There aren't very many people wearing smart watches yet-- at least not from what I've seen. But, apparently the
Pebble E-Paper watch for iPhone and Android has had quite a bit of support,
earning over $10 million on Kickstarter via 68,929 backers.
The Pebble starts shipping today to
Kickstarter backers who pledged $99 or more before May 18th, 2012, but the company says it will need at least six weeks to fulfill all the orders. Once the Pebble arrives on doorsteps, users will enjoy a variety of functions all supported via Bluetooth connection with a smart phone:
- The official Pebble app available in the Android and Apple app marketplaces.
- Vibrating notifications and messages, including e-mail, incoming Caller ID, SMS, calendar alerts, Facebook messages, Twitter, and weather alerts.
- Music control
- Connection with your phone's GPS, allowing apps for cycling, golfing, running, swimming, etc.
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| Pebble's CEO Eric Migicovsky working in his office. Photo: Wired.com |
But perhaps the most important feature is its potential for customization. The
Pebble Dev Blog details plans for releasing the watch's SDK and APIs and, needless to say, creative techies are already brainstorming possible apps for the Pebble. One comment suggests connecting the watch to the phone's NFC, another would like to see apps for sailing, locating your friends, and walking/work-out routing.
If you still want to get a Pebble smart watch of your own, you can
pre-order one for $150 from the Pebble homepage.
Pebble won't be without competition, however.
Google has already secured a patent for their smart watch while
Apple is only rumored to be crafting one of their own. Hell,
Sony has had their own smart watch on sale at Verizon since June!
But I think Pebble will do just fine, considering it supports both iOS and Android devices. Windows Phone users (like myself) will have to wait for a smart watch, though...
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