I have been following the story of the Pebble; a bluetooth-enabled ePaper smartwatch, for almost a year now. Every time a new article about the Pebble watch came across my wire, I became more excited about this product. When I read that Pebble raised $10 million ($150 each) on Kickstarter in less than a month, I knew that I wasn't the only person excited about this product. When I heard that Pebble would miss its September launch, I was disappointed but I didn't give up hope. Since then, tech pubs like Forbes, Engadget and Wired have all been singing in anticipation of the Pebble watch.
If for some reason you have been living under a pebble, the smartwatch is compatible with iOS 5 and iOS 6 on the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5 or any iPod Touch. For Android owners, the Pebble will be able to connect to devices running OS 2.3 (Gingerbread) and up. Currently, Pebble does not work with Blackberry OS or Windows Phone 7/8. The device features a 1.26-inch black and white ePaper display and although the device comes with a very fashionable black or white (depending on the color watch you choose) rubber strap, the Pebble can be worn with any standard watch strap as well.
Besides being able to display the time in numerous cleanly-designed, customizable, interchangeable watchfaces, the Pebble is also able to set alarms and control music from iTunes or a streaming music service on the host smartphone. Not to mention, the watch will be available in a host of color options. But, the main attraction is that the watch is able to receive notifications for calls, email and a variety of messages (including iMessage). The ultimate multi-tasker.
This is something I personally, have always wanted and during a CES keynote today Pebble announced to its initial Kickstarter contributors that their devices would start shipping on January 23rd. Those who pre-ordered the watch after the Kickstarter funding was closed will start receiving their devices 4-6 weeks later.
Watch the keynote (Skip to 11:30).
Engadget went hands on with the Pebble today and put together a very nice video detailing the many features of the Pebble watch. The hardware is well designed and sleek. The operating system seems to run very smooth (Get it?). The watch plays as an excellent front-end for your smartphone as the integration is extremely tight.
I can't wait to get my Pebble. My Wife isn't thrilled with my passion for such an amazing device but I think she will come around when she sees how cool, calm and connected I am with the Pebble on my wrist. As soon as mine arrives, I will report back with my thoughts and if you get one before I do, let us know what you think in the comments or on facebook.
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