioned, it failed to set the world alight and many have failed to even realise its existence.
The story of Pebble’s inception will likely go down into tech infamy: the project creators had initially tasked themselves with raising $100,000 from the Kickstarter platform and, instead, got more than they bargained for when they ended up raising an astonishing $10,266,845, as backers scrambled to part with their cash.

The unexpected demand and increased capital were not without their problems however; as the need to manufacture enough watches to meet this demand now arose and posed their own logistical problem for the Palo Alto based company, Pebble Technology.
It now also had to deal with a public demanding the product they had backed, and demanding it yesterday. An unenviable job.
Full disclosure, I was one of those many demanding backers. Merely one of the 68,929 eager backers, caught in the wave of hype and hysteria, wanting to get in at the ground floor on this “Customizable E-Paper Watch” phenomenon.
Fast forward to just shy of a year on from when the project closed on Kickstarter and money taken from my account, I now have a Pebble watch in my possession and have been living with it for just over a week. Here is how I’ve been getting on with my new wrist-based companion.

Packaging
The Pebble arrives in an unassuming cardboard package, albeit one that is very clearly branded on its exterior, revealing its contents. If your mailman knows his technology or just hasn’t been living under a rock, this may be cause for concern should your package mysteriously vanish in transit. Fortunately mine did not, although it was held to ransom (read: customs charges).
Ripping open the cardboard packaging reveals its contents, which is distinctly barebones. Inside contains the watch itself, the magnetic USB charging cable and that’s it. No fleshed out instructions, no safety warnings, absolutely nothing else. Which seemingly makes sense, the firmware on the watch itself is subject to change, as is the app that runs on your smartphone, but these are points I will return to later in this review.
The Design
The Pebble is unassuming in its industrial design and distinctly plastic-y. The wrist strap, too, is nothing to write home about, but this is at least is a standard size and user-replaceable. The sides of the watch itself are adorned with four hardware buttons, one on the left and three on the right.
The left button serves as your “Back”, moving one up in the hierarchical menu system. The centre button on the right is “Select”, flanked by “Up” and “Down” buttons used to navigate through the menu choices. A standard and logical approach to navigation considering the lack of touch-based controls we have all grown accustomed to.
Initially I found the physical buttons particularly difficult and stiff to press, but these have broken in over time. Pressing them can still be more difficult than need be, however. I often find myself having to place my thumb on the left side and essentially “pinch” the watch to activate the right-sided buttons. A minor annoyance but one worth pointing out.

Another annoyance, and one that can’t really be levelled at the Pebble itself, is that getting access to the watch can be difficult dependant on your sartorial choice. If you’re wearing a shirt with a jacket over the top, as I am oft to do, this can be particularly difficult. A strange observation you might think, but for a device that is essentially positioned as designed around convenience, getting to the watch can sometimes be more inconvenient than reaching into your pocket and just grabbing your phone. Again, I concede this is not a fault of the watch, perhaps more of my dress sense.
The watch itself is not particularly big, nor is it heavy, which would potentially have made it difficult and uncomfortable to wear. It feels no different to wearing any other watch.
The Pebble comes in a variety of colours, I initially opted for Orange. However, Black Pebbles were manufactured first and, after the promise of expedited delivery should I change my order, I was coerced into changing to Black. I have no real qualms with Black; it is modest, unpretentious looking and goes with most outfits. The standard strap fits like any other strap - I use the third smallest hole for my wrists that are reminiscent of a malnourished pre-pubescent girl, just like any other watch strap. It serves its purpose.
Update:
You might have noticed in the photos my watch jumps between black and red in colour. This is because I ended up purchasing a skin wrap from GadgetWraps, which does a suitable job of injecting some colour whilst protecting the watch face from scratches.
The E-Paper Screen
Much has been made of its E-Paper screen (not to be confused with E-Ink) and it does its job well. In bright daylight it is perfectly legible. However, under certain lighting you can see a sort of ‘rainbow’ effect that can be a bit distracting. Imagine a slick of oil floating on water and you might be able to picture what I mean.
For darker environments the Pebble features a backlight which can be activated by the accelerometer. This means a flick of your wrist or a rigorous tap of the frame will activate the backlight. Alternatively pressing any of the hardware buttons will activate it.
The screen measures 1.26in with a resolution of 144x168 pixels, which isn’t going to set the word alight. The size means that you’ll need to scroll to read most messages, but then you’re not likely to want to consume more than a few lines of information from your wrist. I probably don’t have to point out that the screen is also monochrome.
Battery Life and Charging
The E-Paper screen is a low power display and this helps to keep the Pebble running for approximately a week, which has been my experience. Newer firmware updates promise improved battery life and the watch is yet to utilise Bluetooth 4.0 which it supports, so this should have a further positive effect.
I have very little complaints about the battery life and feel that charging once a week is about as far as I would go. It is certainly an improvement over the three day battery life of the Sony SmartWatch.

Charging is accomplished over a proprietary magnetic USB cable which attaches to the bottom left side of the watch. The creators opted for a proprietary cable in order to achieve the watch’s waterproof capabilities, rather than going for an exposed, yet standardised, micro-USB port as you see on most smartphones.
The magnetic cable attaches with a satisfying click. I’ve not seen how to order a replacement charger cable should yours break or get lost, which is a concern.
Software and Apps
Here we reach the real reason for the Pebble’s existence: the promise of notifications and relevant information piped directly to your wrist.
When it was announced on Kickstarter, there was the promise of integration with a plethora of smartphone applications, such as running and golf rangefinders and cycling. To date only one of those has come into fruition with the recent announcement of Runkeeper integration through a new sports API.

It may be some more time before the application ecosystem for Pebble reaches its full potential, with new elements being unlocked over time. Two-way communication between watch and application only recently became available to developers and this is the most promising development yet. The creators promise this has the potential for Facebook/FourSquare check-in applications, remote control capabilities for internet connected devices and watchfaces augmented with internet data.
I have been using Pebble exclusively paired with my Nexus 4; as such my review is based on use with the Android operating system. In order to pair the watch with your smartphone, you will need to run the Pebble application on your smartphone and pair the devices over Bluetooth. Outside of this, the smartphone application has quite limited functionality. It also serves as how new firmware and applications are pushed to your watch.

You can use it to decide which notifications should be pushed to the Pebble device and you can choose which music application you wish to use remotely control from your Pebble. I found this slightly annoying as a user of both Spotify and Google Play Music. It will only control one at a time and will not dynamically swap between the two based on what application you last used, in the way that your inline headphone remote may do. This means that if you have it set to control Spotify, then hop into Google Play Music, pressing skip on your watch will still skip tracks in Spotify, unless you explicitly switch controls over to Google Play Music.
Again, when trying to limit the need to fish your phone from your pocket, this is inconvenient and to me feels like an oversight that can be easily corrected.
Using the official app, the notifications that can be pushed to your Pebble are also rather limited. Instead, I would advise looking for “Pebble Notifier” on the Google Play store. This allows any and all application notifications to be pushed to your wrist. This is also the only way that I could get Whatsapp messages displaying in a legible manner (the official Pebble app says Whatsapp integration is in beta). It also means that I can get Falcon Pro Twitter notifications.

Notifications are delivered to your wrist with a satisfying vibration (which can be turned off) and the backlight illuminating. These vibrations will be very welcome for anyone, like me, who can never hear or feel their phone when it is in their pocket. I miss countless phone calls every day this way, so feeling the vibration on my wrist immediately is welcome.
I also get various notifications through the night and I never take the watch off, so far I have not been awoken from my slumber by a notification. Although I have yet to receive a late night booty call, so your mileage may well vary.
The way that notifications are handled at present is not ideal. The watch will only display the most recent notification, with no way to scroll back through old notifications. Reading a notification on the Pebble should be the determiner as to whether it is worthwhile looking at your phone but, as it stands, if the most recent notification is just another spam e-mail, you may choose not do so and miss something interesting from earlier in the day. There needs to be a way to scroll through notifications and I am hopeful this is forthcoming in future software updates because, otherwise, this is a major oversight.
In terms of watch-based applications, the selection is few and far between at the moment but this should hopefully change as the SDK is revised and improved. At present you can expect a large amount of custom watchfaces, ranging from the inherently geeky to analogue to eye-catching. Websites such as My Pebble Faces and All Pebble have become unofficial repositories for custom watches. There are also a number of games, such as Snake and Tetris clones, although I’m not sure how often you would be inclined to play a game on a wristwatch.
Final Thoughts
It has been a long year leading to this point and one I have spent eagerly anticipating the Pebble’s arrival. However, a year in technology these days is almost epochal. Pebble Technology has barely made a dent in manufacturing enough devices just to fulfil the initial Kickstarter orders, let alone begin fulfilling preorders via the website.
Manufacture has been plagued with delays and I can’t help but feel this has caused the SDK to not be as fleshed out as it could have been.
The Pebble shows a lot of promise but with Apple or Samsung poised to bring a smartwatch to the masses it may be too late by the time it reaches its full potential. In its current guise, it does what it does well enough. I will certainly keep it firmly attached to my man-child wrists for the foreseeable future and I’m excited at its prospects. Will this be the case when a more mature offering reaches the market?

Having to not constantly reach into my pocket for my phone has certainly been liberating and will undoubtedly save on future wear and tear of my trouser pockets. It will be the smaller things you will find yourself unable to live without, like having caller display on your wrist when using a hands-free headset, changing music track from in the shower or just being able to easily skip tracks if your headphones don’t have an inline remote. It’s the small conveniences that may make a big difference.
I will end on this observation: I am looking forward to a future filled with the confused faces of people trying to decide if I’m just distracted by a notification on my watch or because I find them incredibly boring and am in fact checking how much of my time I will not be getting back.
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