I’ve always thought of myself as an analog watch kind of guy, but after looking at the Pebble, an e-paper smartwatch with Android and iPhone connectivity baked right in, I may be changing my mind. As you can see above, the Pebble has a pretty slick, minimalist design, which makes the digital aspect of it a little easier to swallow. Also helping you choke down the idea of a digital watch is the functionality. Oh, the functionality
The Pebble connects to your Android or iPhone via bluetooth, has a vibrating motor, three-axis accelerometer, is USB chargable and boasts a battery life of 7-days. That being the case, there are all kinds of things it can do from tracking your distance as you run to allowing you to remotely control music apps. None of these more advanced features, however, compare to the simple joy of just being able to see what’s going on with your phone on your wrist, perfect for those times when you’re washing dishes, or carrying groceries, or holding a package, or even just wearing some fairly tight jeans and your phone vibrates and you don’t necessarily need to interact with it but you do need — need — to know what that vibration means but you are too preoccupied or busy or lazy to dig out the device and unlock it. With the Pebble, it’d only take a glance to know that it’s just a calender alert, not the email you’ve been waiting for. Sounds like heaven.
The Pebble isn’t in production yet, but exists as a prototype. It does have a Kickstarter though, and as of the time of this writing, they’ve reached over $800,000 of their $100,000 goal. At this point, the only reason to contribute is perks, which include reduced price, the opportunity to vote on an additional color, and if you’re willing to shell out upwards of a grand, a specialized design.
I think my only gripe is that the rectangular face is a little awkward for showing off an analog face, but hey, what’s that worth compared to the possibilities of this baby? I’m a little wary of shelling out over $100 for something I’ve never even seen in person, but let me tell you, I’m seriously considering it. If you are too, you should definitely hop over to the Kickstarter page, because there are even more exciting features when it comes to coding and apps and whatnot. For the first time, I think I might be ready to kick my hipster cogs and wheels for some sweet, sweet high tech lovin’.
(via The Next Web)
- This watch tells the time with treads and belts
- This one opts for using lights on an actual numpad
- This one has Space Invaders on it, and is really expensive
