- cross-posted to:
- technology@lemmy.world
- cross-posted to:
- technology@lemmy.world
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Not even Garmin can resist the temptation?
Oof, better hold out hope for Repebble I guessOoh. Thanks. Today I learned about RePebble. If it doesn’t deliver, there’s still also Gadget Bridge (connect most devices fully locally) and PineTime (another spiritual successor to the Pebble).
Easy fix:
Buy a fitness/smart watch - an older one is fine, why go excessive
Download GadgetBridge from F-Droid/Droidify and then use that instead of a proprietary app which is just harvesting your data and telemetry at every chance:
I wish that was the case, but it absolutely doesn’t even come close.
All existing health data and features, however, will remain free.
Perfect!
Oh no, good thing gadgetbridge exists
AFAIK gadgetbridge is not even close to a replacement WRT functionality? Last I checked it only supported basic data import, has that changed?
It depends of how well supported a specific model is
My Forerunner 165 is well supported, nearly the same as the official app.
What features are you missing?
You cant use it to create or manage workout plans. It is feature complete for the health data as far as I can tell (HRV, sleep, etc).
You cant use it to create or manage workout plans
Bummer, that’s a pretty significant reason for owning a sports watch I would say, probably one of the most important features actually.
Is workout tracking feature complete?
Yes workout tracking works fine, not quite as polished as Connect but it is functional.
I just tried it with my Fenix 6 and it does not appear to work at all despite being listed as partially supported. My watch can’t even be discovered by the app, even after factory resetting it and removing all of the Garmin apps from my phone.
That’s a shame. I’ll go back to wearing my mechanical watch for a while, I think.
Well, that truly sucks and could lead to me swapping to another brand if it adds ads to upgrade to my connect app.
I paid a lit IF freaking money for my watch and included services.
INFACT I am going to email them my opinion on this and warn them I will absolutely leave in one Garmin recorded heartbeat
I also submitted feedback there. Probably amounts to nothing but you never know.
Garmin feedback is taken seriously. You likely will get a response if you added contact info.
Their customer service are top notch. I’ve gotten new watches, bands and free shipping to and from for different issues.
This change is no different than any other company on the planet. Land grabbing for AI. It’s a paid tier. None of their free or core feature sets have changed at all.
I am really hoping you are right on this. Honestly id rather they don’t give me AI features “for free” seeing as how I don’t want them anyway
If 100k people do it could, but ya low expectations for sure
My suggestion is post what you did everywhere people with Garmin watches will see it, encourage others to submit feedback
Uch, was already willing to get rid of my garmin but this just gives me more motivation
It’s also not trustworthy. Would you want the united states to have access to your heart rate, pulse ox, gps location, and other health stats?
My main reason for wanting to get rid of it is indeed #BuyFromEU based, but tbh I’m also still using my google pixel (looking to install Graphene once I bought my appartement, don’t want to risk issues with my bank app right now)
Probably getting a withings watch soon™
There are lots of European smartwatches as well. I too had a garmin but after the united states declared war on canada we have/are purging all US tech/products from our house.
Withings is french :)
My main issue has always been battery life, garmin was and still seems like the only watch able to go so long on 1 charge (outside of withings, but those are hybrid watches)
Polar was on my radar but still crazy expensive for meh battery life (my #1 requirement)
I had a garmin instinct solar 2 and that battery life was approximately 29 days so I hear you.
Check out suunto! Similar to garmin and some of their offerings have similar battery. The suunto cores battery is 12 months in watch only mode according to their site.
Garmin makes toilet paper, right?
Don’t know about tp, but they are certainly making shit now.
For the android users, just gonna put this here
Thank you. Installed for when I finally find my charger.
Time to search for a new brand for my next watch 😓 (when I need it)
Pebble!
Google (which purchased Fitbit, which had bought Pebble) still owns PebbleOS - https://repebble.com/
Right in their website.
Ow, you are right. And it looks like part of it is a licensing problem too…
See also: https://repebble.com/
Wym see also, that’s the link I shared 1 hour ago in this very comment chain.
However, one of the founders of the OG Pebble just announced a revival.
Why are you linking me the same website I linked?
That isn’t really an issue as PebbleOS is open source.
Unfortunately they don’t include a GPS.
Pinetime
Yay more shit that nobody asked for.
Yikes… Once my current Garmin watch dies I’ll just switch back to a regular non-smart watch
For anyone else wondering, you can export all your Garmin data .Use the “Export All Garmin Data Using Account Management Center” option here https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?faq=W1TvTPW8JZ6LfJSfK512Q8 The output is json files so you can use any json editor or anything that can import json. I use a little tool called JQ https://jqlang.org/ to extract just things I need. Then I can analyze in whatever tool I want such as a spreadsheet
There is also a Python module to pull your data.
I just saw DC Rainmaker’s video on this, and I’m not impressed. In any case, I’ve bern using my Garmin watch mainly for running, and I’ve been more interested in spot data than history on Connect. Still, I’m on my last Garmin watch. The hardware itself seems to last for only 18-24 months before problems start piling up, so I decided that my next watch will be Coros. I’m under no illusions that the hardware would be more reliable, but it costs half of what I’ve paid for my Garmin.
I’ve had and seen several last for years with daily use and never had an issue. Their support has been top notch anytime I had an issue I’ve gotten a new watch or several bands free of charge. They even paid for the return shipping of my old device.
My old FR 110 is still working. Since then:
- Vivoactive HR - 2 years in, the casing broke at one of the points where the wristband is attached. Material fatigue. Out of warranty.
- Vivoactive 3 - 2 years in, altimeter went haywire. Also, battery life decreased to one day. Just out of warranty.
- Fenix 6 - 1.5 years in, GPS got really bad. As in, drift of over 200m from route. Within warranty, so I contacted them and they sent me a replacement watch. That one is still working, and I hope it will for a long time.
By now, I developed a certain expectation of the life of Garmin watches. I divided their price with expected lifetime, and compared that with similar data for Coros. Coros is simply better value for money.
I’ve had several Garmin Venu’s and GPS devices inside the car. But for specifically health trackers I have yet to find a more comprehensive coverage of overall health data. That’s easily accessible to anyone. I seen you mentioned spot data is what you prefer. A Polar H10 might serve the niche better for heart data. Self hosting options for them.
Sure I’d like it fully open source and more on device functionality rather than APIs and algorithms in the cloud. But pound for pound Garmin still runs the fitness and health tracking sector. There are some newer companies popping up with promising options but the tech and IP just isn’t mainstream yet.
The green mile. A great movie for those wondering.
I’ve bought Garmin devices explicitly because they didn’t do these things, and promised not to do these things. Since I know they’re not going to retract this decision, I am going to look into trying to get my purchases refunded.
This is taking it to heart for sure. Nothing wrong with your POV but it’s opinion and their tech has no comparison currently. Literally zero has changed. They added a paid tier and done what every company on the planet is doing. Trying to land grab AI because it’s the latest and greatest.
