Both Pebble and Fitbit have officially announced and hence confirmed that the speculations pertaining to Pebble's demise are indeed true.
Pebble 2 and Pebble Time 2 have been announced alongside Pebble Core, a new clip-on wearable. Here are the details.
Pebble has just taken the wraps off a new smartwatch that looks conspicuously similar to the Apple Watch, in an attempt, one suspects, to reel in potential consumers that may be swayed by the Mac maker's high-end finishes. After unleashing the Pebble Time only days ago, the Pebble Time Steel is essentially a redressed version, featuring a slick, metallic finish along with a premium-looking leather and steel strap.
Pebble began as a Kickstarter project that exceeded all expectations, and even though many larger companies have brought forth their own smartwatch efforts, the company has doggedly stuck to its task and remained fairly relevant. Given its Kickstarter roots, it's fitting that the latest model, which Pebble began counting down to a few days back, should also begin its life on the crowd-funding site, and with a bunch of new features including - finally - a color display, those interested can snap up the wearable early and in doing so, save money on the eventual retail price.
Pebble must be credited with forging the smartwatch market as we know it. What started out as a Kickstarter project turned into something of a phenomenon, and since its initial arrival, many of the bigger names in tech have joined the party. With Android Wear establishing itself and Apple Watch en route to market, Pebble is in grave danger of being crowded out, and as such, a new model is on the horizon. A new teaser has been released, as well as a countdown, and we've got all of the relevant details below.
Pebble has announced an improvement to the fleet of fitness-tracking features it first rolled out in an update earlier on this year, and along with the enhanced functionality, has also revised the prices of its line-up. Notably, it brings the cost of the entry-level Pebble down to $99, hitting the sub-$100 category for the very first time, and with the premium Pebble Steel now only costing $199, it's clear that the likes of Apple Watch and Android Wear are ramping up the pressure on the start-up.
It may not have all the fancy whizz-bang features of some of the new crop of high-end smartwatches from the likes of LG and Motorola, but the Pebble smartwatch is still very much loved by those that own one. Granted it may be a little on the monochrome side when it comes to its screen, but we can't have everything now can we, especially considering the device's rather accessible asking price.
Pebble has continued its tradition of bringing new features and functionality to its smartwatch owners by pushing out firmware updates as well as an improved version of the accompanying appstore based iOS app.
