iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

pengwengsrcool.bsky.social @pengwengsrcool.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

I have the OG Time Steel. In my opinion, the OG is definitely built sturdier and better protects the hardware. The strap pin mounting holes are drilled holes in the steel casing, rather than holes in plastic like on the PT2 (the metal on the outside won't change the material science of plastic).

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pengwengsrcool.bsky.social @pengwengsrcool.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

What about offering some more privacy-oriented login methods? :) It would be nice to see options that aren't governed by three of the largest tech giants Google, Apple and Microsoft.

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pengwengsrcool.bsky.social @pengwengsrcool.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

You don't need to do anything in particular for this to happen. It's just physics. Plastic will degrade just with time alone. Temperature, sunlight, humidity, oils etc. You'd be surprised what forces are at play at the tiny surface area, few degrees of angle inside the pin hole. And, edge goes first

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pengwengsrcool.bsky.social @pengwengsrcool.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

Don't underestimate the strength of the metal spring-loaded rod. :) Not only do you need more plastic material to match the strength, but plastic is also softer and WILL degrade and wear over time in a manner that steel absolutely will not. Steel will also happily deform to a point without weakening

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pengwengsrcool.bsky.social @pengwengsrcool.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

I'm already considering whether I should modify it with a metal insert or redo the case (which will allow for other modifications as well). But it's not a cheap watch and a redesign wouldn't have made it more expensive, so I wish they sufficiently considered material degradation everywhere.

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pengwengsrcool.bsky.social @pengwengsrcool.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

The plastic still has room to deform and wear away. It will degrade (it's physics). I really wish the pin hole was steel like the original Time Steel. I absolutely rely on this watch staying on myarm and I regularly move it up and down my arm (elastic band), and even taking it on and off regularly.

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pengwengsrcool.bsky.social @pengwengsrcool.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

The best products are engineered at the mercy of design limitations and clever ways to utilize components and materials in the best way possible. The Index 01 could be thinner, lighter, safer and wirelessly rechargeable with a rechargeable LFP cell. So in this instance, we can have everything.

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pengwengsrcool.bsky.social @pengwengsrcool.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

It should still be sustainable in other ways. It matters. And there are easy ways to address this in the Index 01.

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pengwengsrcool.bsky.social @pengwengsrcool.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

4.7g multiplied by how many per year or per two years? 🙂 The manufacturing of all the material, components etc. matters too. It adds up. We already, as a human species, are well past "reasonable" when it comes to waste and pollution. And there are not even good reasons to make this disposable. 🫤

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pengwengsrcool.bsky.social @pengwengsrcool.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

Eric is right about the device's merit, but (imo) not in the way it was designed. It's efficient, but has to be with a single-use battery. The equation woulf be different when a smaller lithium cell could last for 6 months to 1 year and charge via Qi2 (place it on your phone to charge).

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pengwengsrcool.bsky.social @pengwengsrcool.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

Make it charge wirelessly (Qi2). No charge adapter needed. And also, why just assume people will lose the adapter? Besides, manufacturing an entirely new ring is FAR WORSE than just producing a new adapter (IF someone lose it and IF it has no Qi2 charging). Put LFP in it, make it charge via Qi2. 🤷‍♂️

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pengwengsrcool.bsky.social @pengwengsrcool.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

He was commenting in regards to the new ring (Index 01). Is the ring repairable? Can we replace the cell? You will have many opportunities to expand on this idea and make an Index 02 with more functionality, so I don't assume you do this to make more money. But still the wrong design choice, imo.

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pengwengsrcool.bsky.social @pengwengsrcool.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

Please look into what people are saying. 🫤 The facts are: - You could make it safer with LFP (a lithium chemistry safer than silver-oxide) - More compact (1 year rechargeable battery life) - Lighter (Wh/g is low on silver-oxide) - Wireless charging (no adapter to lose) - No need for disposable tech

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pengwengsrcool.bsky.social @pengwengsrcool.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

Same size lithium cell would last 1 year (if the silver-oxide lasts for 2 years). I might even be understating the lithium battery life because pouch cells have potentially much better Wh/L than cylindrical cells. It could be thinner and lighter (incl. charge circuit etc.) and >6 month battery.

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pengwengsrcool.bsky.social @pengwengsrcool.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

Easily solved by just using an LFP (LiFePo₄) cell. They are safe. Don't generalize all lithium cells Even if you use NMC chemistry, you can make it fail in a safe way by making the inner part of the ring in steel, and design the failure mode such that the battery would expand outwards, not inwards.

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pengwengsrcool.bsky.social @pengwengsrcool.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

It's about both! Potentially replacing a tiny rcharging adapter (that is IF you lose it), is better than havikg to buy an entirely new manufactured ring with steel, PCB, electronics, battery, silicone etc. Many people won't lose it. AND you can make it charge wirelessly! No dongle needed!

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pengwengsrcool.bsky.social @pengwengsrcool.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

No, not exactly. 🫤 It was including the weight of charging ICs and pins/coils. Lithium cells have double the Wh/gram. And you can even halve the capacity (making it 1/4th the silver-oxide capacity) and have 6 months battery use and charging. Easily making it thinner AND lighter AND rechargeable.

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pengwengsrcool.bsky.social @pengwengsrcool.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

No but it will die on you after the battery is depleated and you hve to constanrlt rebuy it. 🫤 As for the "no subscription", that's unecessary and a given in my opinion. But the fact that you need to constantly rebuy it makes it a de facto "subscription". A consumable.

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pengwengsrcool.bsky.social @pengwengsrcool.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

But it's easily avoidable by foing with a lithium chemistry that is SAFER than silver-oxide! Lithium Ion isn't the chemistey, it's a huge umbrella of a diverse range of chemistries. LFP (LiFePo₄) is safe a considerably safer than silver-oxide. If you want safety, that's what you want.

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pengwengsrcool.bsky.social @pengwengsrcool.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

Calling critique for negativity doesn't mean it has no merit. 😉 You even say you "take no notice" and "ordered on the spot". What you're essentially saying here is that you block your ears and don't listen because you already decided what your view is gonna be. 🤷‍♂️

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pengwengsrcool.bsky.social @pengwengsrcool.bsky.social · 10/12/2025

But is it worth $75 plus shipping and import VAT (>100) and then $99 plus shipping and import VAT (>125) every couple years or even every year? When it could've just been thinner and lighter AND rechargeable and last 6 months or a year instead (and then you just charge it)?

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pengwengsrcool.bsky.social @pengwengsrcool.bsky.social · 10/12/2025

The problem with that statement is that it csn be thinner and lighter with a rechargeable battery. 🫤 So it's not really a trade-off, it's just making the profuct worse and less sustainable without good reason.

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pengwengsrcool.bsky.social @pengwengsrcool.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

Besides, this is a low amount of energy we're talking. So even if it's not LFP, I wouldn't be worried. If they source quality cells and don't over-charge them, it's unlikely to have any safety implications. If the ring is designed right, I don't see how it could swell such that you cannot remove it.

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pengwengsrcool.bsky.social @pengwengsrcool.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

Lithium cell safety is tied to stuff like top-off voltage, e.g. NMC. LFP is so safe you can even physically attack the bare cell without it catching fire or exploding. LFP/LiFePo₄ is a chemistry. It is both mature and super safe. Nominal voltage of 3.2 V, very flat discharge curve, high efficiency.

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pengwengsrcool.bsky.social @pengwengsrcool.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

Char lim on Bsky. 🫤 No, lithium is double the Wh per gram. So incl. charge Lithium is safer than silver-oxide if LFP (LifePo₄). LFP has some lowered stats, but still quite good. Actually, with pouch (not cylindrical), li-ion have better metrics. So maybe I even grossly understated li-ion metrics.

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pengwengsrcool.bsky.social @pengwengsrcool.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

🫤 It has a non-regargeable 1.6 V silver-oxide battery cell. Once depleted, it dies. Silver-oxide cells seem to have double the Wh/L and only half the Wh/g. So same volumetric size lithium cell would last 1 year, but be rechargeable. Smaller lithium cell would last 6 months. Smaller + lighter ring.

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pengwengsrcool.bsky.social @pengwengsrcool.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

I think they could fit a battery in the ring "rim" and still have it last 6 months. I suspect the cell is fitted at the top (under the clicky button & PCB) of the ring, as the dimensions of it aligns with available silver-oxide cell dimensions. Too large in the ring, perfect fit in the click box.

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pengwengsrcool.bsky.social @pengwengsrcool.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

Meaning, it could be the same size and same weight with 1 year usage. For 6 months usage, it could be smaller and lighter. Lithium: (more than) double the voltage, half the current, 1/4th the voltage drop (= efficiency gains). So, smaller, lighter, sustainable. Extra components are dirt cheap.

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pengwengsrcool.bsky.social @pengwengsrcool.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

🙂 If this one lasts 2 years, same size rechargeable cell would last 1 year. Silver-oxide cells seem to have double the Wh/L and half the Wh/g compared to li-ion. There are smart rings lasting a week with HR sensors, step tracking etc. Some even have screens. And they cost way less ($20-$60). 🙃

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pengwengsrcool.bsky.social @pengwengsrcool.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

I agree. Charging is trivial. It has a one-use battery, but small li-ions cost nothing. Wireless charging (Qi2) would be universal (if the diameter is large enough). $20 smart rings have rechargeable battery and health sensors. This is way simpler than that and have an MSRP of $99. Disposable tech.

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pengwengsrcool.bsky.social @pengwengsrcool.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

1. My guess is yes, but if the silicone overmold seal fails, then you might get water intrusion. It might be further sealed inside, though. Erics seems to wear it all the time and want it to woek in the shower. But with 30 day warranty you have no guarantee. 2. Info page says "up to 5 min" storage.

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pengwengsrcool.bsky.social @pengwengsrcool.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

It will die once depleted. It has a is a non-rechargeable 1.6 V silver-oxide battery cell. Once that energy runs out, it's a paper weight or finger ornament. 🫤 Not sustainable at all. I really hope they redesign this one. Small rechargeable li-ion cells + charging ICs cost almost nothing.

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pengwengsrcool.bsky.social @pengwengsrcool.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

Actually, a lot is actually sold or given away. Or disposed of at local recycling stations for free. At least that's extremely common in Norway. Most grocery stores have a recycling station for battery cells, light bulbs, electronics and drink cans/bottles. And required for electronics stores.

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pengwengsrcool.bsky.social @pengwengsrcool.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

Much better to dispose of at your local recycling station. It's steel, PCB + parts, silver-oxide cell and resin/plastic/silicone/TPU. Sending it a long distance for recycling is unecessary packaging + pollution + logistics. We even have recycling stations in most stores here. Best: rechar. li-ion

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pengwengsrcool.bsky.social @pengwengsrcool.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

I like the idea, but a non-rechargeable battery is a deal-breaker for me. It's not that it never needs charging, it'll just die. 🫤 And if you open it up to replace it, you need to yet again use a 1.6 V non-rechargeable cell. I'd rather have a more complete product with charging and haptics. 🫣

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pengwengsrcool.bsky.social @pengwengsrcool.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

I arrived at a different perspective after reading both sides' blogs among other things. Objectively speaking, Eric's suggestions were better for the community. Maybe not for Rebble, but for the community (including the Rebble community, which I'm part of). Opening up and decentralizing is better.

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pengwengsrcool.bsky.social @pengwengsrcool.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

It would then either be larger than the Core Pebble Time 2 or you'd have to have a cropped 1.26" screen again (meaning a tiny 1" again, which I don't dee happening). Then there's how inefficiently everything packs into a round body. All these problems because of an aesthetic preference? 🙂 🤷‍♂️

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pengwengsrcool.bsky.social @pengwengsrcool.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

I don't think there is a round display part that is both MIP transflective LCD, regardless of whether it's color or B/W. So their option would be to yet again crop the 1.5" screen. Forcing all content into a circle. It would probably fit less text than a 1.26" square Pebble screen. 🤷‍♂️

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pengwengsrcool.bsky.social @pengwengsrcool.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

Pretty sure the Pebble Time Round was just a very nerfed Time with a circular-cropped screen and massive bezel. So, instead of 1.26" you got 1" (which is tiny!). 🤷‍♂️ Even the 1.2" Pixel Watch has a tiny screen and that one at least has high resolution. I really don't get the fuzz about round watches.

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pengwengsrcool.bsky.social @pengwengsrcool.bsky.social · 28/11/2025

This is messed up and needs broader attention in the media. I'd feel bad if I visited France and spent money there as a tourist. I don't want to support a country erroding safety and basic rights like this. The person mentioning duress pin: yes. Who would've thought it's needed in the EU... 🥲

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pengwengsrcool.bsky.social @pengwengsrcool.bsky.social · 28/11/2025

That's kind of how it has been though. With the Rebble app (and until recently) you could only load one repo and that was the not entirely open Rebble Store. What is happening now is that Pebble supports multiple repos at once, making it irrelevant if you have 1 or 20 repos. That's how it should be

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pengwengsrcool.bsky.social @pengwengsrcool.bsky.social · 28/11/2025

It shouldn't be proprietary or kept to one provider, at the mercy of that provider. I'm not saying I think Rebble shouldn't host anything, I'm saying that having a locked down or dependent store and repo is a danger to the eco system regardless of who is in control of the web store and repo.

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pengwengsrcool.bsky.social @pengwengsrcool.bsky.social · 28/11/2025

Doing something for a decade doesn't mean you own something you scraped. The point here is that we should preserve the future and keep it open. To all. Not just to Rebble and hope they do the right thing. The point is that we shouldn't have to trust any group of people or entity to do right.

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pengwengsrcool.bsky.social @pengwengsrcool.bsky.social · 28/11/2025

Google has been running Play Store for longer, but F-Droid is still the better choice. Rebble Store is NOT open. Also, some services non-free. 🙃 Of course I don't expect a web store to be locally run, I never wrote that. I wrote "services that could be run locally". Like weather and voice to text.

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pengwengsrcool.bsky.social @pengwengsrcool.bsky.social · 24/11/2025

Why should it belong to Rebble and not the people? Why should it not be hosted openly for all, by a neutral third-party? Why should Rebble enforce non-sustainable use-restrictions and force avoidable hosting and maintenance burdens? E.g. services that could run locally on-device. Rebble is an entity

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pengwengsrcool.bsky.social @pengwengsrcool.bsky.social · 24/11/2025

He doesn't want to control it, he wants to preserve it. Which is why a neutral third-party was proposed as a host. Rebble doesn't own the database either (they scraped it, and tbf, may have saved it). It belongs to the people, not some entity or group of people, with use-restrictions (there is now)

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pengwengsrcool.bsky.social @pengwengsrcool.bsky.social · 24/11/2025

Along with multiple dependent non-free services and lack of choice of how these services are hosted. Pebble already made one of these services locally hosted for free (more to come), whereas Rebble makes this a maintenance and host burden (both for Rebble and the user). There's more to this.

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pengwengsrcool.bsky.social @pengwengsrcool.bsky.social · 24/11/2025

Can we please take a step back for a minute and not rush to conclusions? Tbf, it's a scraped database either way. It belongs to the people, and not through a proprietary or dependent host. It should be open and free. That's what Eric is proposing. Rebble for some reason want it kept depent to them.

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pengwengsrcool.bsky.social @pengwengsrcool.bsky.social · 24/11/2025

"Their platform", whih was scraped in the first place. It belongs to the people, in my opinion. Rebble's platform pose restrictions and dependence too, and paid services instead of it being hosted locally (which Pebble suggests). 🙂 The suggestion of a neutral common host is the best one yet.

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pengwengsrcool.bsky.social @pengwengsrcool.bsky.social · 24/11/2025

I think you're missing the point slightly. If they agree to a publically available database and also agree to both supporting this common open repository, then that would be solved. Besides, I prefer being able to load whatever repository I want, not dependence. Just like F-Droid or gits today.

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