InfiniTime 0.13.0 - a quick look
With this release, we're very close to having a fully functional (albeit basic) smartwatch. So let's dive in!
Reminder
If you've read my previous article giving my honest feedback about the PineTime after a week of usage, you'll remember that while I loved the watch, it was still missing basic features, such as HRM, step countings, vibration, or usable notifications.
I also explained that this was still work in progress, and those features would likely appear soon.
And guess what? That's indeed the case!
What changed since this review
As a reminder, you can also view all the InfiniTime releases "at a glance" here.
Release 0.11.0
Introduced 2 main features:
- Heart-rate sensor application,
- Navigation app
Full review here
Release 0.12.0
Only one feature, but critical: improved BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) connection.
Really worth it, OTA now works perfectly (used to fail and you had to do an OTA
upgrade 4 or 5 times before it succeeded).
The above link also talks about 0.12.0
Now Release 0.13.0!
Released one week ago (February 14th, 2021), I like to nickname it "Valentine's Day release" ;)
It introduced 2 main features, and 2 minor ones:
Main features:
Vibration
Probably one of the most critical features I was missing!
It works really well, the vibrator motor is "energic" enough that you can feel
it easily, but at the same time, it isn't unpleasant.
Call notification
Also nice to be able to not only see that someone is calling you, but also decline a call, "muting" the vibration on the watch, and answer the call (although the last one doesn't work on Amazfish yet).
Here it is in action:
Minor features:
- Nicer icons for music app
- More improvements for BLE connectivity
Wrap-up
You now understand why I was stating at the beginning of this article that with InfiniTime 0.13.0, the PineTime gets closer to becoming a real smartwatch.
To be fair, the only missing features in my opinion, is the steps counter, and
we'll be good!
Of course, there will still be improvements possible (e.g. all-day long HRM,
longer battery life, ...) but that makes this journey so exciting and
refreshing, seeing new features and how engaged the community is!
With that, if you haven't upgraded to 0.13.0, please do so, and give your feedback on Twitter, by mentioning me (@cartron), and with the #PineTime hashtag!
Tags: PineTime, SailfishOS