Quick glance at Bangle.js 2 vs. Bangle.js
Better late than never - I received my Bangle.js 2 end of last year, but am only starting to play with it now. Let's start with a comparison with its predecessor, the original Bangle.js
Bangle.js
Origin
This smartwatch was introduced 2 years ago - see this Youtube video, presented during a London Node User Group, and Bangle.js page on Espruino website for more details.
It defines itself as "an open, hackable smartwatch" and indeed that's the case as you can either upload apps from the Web, or create and load your own apps using JavaScript or e.g. Blockly.
Features
In terms of features and sensors, it is pretty complete:
- IP68 Waterproof: up to 10m underwater
- Nordic 64MHz nRF52832 ARM Cortex-M4 processor with Bluetooth LE
- 64kB RAM 512kB on-chip flash, 4MB external flash
- 1.3 inch 240x240 16 bit LCD display with 2 zone touch
- GPS/Glonass receiver (UBlox)
- Heart rate monitor
- 3 Axis Accelerometer (with Pedometer and Tap detect)
- 3 Axis Magnetometer
- Vibration motor
- 350mAh battery, 1 week standby time
- 5 x 5 x 1.7 cm case, plastic with stainless steel ring
- Can be disassembled with just 4 screws
Test
I bought this Bangle.js in February 2021 as it ticket a lot of boxes, especially around having a more open smartwatch that I can use not only for basic stuff (steps counter, alarm, ...) but also running.
Sadly I quickly dismissed the idea, for 2 main reasons:
- the watch is really bulky! Wearing it all day long is a bit painful
- the screen is nice when inside, but when outside, it's completely unreadable, making it just useless when running
That's a shame, as in terms of accuracy, it was not too bad, as you can see in the below picture, where I wore the Bangle.js and an Apple Watch while running, and the distance and pace are OK.
There were other things I didn't like, such as:
- the screen is not always-on - not a deal breaker, but nice to have,
- the form factor (round) with a square screen means that there's some lost space, making the display a bit weird
So I put it in a drawer and kept using my PineTime as a daily driver, and my Suunto 9 Peak when running or biking.
Bangle.js 2
The Story
When Gordon Williams announced that he was starting a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter for the next iteration of Bangle.js (surprisingly named... Bangle.js 2), of course I had a look!
And to say I wasn't disappointed would be an understatement!
Basically, Bangle.js 2 "fixed" all the issues which made me put its big brother
in a drawer:
- much better form factor: rectangle, not bulky,
- always-on display, clearly readable outside,
- battery life x4 compared with Bangle.js (4 weeks vs. 1 week)
- OK, that's standby time, but still!
- Touchscreen
- also, it comes with a standard 20mm watch straps, meaning you can replace it
So I went ahead and orderd a unit, which I received end of 2021.
Side note: from what I understood, Espruino is managed solely by Gordon, so he basically took care of everything - not only designing the Bangle.js2 and developping a firwmare for it, but also all the logistics (including Royal Mail messing up with some packages), so hats off!
Design
I won't go into a lot of details in this article, I'll write another, much more detailed one in the coming weeks.
Here's Bangle.js2 (left) compared with Bangle.js (right):
As you can see, Bangle.js2 is a lot smaller!
User interface
Unlike Bangle.js, which came with 3 buttons, making navigating its UI pretty
easy, Bangle.js2 has only one button.
Navigating the UI is done using the touchscreen - it takes a bit of time, but
you get used to it:
- press to enter a menu,
- swipe up to increase/switch value,
- swipe down to decrease/swtich value,
- press again to switch back
Wrap Up
My first usage of Bangle.js2 has been really positive - very comfortable to wear, nice screen, battery life is fantastic.
In a next article, I'll write a lot more about my experience using it as a daily driver.
Tags: Geek