Smartwatch maker Pebble has returned to its Kickstarter roots, with a campaign for a new cellular-connected wearable device, and two new fitness-focused smartwatches.
Pebble 2
The Pebble 2 is a major upgrade to the original Pebble smartwatch. It offers built-in sleep, step, and heart rate tracking along with the usual notification and app capabilities.
The new smartwatch is iOS and Android compatible, and offers a black and white display that is visible in any lighting, and also offers and anti-scratch screen coating, a built-in mic, up to a week of battery life, and is water-resistant up to 30 meters.
The Pebble 2 is compatible with over 13,000 existing apps and watch faces, and runs on an update version of the Timeline operating system.
The Pebble 2 starts at $99 on Kickstarter, is available in flame, aqua, black, white, and lime and begins shipping in September 2016
Time 2
Time 2 is the second edition of Pebble’s popular premium smartwatch, which features a stainless steel design, a built-in microphone and heart rate monitor, and a color e-paper display that is over 50% larger than the previous version, with 80% more pixels to offer the ability to view twice the amount of text as before. The battery can last up to 10 days per charge.
The Time 2 also offers all of the features of the Pebble 2, and is compatible with both iOS and Android devices.
The Time 2 starts at $169, is available in black, gold, and silver and should ship in November 2016
Pebble Core
Pebble Core is a new type of wearable device, the first of its kind to be offered by Pebble. The device is a cellular-connected clip wearable that allows runners and exercisers to leave their smartphone at home, yet retain the ability to track their pace, distance, and location via GPS, stream music from Spotify, record voice notes, and send an emergency SOS if needed.
The Core supports 3G and Wi-Fi networks, and supports both Bluetooth and wired headphones. The Core offers up to 5 days battery life per single charge, and can be charged via a USB cable, or an optional wireless charging pad.
Pebble says the Core is a tiny, hackable Android computer, so hackers can make use of it in their own projects, turning it into a button to perform all sorts of tasks, such as call an Uber with a click. Track your pet from across the world. Stream data from your car’s ODB port. Pilot a drone from the web. And more.
The Pebble Core starts at $69, and is available in black-red and begins shipping in January 2017.
The Pebble Kickstarter has already exceeded its $1 million funding goals, with limited early bird and lower pledge tiers still available as of the time of this article.
For more information, visit the Kickstarter page.
