PEBBLE SMARTWATCH ANNOUNCED; IT’S A $150 SMARTPHONE COMPANION

Back in April 2012, a Kickstarter crowdfunding program was launched for a smart watch that pairs with a smartphone via Bluetooth that remotely streams music and pushes notifications from the smartphone to the watch – a concept similar to Sony’s SmartWatch…only smarter. Called the Pebble smartwatch, it was one of Kickstarter’s success stories. Nine months later at CES 2013 this morning, the Pebble smartwatch is now officially announced.

Featuring a 144 x 168 e-ink display that does not consume any power when not backlit, the Pebble smartwatch has three buttons on the left, and one on the right side of the watch, which are used for simple navigations (up, down, back, select). It also manages an impressive 7+ days of battery life. The battery itself can be charged via a MagSafe-like USB charger. Despite the relatively long battery life, this water resistant watch is constantly paired via Bluetooth to an iOS or Android device, so whenever your phone is away from you (within Bluetooth pairing distance), the Pebble smartwatch will notify users of any notifications, such as incoming calls, emails, calendar alert as well as other social networking notifications (including Gtalk and iMessage). Also, it can access the user’s music stored in their smartphones and even remotely command the smartphone to play them.

The 38.2g watch has a polycarbonate body with a scratch and shatter-resistant glass with an anti-glare optical coating. The built-in three-axis accelerometer also means software developers can make apps for the Pebble, such as running and cycling tracker apps, or even a sleep monitoring app. In addition, there’s also a vibration motor and compass for more flexibility for developers to utilise the SDK.

Now that the Pebble smartwatch is official, the company will be producing around 15000 units a week and those who pledged on Kickstarter will be receiving their units from January 23 within six to eight weeks, with retail orders to follow next. The Pebble smartwatch will be available in black, grey, red, orange and white colourways and can be pre-ordered for $150 here.