After teasing us with the appearance of a sudden timer and invites that said ‘OMG, we’ve something up our sleeves!’, Pebble has surprised us with the release of updated Pebble and Time watches. But, the key attraction of the release is Pebble’s first non-smartwatch release, the Core.
Let’s show some love to the latest edition to the Pebble family, and then talk about the updated capabilities of the new smartwatches. The Core as Eric Migicovsky(CEO of Pebble) puts it is the companies first try at a non-watch product. The Core is like a tiny computer with 3G, GPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, a small amount of memory and Android, that you can attach to your keychain.
The Core can be described as Pebble’s attempt at making a smart, light-weight and affordable fitness tracker that will complement the watch line-up. It is a product designed specifically for runners laying focus on health. The Core wants to rid you off the hassles of your smartphones(which you can leave at home) when you go for a morning jog, and make exercising fun again. The Pebble Core still keeps you connected and in control of your routine. The Core also hosts a headphone jack, and can stream music directly using Spotify. The running data and statistics are synced with the phone using Strava, Google Fit, MapMyRun and Under Armor Record.
The Core has a SIM card slot for cellular support, nine hour long battery life while streaming music and using GPS. The watch also syncs all the app data as and when you complete an activity. It also doubles as a key-chain and doesn’t require any arm-bands to carry it around. Pebble Core comes with a USB charging cable included, but you can also use a wireless charging pad for just $20.
We built the entire product around [ease of use/music streaming]. It’s just $70. It’s super affordable. You can go for a run without the Core, but if you use the Core, it shows you your speed, your distance traveled, you can change music and do all kinds of other things.
says Migicovsky.
Another impressive feature of the Core is the voice note functionality, which allows you sport creativity and record notes on the fly. The ability of the Core to run both Android and JavaScript apps using Pebble’s core JavaScript framework will give developers ample opportunity to port and bring their apps on the Core platform.
The Pebble Core is joined with its big brothers, Pebble 2 and Time 2.
The Pebble 2 still remains true to its roots and supports a bright black and white e-paper display. The new version promises a week of battery life on full-charge, heart-rate monitoring, step counting, sleep tracking and much more. The new watch is also water resistant upto 30 meters and will be shipped to the backers from September, at just $99.
The high-end colored version of the original Pebble smartwatch, Time 2 has also been renewed alongside its predecessor. Most of the sensors and tracking features remain the same, but the high-res Time 2 promises a battery life of 10 days and a built in microphone for voice control. The Time 2 will start shipping two months after Pebble 2, i.e in November starting at $169. We’re more than satisfied with the release of three new products, but an update to the elegant Time Round will be much awaited.
All three products have yet again been released via KickStarter today, you can go back the project and receive your desired product once the project page closes and the production period begins. Migicovsky on being asked by TechCrunch for a reason behind releasing the watch again through KickStarter said that,
Tesla launched the Model 3 a couple of weeks ago, and they basically launched a giant Kickstarter. They took down payments for a car they wouldn’t ship for years. You’ll see more and more that this is just how companies work in 2016. They work more closely with their community to talk about what features they should build in. And they roll with that.
Today’s release definitely lays focus on the fact that Pebble is all about diversity and branching out to provide value to consumers by building a community around them. The KickStarter project has received an over-whelming response from Pebble supporters and has already crossed its goal of $1 million in just an hour of its release. The company has put their faith in three new products released today, and it will be interesting to see where the ship sails from here on…
