Pebble is committed to bringing cutting-edge fitness and health smartwatches to the market and it aims to do so while being transparent about its inner works.
The OEM recently made quite a few reveals. First off, Pebble opened up its proprietary fitness tracking technology by publishing the algorithms that get it running. Secondly, it launched an app that can track the mood of smartwatch wearers. Last, but not the least, it unveiled the results of a sleep study.
Pebble teamed up with Stanford Wearables Lab in order to have the best algorithms for its app, and Standford University doctoral student Nathaniel Stockham gave a sneak peek into the research.
"I am making these two algorithms available to the public to encourage the use of a standard set of measures," wrote Stockham, who specializes in neuroscience.
The first algorithm, he said, is able to detect and measure motion while the second counts the user's steps. It should be mentioned that the second algorithm differentiates between running and walking, making it suitable for fitness apps. Earlier this year, Pebble pushed out a very geeky step count app inspired by Super Mario Bros.
The company considers that advanced algorithms are essential in order to provide health care scientists with accurate data. At the same time, third-party developers could rely on Pebble's algorithms to improve how wearables work.
The OEM also rolled out a mood tracker dubbed the Happiness app, which takes feedback from users when they are awake. Some testers were annoyed by the hourly feedback requested by the app, but the more data you have, the more accurate the conclusion will be.
To get a detailed picture of your environment, the app asks you about your recent and current activity and is curious to know who you are with. This gives it enough data to reach a solid reasoning about the factors that influence your state of mind.
Susan Holcomb, head of Data at Pebble, detailed testers' experience with the app.
According to Holcomb, her mood was elevated as she was engaged in social interactions. Other testers found out surprising things about themselves, such as the fact that their happiness surged after meals.
It looks like having users pelleted with recurrent questions can help them shift their behavior. One tester started to hydrate properly after the Happiness app repeatedly questioned him about his daily liquid intake.
The developing team behind the Happiness app chose to evaluate energy and mood separately, as the two could sometimes be divergent. This is very prominent in Holcomb's case, where high energy levels during commuting were on opposing poles with her mood during traffic hours.
Although being subjected to daily random questions can push some people's buttons, keep in mind that the app will be insistent in gathering data for just one week. After the period passes, a thorough report will be emailed to the user.
You can try the app out for yourself on its official page.
Pebble also published the conclusions of a sleep study that points out that morning people are not as sociable as night owls.
Whichever of the company's smartwatches you own, be it a Pebble Core, a Pebble 2 or a Time 2, the app will help you make informed decisions on how to organize your productivity and social interactions for maximum results.
