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Python client for the $20 Colmi R02 smart ring

(tahnok.github.io)
353 points tahnok | 3 comments | 14 Oct 24 01:06 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
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TechDebtDevin ◴[14 Oct 24 10:34 UTC] No.41836168[source]▶
I'm so excited to play with this. I just ordered one. I've gone through two Oura rings (I do not reccomend). I'm not sure this will be reliable but it cost me $14.00 not $300 and doesn't charge me monthly to access a mediocre api.
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pards ◴[14 Oct 24 12:31 UTC] No.41836902[source]▶
IMHO companies should not be permitted to "sell" devices that require a subscription to function - that's a rental model - especially when there's only one service provider.

Either sell the ring and include lifetime membership for free like Garmin [0], or _lease/rent_ the device on contract and charge a monthly fee. Don't do both

The Oura starts at $469 CAD [1] plus $7.99 CAD per month [2].

[0]: https://connect.garmin.com/

[1]: https://ouraring.com/product/rings/oura-ring-4/silver

[2]: https://support.ouraring.com/hc/en-us/articles/360052018753-...

replies(4): >>41837063 #>>41837809 #>>41839372 #>>41839809 #
1. RunningDroid ◴[14 Oct 24 14:22 UTC] No.41837809[source]▶
> Either sell the ring and include lifetime membership for free like Garmin [0], or _lease/rent_ the device on contract and charge a monthly fee. Don't do both

An example of something similar is quip¹'s subscription, you buy the toothbrush and subscribing to the refill plan gets you a "lifetime"² warranty

1: getquip.com

2: lifetime of the subscription

replies(1): >>41838162 #
2. wjnc ◴[14 Oct 24 14:59 UTC] No.41838162[source]▶
What are your thought on risk / reward (more precise: cashflow matching) with regards to physical products with a software component? I think buy (hardware) + fee (software) is the natural way of looking at things. Just as you pay separately for car maintenance.

The buy-once, upgrade-years model puts too much risk on the developer. Which in turn results in lousy experiences for customers (dropped support for software, loss in value of hardware on the second hand market). I actually bought an iOS app twice because I found it crazy to be able to use the same €5-app as a baby monitor for over a decade. That is probably a single developer churning out features at a low pace, but continuously for a big part of a career.

replies(1): >>41839459 #
3. crusty ◴[14 Oct 24 17:02 UTC] No.41839459[source]▶
Buying a car and paying for maintenance is not analogous. You buy the car - it works. Paying for maintenance is just meant to keep it working for longer. You could buy a car, not pay for maintenance and drive it until it breaks. That's very different than buying something that is completely non-functional without the subscription.

Also, aside from some very specific and new instances, car maintenance has not been provided solely by the manufacturer or authorized dealers.