Pebble creator unveils two new Pebble-inspired smartwatches

It appears to be like like a Pebble, it really works like a Pebble, however don’t name it a Pebble. Eric Migicovsky, the unique creator of the Pebble smartwatch, simply unveiled two new smartwatches — referred to as the Core 2 Duo and the Core Time 2.

These religious successors to the Pebble smartwatches can be found for preorder, costing $149 and $225, respectively.

When you aren’t accustomed to Pebble, the Palo Alto-based startup was one of many first breakthrough successes of the Kickstarter crowdfunding platform — all the best way again in 2012. The corporate created smartwatches earlier than the Apple Watch and Android-based smartwatches existed.

Whereas Pebble managed to promote over 2 million units, the corporate abruptly closed in 2016. After an insolvency course of, what was left was acquired by rival Fitbit (now a division of Google, after all).

Quick-forward to 2024, Migicovsky had a daring concept: What if we might return to these easier instances and easier tech units? What if we might carry again the spirit of the Pebble?

Google has been surprisingly useful on this course of, because the tech large is open sourcing PebbleOS, the working system that powered the unique Pebble smartwatches.

Whereas Google acquired Fitbit a number of years after Fitbit acquired Pebble’s property, it seems that Pebble’s IP wasn’t value a lot to Google, so the corporate determined to present it again to the neighborhood of Pebble lovers.

Now, Core Units, Migicovsky’s new firm, has unveiled two new smartwatches that can run PebbleOS.

The Core 2 Duo is actually a brand new Pebble 2 working the unique Pebble software program.

It has an always-on e-paper show with a number of buttons on the facet of the machine. In comparison with different 2025 smartwatches, it’s fairly fundamental. That e-paper display screen is a non-touch, black-and-white show. However the smartwatch helps alarms and timers — groundbreaking, I do know.

The wearable pairs together with your telephone utilizing Bluetooth in order that it may well show notifications and connect with the web. You may as well management the music in your telephone due to the Bluetooth connection.

However the two issues that made the Pebble stand out from its successors are nonetheless true at the moment. First, the battery life is great. The corporate guarantees as much as 30 days of battery life. Second, it’s a enjoyable, hackable machine. There are literally thousands of watch faces, and it’s straightforward to create small apps for the machine.

“This challenge is a labour of affection quite than a startup making an attempt to promote thousands and thousands of watches,” Migicovsky wrote in a weblog publish saying the units. “There could also be some tough edges (actually). Issues will get delayed. Some options won’t be prepared at launch. Issues might break. Issues couldn’t final so long as you’d like.”

“The one factor we are able to assure is that it will likely be superior and a variety of enjoyable! Each time you look down at your watch, you’ll smile 🙂,” he added.

The opposite smartwatch Migicovsky’s firm introduced at the moment, the Core Time 2, basically shares the identical specs because the Core 2 Duo, nevertheless it has a much bigger, 64-color show in a steel casing. It’s additionally a contact show, however Pebble apps don’t assist contact interactions for now.

Migicovsky says shipments for the Core 2 Duo ought to begin in July.

The Core Time 2 will take a bit longer to supply and ship; it’s slated to be accessible in December.