Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Intel Recalls Basis Peak Smartwatches Due To Overheating (techgage.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the warning-may-be-hot dept.

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.

5 of 31 comments (clear)

  1. Intel made a smartwatch? by fortfive · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I guess I'm not reading /. enough.

    1. Re:Intel made a smartwatch? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      It is actually a really good fitness tracker; much better than than the Fitbit and Polar Loop I had. Calling it a Smartwatch is a bit of a stretch, as it was design to compete with Fitbit and similar fitness/sleep tracker products. It has some basic notification functions (SMS, messages, email, etc), but no "apps" that can be installed. To me, it can't be called a Smartwatch if it is not designed to have 3rd party apps installed like Android, Apple, and Tizen (Samsung) are designed to.

  2. Re:Intel = Space heater by stevel · · Score: 2

    From what I read, it's the heartbeat-sensing LED on the watch's underside that overheats.

  3. Re:Basis or Basic? by OzPeter · · Score: 2

    I've never heard of this company, but it's called "Basic" twice in the summary, and "Basis" four times. Consistency?

    Normally I'd make some comment about "are you new here?", but I know you've been around for a long time and should know better.

    --
    I am Slashdot. Are you Slashdot as well?
  4. The Basis Peak was actually really good by coldsalmon · · Score: 2

    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.