Cult Favorite Pebble Is Making A Comeback With A New Smartwatch
TL;DR
- A small team, including the founder of Pebble, is working on a new Pebble-like smartwatch.
- The new hardware will run on Pebble OS, which recently went open source.
- Pebble’s app will work on Android and an iOS app is said to be on the way
It’s been a long time since we said goodbye to the Pebble smartwatch. The company was acquired by Fitbit in 2016, which Fitbit was later acquired by Google. Although it’s just a memory to most at this point, there is a loyal fanbase that wishes for its return. Some even tried to restore functionality to Pebble watches after the company’s closure. It appears Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky also can’t let the device go as he plans to bring the brand back.
Earlier today, Google released the source code to Pebble OS, a little over eight years after Pebble ceased operations. This is a big deal as lack of access to the original source code is what was preventing a community-led effort from restoring functionality to Pebble watches. According to a blog post, it appears Migicovsky was behind this as he “asked friends at Google (which bought Fitbit, which had bought Pebble’s IP) if they could open source PebbleOS.”
With the source code now available to everyone, Migicovsky has announced that he and a small team are working new hardware. The hardware is described as a “Pebble-like smartwatch that runs open source PebbleOS.” It will apparently have the same specs and features as Pebble devices, plus some new ones Migicovsky isn’t revealing quite yet.
However, Migicovsky did list off the core features he wants to see in a smartwatch:
- Always-on e-paper screen
- Long battery life
- Simple and beautiful user experience
- Buttons
- Hackable
In terms of being hackable, the founder takes time to take a jab at Apple, pointing out that you “can’t even write your own watchfaces for Apple Watch.”
Speaking of Apple, Migicovsky says his team is working on Cobble, an open-source Pebble-compatible app for iOS and Android. Cobble will launch “soon” for iOS, while the app is ready to go for Android users.
At the moment, there’s no set date for when you’ll be able to buy the new smartwatch. Migicovsky says they’ll share more information when “we nail down the product specifications and get a firm idea of the production timeline.” However, you can sign up right now to get an invite to order when it’s ready.
After all of these years, a lot has changed in the smartwatch landscape. It will be interesting to see how appealing a new Pebble smartwatch will be to customers these days.
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