yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Other SmartWatches] flascrnwrtr:
Yes, said that they had spoken with Spigen and were working on it.

Still in design and will release pics as soon as complete.

If you didn't already order one during the campaign, you will probably have to e-mail them to see how they want to add it to your order and charge for it. info@neptunepine.com

I don't remember there being any memory upgrades, once the campaign was complete. The later date was if you wanted CDMA and better glass, but nothing with memory, other than people saying that they hoped the March releases would have class10 instead of class4.
[Other SmartWatches] Srwilliams:
You know that is a novel and very good idea. I think this may be my answer for when i wear suits and ties. But it is starting to make me wonder. Because of its size as a watch the farther I get into wearing it on my belt or as a pocket watch, it is starting to make me wonder am I getting farther and farther away from the concept of a companion watch for my phone to keep me from having to pull out my large cellphone from my briefcase. It seems like for all of these options the route to be taken is for the watch not to be a companion but a substitute for my cellphone (i.e. standalone device). If that is the case it makes me wonder why would I go from a standalone 5 1/2 fully functional phone screen to a 2 inch screen, especially if I am going to wear it not as a watch but wearing it on my hip by way of a belt clip. If I am going to wear it as a belt clip apparatus then I could have done the same thing with say an iphone or galaxy S3, which have good footprints to wear on the belt.

These are some things that I am contemplating. I am a gadget junkie and I love jumping on the newest and brightest. But as I think this out from an everyday use perspective it is raising so many questions. It is like when the Ipad first came out I was the first in the store to purchase it, thinking it would replace my laptop. After using it for a week and seeing that it was not a laptop replacement and that for reading emails and surfing the net my smartphone served the same purpose I could not find out how the Ipad fit into my everyday regime. I guess I am now going thru the same thing with the Pine. If it is too large to wear as a watch when you have business attire on, which reduces it to be used as a standalone belt or pocket apparatus, then I am wondering if this is better accomplished by means of a regular sized smartphonhe as opposed to a two inch smart watch.

I am very confused at this point and I simply have to work my way thru this. Who knows perhaps the size of the Pine is conducive to dress attire (suit coats and dress shirts).
[Other SmartWatches] markyboy81:
I agree with you here, but for me I wouldn't be looking for the pine to replace my smartphone or be a companion. I plan to keep my phone and use my galaxy gear for day to day use, then reserve the pine for sporting activities, trips and maybe holidays.
[Other SmartWatches] Srwilliams:
Markyboy81:

I think you got something there. Maybe I will take your advice and use the Pine the way you suggest and that is when I am simply not going to carry my cellphone, like on long hikes, biking, etc. I like your suggestion. I think I am going to repurchase the Samsung Gea and use that as a companion to my phone when I am working during the day. To that end, I must admit the Gear worked out perfectly.

Again, thanks for helping me sort thru this and gain a perspective on how to use the Pine
[Other SmartWatches] markyboy81:
No worries, I think the gear is quite underated, for me it's a solid companion, even though it's features may be lacking, what it does it does flawlessly and I even get relatively good battery life out of it.

I backed the omate truesmart and the pine in the hope that one of them can be used as a sports watch. The other I'll have to get rid of before my wife notices a big dent in the bank account!
[Other SmartWatches] flascrnwrtr:
Just an FYI for everyone. I have talked with Beanstown106 and he is interested in dev'ing for the Pine. This is awesome news. Nathan has said that, if he wins the clockface contest, he will donate his 64GB Pine to a dev. If not, we will need to see if Neptune will supply him with one or maybe we can all pitch in on one for him. I myself would be happy to do so. Let me know what you guys think.
[Other SmartWatches] RudeReality:
Lets try for the freebie, first...lol
[Other SmartWatches] mgk_pine:
Good Idea, we could first wait for Nathan, but else should make a collection.This will bring us many advantages.
[Other SmartWatches] Contra1971:
I really like what it does, but I just cant get over its size...it is massive...like strapping a cell phone to your wrist

my biggest fear/problem with is it bumping it into things or getting it snagged on things...lol
[Other SmartWatches] flascrnwrtr:
It always makes me laugh when the size of the Pine comes up, because it's like hearing all the same stuff people say to me about my Note 3.
[Other SmartWatches] ronaldheld:
Good news that Beans will be developing for this phone.

For standalone cellular usage how would you get Verizon to allow us to use it on their network?
[Other SmartWatches] darkproximity:
They're working with Verizon right now to get certification to run on their network

---------- Post added at 04:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:32 PM ----------

Also, I didn't want to post this on the kickstarter page, as I don't want to stir up any fuss against neptune, but according to Qualcomm, the Snapdragon S4 Play (MSM8225 and MSM8625) wasn't listed as receiving kitkat support.

I deduced this by looking at their kitkat announcement here and checking each phone they're supporting to looking at which SoC it's running. Of all the phones listed only the Snapdragon S4 Pro, and Plus are among the S4 chips being supported.

I'm guessing the S4 play chips didn't sell very well, and it's not worth qualcomm's time writing drivers for kitkat.
[Other SmartWatches] RudeReality:
Way to quash the rumors of kit-kat...ruiner! Just had to poop in my punch bowl, huh? Lol...kidding. That won't end the rumor, likely, if the truth killed them that easy, they wouldn't be so insidious.
[Other SmartWatches] darkproximity:
Well, I think neptune hasn't ruled it out because its possible for qualcomm to write the drivers for it. But I'm just going to be realistic and say they probably won't. The snapdragon s4 play SoC was announced in September 2012. It was their budget SoC, and from my research wasn't used in any big named devices :/
[Other SmartWatches] vectron:
Verizon certification sounds almost as awful as FCC certification (referring back to Omate TS discussions) or Google Play certification (since resolution is different on TS). These big companies don't want to rush with certifications because of the extra headaches to support 3rd party.

None of these HK selling watches with GSM support require AT&T certification, so hopefully VZ will not be a show stopper.
[Other SmartWatches] darkproximity:
It kinda sucks that it takes so long for certian certification approval. It's almost like once the next big phone finally comes out, the technology is already outdated by the companies that manufactured the parts in the phone itself
[Other SmartWatches] ronaldheld:
Thanks darkproximity. It would be helpful to have Verizon accept it as long as it does not become unrootable and no unlockable bootloader.
[Other SmartWatches] RudeReality:
Tech is just that way...by the time it hits store shelves, it's already outdated. Built in obsolescence. Standard procedure in product design today, they don't build anything to last anymore, because then you won't ever need another whatever-it-is. They figured out that math long ago. The old saying 'they don't make 'em like they used to' has never been more true.
[Other SmartWatches] ffinder:
I have the Z1:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Z1_Android_Watch-Phone

Almost as bulky as the Pine, tiny bit smaller at 2 inches.

Didn't have any problems, happy user for almost a year.

For looks and as having it near my hand looks indeed so weird

i sometimes tighten it away from my hand

as further up as possible. Being so lightweight

you sometimes may forget that it's there

unless you look. And if you wear long sleeve shirts

you may cover it and it's totally gone.

Never had any problems hitting or snagging it

except in hard garden work in which case

i leave it in the house along with my car/house keys.

Most of the time i turn it around my wrist so that

the display is always facing the floor and because it's jet black

most of the time people won't even notice that it's there

attached under my wrist,

they will only see the wristband on top of my wrist!

ff
[Other SmartWatches] theoppositeman:
Good point there ffinder.

It depends on how people deal with wearing bulky smartwatch like pine.

We usually realise it at instant when doing heavy activity and not wearing it fir safer precaution and earlier i mentioned too, that ia where the clip comes in handy which we can clip it to our pants/belt or just slip it in the pocket when doing things like that.

I think when the time comes when many will put their eyes on Pine and users will keep talking about it, Neptune will eventually realise they nees to make many useful accessories for the pine as well as safety ones.

i do hope they'll create a steel straps which is much elegant and the base to clip on the pine will be thinner than the current one.

T28@MT1-U06 HAM
[Other SmartWatches] seth50k:
There's CM11 ports for S4 Play devices, so at least there's that.
[Other SmartWatches] darkproximity:
Well then that's good news
[Other SmartWatches] spinedoc:
Thanks for the info. I'm having 2nd thoughts, although since the KS was already funded and my card charged I don't think I have a choice anymore Lol. I finally found on their webpage where they list the thickness as 14.2mm, that's freakin twice the thickness of my iphone 5s. Coupled with the huge bezels and I'm really not thinking I will want to be out in public with this thing. I initially thought I'd get the clip and clip it onto my belt, but if it's that thick that might not work well.

I'm still curious what "tougher" glass is. Not many updates once they got funded (if any?).
[Other SmartWatches] darkproximity:
Well it is christmas time, so not only are they closed but its possible the glass companies they're dealing with are also closed. If no information flows to them, then they have no info to share with us
[Other SmartWatches] seth50k:
They're off until Monday.
[Other SmartWatches] markyboy81:
The thickness of the pine doesn't really bother me as it's still as thin or thinner than a lot of sports watches. I'm slightly concerned about the length of the watch though, although I can see the need for the extra size.

For what I plan to use it for ( sports and holidays) I'm sure it'll be fine.
[Other SmartWatches] spinedoc:
Are sport watches really thicker than 14.2mm?!?! I'm just looking at my iphone 5s and trying to picture a watch twice as thick.
[Other SmartWatches] markyboy81:
Casio gshocks are over 15mm thick and I wouldn't say they were abnormally thick
[Other SmartWatches] spinedoc:
I didn't realize they were so thick. I think in the form factor of a watch it might not be bad, like the Omate. But being basically a brick slapped onto a strap might be weirder. Anyway I hope I'm pleasantly surprised when I receive it.
[Other SmartWatches] markyboy81:
I know what you mean, I certainly couldn't imagine wearing it on a daily basis.
[Other SmartWatches] RudeReality:
I guess I'm alone in not being overly bothered by the size of the Pine. I'm not sure how much smaller a piece of ERGONOMICLY FUNCTIONAL tech could be, and still be usable. IMHO, I think we need to get used to the size constraints of wearable tech; it is less impacted by the know how of micro-sizing, and more about being usable. I've no doubt that smart phones will be able to be made smaller, I'm just not sure they CAN get any smaller without a new form of user imput. The Pine isn't Leela's bracelet from Futurama, I'm happy. Besides, my whole thrust is to rid myself of the phone in my pocket, which is much more prone to being dropped from my pocket/hands, or misplaced. Having the Pine on my wrist alleviates those concerns, I care not that it's a big watch. All the better for you to see me, dear!
[Other SmartWatches] theoppositeman:
A lot are bothered by the Pines 14mm thickness. Dont exactly know why its a bothering thing to some.

Remember when we all hold our first ever phone in the 90s? Its merely more than our thumbs thickness, but still we were proud holding it. If we bothered enough to its 14mm thick, then why some people wearing those expensive/less expensive elegant look wristwatch that sometimes exceed the 14mm thickness? Was it because its ++ carat gold, superior look steel? Thats what i think.

For me, if i can wear my ipod nano6g (same thickness as pine), i wont hv problem with pine. And now having a 6" in my pocket dont seem ro bother me having 14mm on my wrist.

And why this thickness becomes an issue to backers when before pledging its already stated there, 14mm and those pictures clearly shows how it looks on someones wrist?

T28#HOX
[Other SmartWatches] flascrnwrtr:
Yeah, this is what I don't get. It's not is if Neptune suddenly released pics and dimensions AFTER all the pledges were in and the campaign ended. It, to me, is like buying a motorcycle and then bemoaning the fact that it only has 2 wheels and you'll probably get wet when it rains. Did you not notice this before you bought... a motorcycle.

It's great to have a wishlist of what you hope the Pine will become over the next generations, but to be upset or dissatisfied with things that we all KNEW were the specs on this first release is kind of ridiculous. Now, let's all get back over to KickStarter and gripe about how we haven't gotten our surveys yet. Watch out for the falling sky on your way over. Especially you, RUDE! :p
[Other SmartWatches] spinedoc:
There's a difference between having a thick phone and a thick phone slapped on your wrist. But you are right, we shouldn't complain about the size if we knew it before hand. It's kind of hidden in the bottom of the KS page in some faqs so I never really saw it until after I pledged, but that's my fault. I don't think I've ever seen a watch that was the thickness of 2 iphones, is that maybe a rapper trend like wearing a clock as a necklace? Certainly I don't think it's the norm, but even then at least they have the form factor/shape of a watch, this is one thing I think Omate got right.

Honestly I think it's going to look like one of those project boxes from Radio Shack with a screen slapped on. It will be cool though in certain situations where you don't want the size of a phone. Also it frees you up to carry around a small tablet and use them with each other.
[Other SmartWatches] speedyink:
Why don't you wait until Apple releases the iWatch in 2016? Sure the first iteration will be as functional as a potato and start at about 12mm but after four or five generations it might reach your 7mm requirement.
[Other SmartWatches] vectron:
Good one, speedy :)

Speaking of 2nd gen, I'm actually really curious to see intro of Gear 2 in Feb @ MWC and how much they have learned from 1st gen mistakes.

Don't get me wrong, I'm still rooting for little guys and continue with my reviews/testing/support of MetaWatch and Omate, but we have to be realistic about all these crowdfunding campaigns, and in my opinion the ONLY company probably to get a 2nd gen shot is Pebble. They continue expanding beyond KS into Best Buy, Amazon, and AT&T stores, which means they can back up their claim to fame with sales numbers. Plus, they just announced their own app store and keep pumping firmware updates which means they also have a decent sw support behind the product. Everybody else have to do something out of ordinary to appeal to common masses, not just to a small group of curious geeks (such as ourselves). Just think about it, 1st gen gets backed based on promises and crowd investing money into a project. For a 2nd gen - you need to use the leverage of your 1st gen success (in every aspect of it from delivery time to hardware quality and software support) in order to make a case with real investors to back it up. Samsung and Sony don't have to worry about it because they have plenty of money in a pot to cover next gen of even unsuccessful over-hyped projects. As a matter of fact, I think these big companies should be "giving away" their smartwatches for $100 to sell in a bundle with their new S5 and Xperia phones.

Didn't mean to get off topic, but it kind of got steered that way. Just my opinion, but I don't see 2nd gen for any of the crowdfunding projects as of now, maybe only Pebble if they redesign the watch to make it look less like a plastic toy. MetaWatch hired Frank Nuovo of Nokia fame to make a 2nd gen watch, but I think it's just a move in Vertu fashion market direction. But anyway...

With Pine, I think they might get a 2nd gen shot if they focus on "Android GoPro" all around rugged device for the same crowd that uses GoPro. I can't imagine anybody taking their android phone to go surfing or kayaking ;) With a decent POV video recording, full android support, and GSM/CDMA wireless connection - you all set!
[Other SmartWatches] spinedoc:
No interest in the iWatch from Apple, there's no way it will be a standalone phone. Some of you guys shouldn't take it personally, I'm just discussing phone specs. This is the first iteration so I expect it to be more of a beta. I'm probably the only guy on here who is considering NOT using this on my wrist, but rather as a standalone cell phone so I'm not sure if I want to trade height/width for thickness.

I'll be happy if I can actually put it up to my ear and use it as a regular cell phone, does anyone care to venture a guess if the speaker and microphone are too close together to do something like this?
[Other SmartWatches] speedyink:
I don't think anyone's taking it personally. When you stress three different times in three different posts that something isn't as thin as your iPhone 5s (Make sure we all know you've got the newest one!), one tends to take that as being an Apple fanboy, that's all.

Smart watches are new, it is not a segment that can be refined to the extent of a much larger cell phone yet. Yes, the Neptune Pine is large, I wouldn't wear it personally. But it's not so much the thickness for me, it's the face size coupled with the thickness. Right now the only other choice is the smaller face size with similar thickness, like the Omate and such. That's all we got until the segment can mature more.

Your last line is interesting though. Would be a pretty cool device as kind of a micro phone.
[Other SmartWatches] spinedoc:
That's weird that you would think I'm bragging just mentioning my phone, that's what I'm comparing the pine to. I'm also far from an apple fanboy, I'm actually MUCH more of a Microsoft fanboy. Anyway I was only trying to stimulate discussion, didn't mean to offend anyone. It's only a cell phone, nothing I think anyone should take personally
[Other SmartWatches] speedyink:
Sorry, I wasn't calling you a fanboy, just saying what it looked like from an outside perspective.

I haven't backed the Pine nor do I plan to. But I do think it's an interested device. Someone mentioned it being the Android Go Pro, I think if they were to market it like that it would take off. It is too big in my opinion to be marketed a watch. Not that people shouldn't wear it as such, just think it would be more successful if it was marketed as a small go anywhere type phone that happens to have a watch accessory.
[Other SmartWatches] |SavageD|:
Post deleted....
[Other SmartWatches] spinedoc:
Yeah that's my feeling as well. I really hope it functions as a "mini phone" because I don't have the option to wear a BT headset all the time, that would be pretty awesome. Having it clipped to my belt is MUCH more convenient than having a phone in my pocket, and a phone clipped to my belt is just too large.

I haven't heard back from their customer service, anyone know if they are still off for the holidays?
[Other SmartWatches] ronaldheld:
I would hope that it performs well as a standalone phone for that is why I would buy it.
[Other SmartWatches] bogdi1988:
I actually sent them an email about 2 months ago asking them about standalone phone fun functionality without the need for a Bluetooth headset and they confirmed it will work just like a regular phone.
[Other SmartWatches] flascrnwrtr:
Hey, everyone. I just finished communicating with Beans that I was asked to have him get in direct contact with Simon Tian and they would set him up with a Pine to dev on. This is awesome news, especially for anyone who has ever used any of Beans' ROMs. I am really stoked for this and even more anxious to get my Pine than I was before.
[Other SmartWatches] RudeReality:
I like the sound of that, indeed!
[Other SmartWatches] theoppositeman:
+1 brian@flascrnwrtr.

T28#HOX
[Other SmartWatches] |SavageD|:
:)

I am also considering using it as a stand alone phone. But I also plan to use it occasionally on my wrist for "geeky occasions".
[Other SmartWatches] :
This is interesting. I'm just curious about it, will it be connected through your device for making calls and what not?
[Other SmartWatches] Qwertyloops:
Lol just read their kickstarter. It's the main thing they say.

Its capable of being completely standalone. Pop your SIM in and use it. But they also said it will have apps to make it a companion device for whoever still wants to have their phone around.
[Other SmartWatches] ronaldheld:
Anyone have an estimate when Verizon will allow it on their network. In principle you might be able to someday buy it at a VZW store.
[Other SmartWatches] seth50k:
Neptune is estimating by March timeframe. I think that VZW allowing the device might take longer. especially given the fact they don't even have a CDMA Pine designed, or at least didn't at late Nov/Early Dec.

I'm doing GSM. CDMA is too much hassle. If I had VZW or sprint, I'd just tether the pine to my phone and be done with it.
[Other SmartWatches] ronaldheld:
It would be nice if the CDMA version were usable on the Verizon network by the summer. Could you only pay the activation fee and swap the SIM card between the phone and watch?
[Other SmartWatches] seth50k:
VZW doesn't allow devices on their network they haven't tested/certified first. AFAIK a 3G CDMA device doesn't even use a SIM, only LTE devices on VZW use SIMS.
[Other SmartWatches] ronaldheld:
I suppose we just have to wait. I do not recall how many more years the CDMA network will be up.
[Other SmartWatches] seth50k:
Yeah I had heard somewhere VZW was going to switch at some point. It makes sense, over 80% of the worlds networks are GSM based.
[Other SmartWatches] vectron:
Yep, you guys nailed it with Verizon/CDMA comments. It's too much hassle and will take awhile to design. In my opinion, Pine guys are NOT electrical designers, they write a spec and contract the design to Chinese manufacturers who design other generic smartwatches - nobody over there has access to CDMA radio chipset, otherwise we would see a lot of generic 4G LTE watches already. If anybody thinks otherwise or some Pine reps can chime in, feel free to correct me.

I'm telling you my opinion, as someone who reviews a ton of gadgets and accessories, to me the promise of CDMA was a big PR move to keep Pine in the news during KS campaign. I could be wrong, sure, but even if/when CDMA version is ready - it will take forever by FCC and Verizon to approve it. It's a fact.