I got my Pebble in May 2013 and it changed my life. At that point, I had not worn watches for over 2 years (thanks, phone clock) and I was not sure how I’d adapt to having a watch on my wrist again. Here’s how that went down.

As an iPhone user, in the initial phase of my ownership the Pebble, it’s utility was fairly limited because only system notifications came through on it. For other notifications, the infamous Notification Centre dance had to be performed per app. On some days, I’d be either too lazy to do it, or forget about it altogether. The Pebble was just a watch with a cool watchface that lit up when I flicked my wrist. With the advent of iOS 7, this was no longer the case and all notifications came through on the Pebble by default. It was a major turning point and it was only then, that I fully realised the value of a Pebble.

To explain how useful this is for me, I need to detail a bit of background. As a completionist (almost to a fault), I have the pressing need to deal with pending communication. If I get a message on any channel of communication, I need to take care of it (by replying or completing and action) as soon as I see it. I also want notifications from apps other than messaging apps. As a result, whenever my phone buzzed in my pocket, I would take it out and look at the notification. If it was a message/mail, I’d deal with it. If it was something else, maybe my gems were forged in Infinity Blade II or some random spambot followed me on Tweetbot, I’d look at the notification, press the lock button to turn the screen off, and put the phone back into my left pocket.

The day iOS 7 was released, or well, technically, the day the iOS 7GM was released (I have iOS developer access), I noticed something strangely brilliant. I was getting all my notifications on my wrist and I hadn’t done the Notification Centre button dance yet.

This. Felt. Magical. Not only was this super cool, but it was also super useful. It became an essential cog in the flow of my interaction with the phone. Within a matter of weeks, my phone interaction habits changed to include the Pebble. Here is my iPhone Interaction Workflow™:

Feel the phone buzzing in my pocket.
Hold up my wrist to see what it was.
Respond/complete the action if the notification was a message or a call to action.
If it was Infinity Blade telling me that my super cool gem was forged or @spamaccount1234_ following me on Twitter, I’d just carry on with life as is. It made my life so much better. I can’t overstate its utility.

The other great feature of the Pebble is the music control panel in the watch. I can pause the music on my phone without reaching into my pocket. This is particularly useful when I was at a shop of some kind, with music/a podcast playing on my phone. I’d usually be carrying something or be listening to the stuff right until it was time to interact with someone. At this point, I’d just pause the playing track from my wrist, complete the conversation, and carry on with life. Completely hassle free.

All this makes me optimistic about the future of the imminent wearable wars. It can’t get here soon enough.

If you’ve noticed, this post is in past tense. That is because this is a part of my past now. I’ll detail this further in part 2 of my Watch Chronicles.