Pebble launched one of the first smartwatches in 2012, and is now one of the most famous name for wearables. The company has now launched another crowdfunding campaign for three wearables: Pebble 2 & Time 2 watches, and Pebble Core which can be either be used as a fitness tracker for runner, or by hardware hacker to play with IoT apps.
Pebble 2 and Time 2 can receive notifications from your Android or iOS smartphone, include a built-in HRM for activity tracking, and a microphone for voice record and SMS, and are waterproof of up to 30 meters. To me the two key features of Pebble wearables are always-on displays, and long battery life, and the two new watches have a black & white (Pebble 2) or color (Time 2) always-on display, and up to one week of battery life for Pebble 2, and 10 days for Time 2.
Pebble Core is a completely new device for the company and available in two versions: one for runners, one for hackers. Core is lightweight, 3G, Bluetooth, and WiFi connected clip that can replace your phone while running, or other activities where you don’t really want to take your phone with you. It can stream music from Spotify or play music from the 4GB built-in storage, track your pace, distance and location with GPS, and even send an emergency SMS. A microphone will also allow you to take voice notes. The battery is good enough for 9 hours of GPS tracking or offline music playing, and Bluetooth connectivity make it possible to pair it with your Pebble watch to control music playback and monitor activity tracking.
Core for Hackers has many of the same features with GPS, 3G, WiFI and Bluetooth, and is said to run Android 5.0. The device features two buttons that can be programmed to unlock your car, turn on/off your lights, record voice notes, etc.. Voice recording would require a Bluetooth or wired headset. The Core is normally charged vi USB cable, but it can be optionally charged with a $20 wireless pad.
Pebble Core goes for as low as $69, Pebble 2 for $99 and up, and Time 2 for $179 (All $169 early bird rewards are gone). Shipping is not included and adds $10 to $15, with delivery scheduled for September – October 2016 for the two smartwatches, and January 2017 for the Core.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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