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Intel Recalls Basis Peak Smartwatches Due To Overheating (techgage.com)
Deathspawner writes: Intel's Basis has just sent an email to customers who own a Basis Peak smartwatch with some bad news: it's being recalled. In mid-June, Basis admitted that its flagship (and only) smartwatch had the chance to overheat, and then asked them to wait for a firmware update. Ultimately, a firmware update couldn't have been issued that wouldn't have compromised the user experience, and as such, the company is asking for every single Basis Peak to be returned for a full refund -- it will even handle the shipping. Users can still access Basic Peak services until December 31, 2016, after which they will be turned off and the watch will be rendered useless. If you own a Basic Peak, you can visit the support site and follow the instructions to return your unit and claim your refund.
Oh wait, that's because they really did get burnt and was super painful. But nonetheless.
Their recall website says it's for the Peak recall "and B1 returns"... I've entered my data to return my B1 and it accepted it, but it doesn't say what the terms for that are (how much they'll refund, etc.). Everything I see online only mentions the Peak.
Does anyone have more info on the B1 return? I used mine for a while but really didn't like it for several reasons so it's been sitting in the drawer. It'd be great to get a refund so I can invest in something newer/better!
I used to have a sig, but I set it free and it never came back.
Intel chips run hot?!! Say it ain't so!!
I guess I'm not reading /. enough.
This is the new Intel where quality means nothing and cost cutting is King. They will probably respond to this by laying off engineers with more than 2 years experience and replace them with cheap college hires or off-shore workers. I wonder how this fiasco will fit into their cost cutting measures.
I've never heard of this company, but it's called "Basic" twice in the summary, and "Basis" four times. Consistency?
Even if you have no problems, they can kill the device by killing the remote platform.
Twitter supports and protects racists - by smearing their critics with the "Hate Speech" label.
Sorry, my watch overheated
...that all this sweat was from workout :(
In the recent Apple WWDC Keynote, Apple demonstrated the coming Update to their WatchOS (WatchOS 3). Performance across the board increased, with App Launches happening around EIGHT TIMES faster, and several other actions "snapified"(tm).
And that was WITHOUT changing the hardware.
So, clearly, Apple knows how to design a SmartWatch, and Intel needs to stick to desktop and server CPU design.
So they have your name and can recover everything you did on it and said around it, including GPS.
Or can they? Maybe they can find out if the trick worked before deploying similar better-planned spy devices?
You woudn't want your arm to catch on fire and shit right? Better give us the booty.
Intel. Known to cooperate with US government spy agencies like a mother fucker.
I own one of these, so I'm sad to see that the service is being stopped. I initially got it just for sleep tracking, since it was the best in that category at the time. But after I got it, I also started wearing it during the day because it was just a damn decent watch; that is, it was good at telling the time. The LCD display was large and clear, and the band was very comfortable. It's actually one of the best and watches I've ever owned, just as a watch. I would charge it for a few minutes each day when I took a shower, and this was enough to top up the battery.
I also had a minor knee surgery in December, and I found that it was very useful for tracking my steps during my recovery. Finally, when they updated it to receive notifications, I was surprised at how convenient it was to get text messages on my watch.
So all in all, it was a great piece of hardware and I'm sad to see it go.
I would have returned it just on the basis of that! Didn't people learn from the Sidekick/Microsoft/Danger phone fiasco from last decade?