Hasta La Gadget!

The Pebble smartphone apps for iOS and Android have both landed in their respective app stores, despite concerns by the smartwatch company that Apple approval delays might mar the day-one experience for iPhone users. The Pebble team announced the potential delay yesterday, alongside news that the first batch of watches was being shipped out to Kickstarter backers; however, in a follow-up message, the start-up confirmed the good news that apps for both platforms had been given the green light.

“The apps won’t do anything until you receive your Pebble,” the message to Kickstarter backers pointed out, “but rest assured that they exist and are waiting for you.” Without the iOS app, iPhone users with a Pebble would have been left with limited functionality: notifications and music control would work, Pebble said, but owners would not be able to install watchfaces or upgrade to the latest PebbleOS.

That’s no longer an issue, and as well as the iOS app, the Android version is out to download for those with phones or tablets running Google’s OS. So far, functionality includes changing watchfaces, updating the firmware, and sending sample notifications – of emails, SMS, pings, and phone calls – to the timepiece.

You can download the iOS app from the App Store here [iTunes link], and the Android app from the Play market here. Over at Android Community they’ve had a tentative look at the Android app – or at least as much as you can without having a Pebble watch itself – to see what features are promised.

More on the Pebble itself in our full hands-on

Pebble iOS and Android apps released: Now you just need the smartwatch is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Pebble has just informed backers that the very first orders will begin shipping today, though the iOS app is still pending approval from Apple. In the meantime, Android users will have access to a compatible app in Google Play beginning tomorrow — just in time to start using those freshly unboxed smartwatches. iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users will be able to display notifications and control music in the meantime, though advanced features like watchface and OS updates won’t be possible until the app is ready for download.

Now, a bit more bad news: the Pebble team reportedly jumped the gun on shipment notifications, so even though you may have received word that your watch is on the way, it may not be in the first batch of 500. If you’ve also received a tracking number, however, your device is likely to be in the mail. We’re holding out hope that our Pebbles fall within that latter group — stay tuned for a review just as soon as we’ve had time to put the device through its paces. In the meantime, hit up the source link for some more pics from factory.

Filed under: Wearables, Mobile

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Source: Pebble (Kickstarter)

With $10m in the Kickstarter bank and a product shipping in two weeks time, Pebble was arguably the king of the crowdsourcers in 2012. The smartwatch already has us tempted after our hands-on, so we caught up with Pebble CEO Eric Migocovsky to talk lessons-learned from the original InPulse model, the process of growing a company in the public eye, and what’s next in the smartwatch’s future.

With so many rival smartwatches already on the market and in the pipeline – Toshiba is showing one such concept here at CES – Migocovsky says it’s been a “perfect storm” of publicity, timing, and attention that has seen Pebble capture the imagination. Part of that is backer engagement, Migocovsky believes: the fact that Pebble is contactable by Facebook, Twitter, and other routes to anyone with a question or a suggestion.

Those suggestions have come thick and fast, though Migocovsky is wary of over-promising at this stage. The current SDK only caters for alternative watch faces – the first thing you’ll see when you glance at your wrist, given the e-paper display is permanently on (and a tap of the watch triggers the backlight) – and there’s no timescale for when third-party applications will be enabled. Still, the If This Then That integration does make for more flexibility for those willing to craft a few web-app macros.

Pebble Smartwatch demo:

Pebble doesn’t see that app limitation as a drawback, however; in fact, Migocovsky argues it’s an advantage. If the initial product isn’t good enough to be deemed worthy of a place on your wrist, you won’t wear it, he points out: if people aren’t wearing it, then developers won’t recognize it as a worthy market to code for, and the carefully-honed ecosystem will shrivel.

Pebble Smartwatch interview with Eric Migicovsky

That commitment to Kickstarter backers isn’t going anywhere, either. Not only will the 85,000 people who supported Pebble with cash up-front be the first to get their smartwatch, Migocovsky is also determined to make sure they don’t end up with an outmoded device any time soon. The “added extra” hardware features – such as the Bluetooth 4.0 capabilities, despite the fact that Pebble currently only uses Bluetooth 2.1, and the ambient light sensor – are a big part of that, and Pebble will be pushing out firmware updates every 2-3 weeks until every initially-promised feature is present and correct.

Next step, though, is batch-shipping of the first Pebble units to backers, with Migocovsky saying the factory is capable of producing 15,000 units a week when at full tilt. When the initial list is done, then they’ll turn to the reservations list that opened after the Kickstarter closed; that currently measures in the tens of thousands, Pebble says, though not quite the same number as the watch start-up saw backers.

The wearables market is certainly heating up, with a range of form-factors (on the wrist, digital eyewear like Google Glass, clip-on activity trackers, and more) being played with, and it seems 2013 may be the year it all comes to a head. Our early impressions are definitely positive – several of the SlashGear team are also Kickstarter backers – but we’ll reserve our full opinion until we can live with Pebble on our wrist for a while.

Pebble smartwatch: CEO Eric Migocovsky talks Kickstarter loyalty and more with SlashGear is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The first Pebble developer SDK is already in limited testing, the company has confirmed, allowing coders to create custom watchfaces for the smartwatch. Pebble is paving the way for new features that won’t be in the initial feature-set, too; although it uses Bluetooth 2.1 to connect currently, there’s actually a Bluetooth 4.0 chip inside for lower-power wireless in the future, and there’s an ambient light sensor which developers will also be able to tap into. On the software side, there’s If This Then That integration for extra flexibility. Read on for more details.

Some of the initial watchfaces have already been released, with a mixture of analog and digital styles. There’s a Braun-esque analog, plus a binary one which would look at home on a Tokyoflash timepiece, and the Pebble team itself has created some fashionable written-text UIs, which say “Twenty past Nine” rather than showing numbers.

Pebble also demonstrated the music interface, with the smartwatch paired with an iPod and used to scroll through a playlist. The watch shows what’s currently playing on the display, and thanks to the waterproofing, you could even use it to control playback while you’re in the shower. The accelerometer is used for controlling the backlight, with a simple tap of the watch turning on the display.

As for message previews, they show your email subject and sender, as well as the content of the message; SMS, meanwhile, shows sender and the full content. Incoming phone calls show caller ID and number at the same time, and you can dismiss the call with a push of one of the side buttons. Phones can also send things like Facebook alerts, and developers will be able to use Pebble’s user-ID system to send notifications directly to their subscribers’ smartwatches.

Pebble has also jumped on If This Then That (IFTT), which allows for easy creation of macros to send notifications to the smartwatch when different criteria are met. So, you can set up a weather alert – pinging news to your wrist when the temperature reaches a certain point –  or a stock price alert online, and link Pebble in.

Installing new apps and watchfaces is a simple matter of using Pebble’s smartphone app, tapping the required content in the gallery and then watching it load on the smartwatch almost instantaneously. Software updates are delivered the same way, triggered from the app and pushed to the watch; Pebble says there’ll be updates every 2-3 weeks until the initially-promised features are working. That will include Runkeeper support, for instance.

That’s great for the Pebble side, but a persistent Bluetooth system takes its toll on your phone. Pebble says the watch will impact your phone’s battery by 5- to 10-percent per day, thanks to its 24/7 connection. The smartwatch will begin shipping later this month.

Pebble talks developers, apps, watchfaces and future-proofing is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

It’s hard to believe that nine months have elapsed since we first wrote about Pebble. The smartwatch quickly became one of Kickstarter’s most successful campaigns — raising $10 million in a few short weeks — only to miss its original shipping date. We knew things were looking up when the device recently cleared the FCC and today at CES 2013, Allerta confirmed that Pebble will be shipping to its backers on January 23rd.

We spent some time with the smartwatch here in Las Vegas and came away extremely impressed with the level of polish the company’s achieved. Pebble’s most visually striking feature is its colorful multi-layer polycarbonate face / bezel, which looks fantastic. The device is incredibly light (just 38.2g / 1.35oz) but still manages to feel solid. Build-quality is top-notch — Allerta’s clearly put a lot of care into the hardware. The sides and back are black and completely sealed (Pebble is water-resistant to five atmospheres). On the right side you’ll find the up, select and down buttons, while the left side is home to the back button and a magnetic power connector, à la MagSafe. Speaking of which, battery life is rated for a lofty seven days per charge.

Continue reading Pebble smartwatch hands-on (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Wearables, Mobile, Apple, Google

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