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Pebble (watch)

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Pebble E-Paper Watch
Also known asPebble
ManufacturerPebble Technology
TypeSmartwatch
Introductory priceKickstarter backers: USD 115
Pre-orders: USD 150
Operating systemPebble OS, customized FreeRTOS.[1] Can communicate with Android and iOS apps using Bluetooth
Memory8 App/watch faces
Display144 × 168 pixel LCD[2]
Graphics1 bit
Input4 buttons
3 axis accelerometer with gesture detection
magnetometer and ambient light sensor[1]
Camerano camera
ConnectivityBluetooth 2.1 + EDR
Power7 days, with updates may last 2-3 weeks
Dimensions50.33 mm (1.981 in) H
32 mm (1.3 in) W
8.44 mm (0.332 in) D [3]
Websitegetpebble.com

The Pebble is a smartwatch developed by Pebble Technology and released in 2013 that was funded via the crowd funding platform Kickstarter.

History

Development

The Pebble Watch was designed based on a concept by Eric Migicovsky describing a watch that could display messages from a smartphone. Migicovsky successfully took his idea through the Y Combinator business incubator program, and unusually for a startup company at Y Combinator, Migicovsky's business actually generated revenue during the program.[4] Migicovsky was able to raise US$375,000 from investors such as Tim Draper of Draper Fisher Jurvetson, but was unable to raise additional funds.[4] Discussing his inability to raise further funds, Migicovsky told the Los Angeles Times, "I wasn't extremely surprised... hardware is much harder to raise money for. We were hoping we could convince some people to our vision, but it didn't work out."[5]

Funding

After raising venture capital for the product under their former name inPulse, the company failed to attract traditional investors under their new brand name,[4] so the company requested crowd funding in April 2012. At the end of the funding, Pebble became most highly crowd-funded project to date with $10,266,844 pledged by 68,928 people.[6][7] As of July 4th 2013, Pebble has sold over 85,000 units.[8]

Migicovsky's company Pebble Technology launched a Kickstarter campaign on April 11, 2012 with an initial fundraising target of $100,000. Backers spending $115 would receive a Pebble when they became available ($99 for the first 200),[9] effectively pre-ordering the $150 Pebble at a discounted price.[5] Within two hours of going live, the project had met the $100,000 goal, and within six days, the project had become the most funded project in the history of Kickstarter, raising over $4.7 million with 30 days left in the campaign.[5][6]

On May 10, 2012, Pebble Technology announced they were limiting the number of preorders. On May 18, 2012, funding closed with $10,266,844 pledged by 68,928 people.[10]

Production

Pebble entered mass production in January 2013 with a planned production of 15,000 watches per week. Pebble Technology was expected to begin shipping units on January 23, 2013.[11] As of July 4th 2013, Pebble has sold over 85,000 units.[8]

Features

Hardware

Pebble can send users notifications when they receive an email
A Pebble attached to a bike, displaying bicycling speed and distance, as well as time

The watch has a 1.26-inch 144 × 168 pixel black and white ultra low power "transflective LCD" manufactured by Sharp with a backlight, a vibrating motor, a magnetometer, ambient light sensors and a three-axis accelerometer.[12][13][14][15][16] It can communicate with an Android or iOS device using Bluetooth 2.1 and includes support for Bluetooth 4.0 (Bluetooth Low Energy) for a later update when more phones support it. The watch is charged using a modified USB-cable that attaches magnetically to the watch to maintain water resistance capability.[12] The battery was reported in April 2012 to last seven days.[17] Based on feedback from Kickstarter backers, the developers added water-resistance to the list of features.[18] The Pebble has a waterproof rating of 5 atm, which means it can be submerged up to 50m and has been tested in both fresh and salt water, allowing one to shower or swim while wearing the watch.[19]

Software

The Pebble was slated to ship with apps pre-installed, including a cycling app to measure speed, distance and pace through GPS, and a golf rangefinder app that supports more than 25,000 courses. These apps use data received from a connected phone for distance, speed and range information. More apps will be downloadable from the phone, and an SDK will be freely available.[20] Not all apps will be installed when the watch ships but CEO Eric Migicovsky announced on January 9, 2013 that there will be updates for the watch's OS (which is based on FreeRTOS) every 2–3 weeks until all features are added.[12]

Pebble will integrate with the web service IFTTT which will allow users to create rules for event that will send notifications to the watch.[citation needed]

Pebble SDK

Pebble Technology announced that an open Pebble SDK would be released before shipment of the watches began.[21] A proof-of-concept watchface SDK and documentation were released on April 12, 2013.[22][23] The released SDK was limited to development for watchfaces, simple applications and games. The second release of the SDK (now known as PebbleKit) was released on May 17, 2013, adding support for two-way communication between Pebbles and smartphones running iOS or Android via the AppMessage framework.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Pebble smart watch review - hands on". Expert Reviews. Retrieved 2013-09-05.
  2. ^ Chang, Alexandra (2012-05-14). "Hands On With Pebble Smartwatch, the Most Successful Kickstarter Project Ever | Gadget Lab". Wired.com. Retrieved 2013-08-28.
  3. ^ FCC Office of Engineering and Technology (2012-12-27). "OET List Exhibits Report". Apps.fcc.gov. Retrieved 2013-09-05.
  4. ^ a b c "Rejected By VCs, Pebble Watch Raises $3.8M on Kickstarter". Go.bloomberg.com. 2012-04-17. Retrieved 2012-04-22.
  5. ^ a b c Netburn, Deborah (2012-04-18). "Pebble smartwatch raises $4.7 million on Kickstarter funding site". latimes.com. Retrieved 2012-04-22.
  6. ^ a b Anthony Wing Kosner (2012-04-15). "Pebble Watch for iPhone and Android, The Most Successful Kickstarter Project Ever". Forbes. Retrieved 2012-04-20.
  7. ^ Leena Rao. "InPulse Adds A Smartphone-Like Experience To Your Wrist Watch". Retrieved 2012-07-10. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ a b Arthur, Charles (July 4th, 2013). "Dell eyes wearable computing move as PC business keeps slumping". Retrieved 4 July 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ "Vancouver-born entrepreneur's Pebble smartphone breaks Kickstarter record". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 2012-05-12.
  10. ^ Jared Newman, “Pebble Smartwatch Pre-Orders Are Sold Out, $10+ Million Pledged”, Time Techland, 10 May 2012
  11. ^ Neal, Dave. "CES: Kickstarter funded Pebble watch makes a splash". The Inquirer. Incisive Financial Publishing Limited. Retrieved 2013-03-05.
  12. ^ a b c Migicovsky, Eric (January 9, 2013). "Pebble: E-Paper Watch for iPhone and Android by Pebble Technology » CES Announcement recap". Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  13. ^ http://getpebble.com/#customize-with-coding
  14. ^ Bennett, Brian (9 January 2013). "Pebble watch is the smartest timepiece ever (hands-on)". CNET. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  15. ^ "Pebble: E-Paper Watch for iPhone and Android by Pebble Technology » Manufacturing and Software Updates". Pebble Technology. Kickstarter. 6 February 2013. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  16. ^ "Pebble Teardown". iFixit. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  17. ^ "Allerta intros Pebble smartwatch, inPulse's attractive younger sibling". Engadget. Retrieved 2012-04-22.
  18. ^ "Pebble: E-Paper Watch for iPhone and Android by Pebble Technology » We're waterproofing Pebble!". Kickstarter. Retrieved 2012-04-22.
  19. ^ "Pebble Smartwatch Review". PC Mag. 2013-02-26. Retrieved 2013-06-13.
  20. ^ Chang, Alexandra (2012-04-11). "Pebble E-Ink Smartwatch Connects to Your iOS or Android Phone | Gadget Lab". Wired.com. Retrieved 2012-04-22.
  21. ^ "Pebble: E-Paper Watch for iPhone and Android by Pebble Technology » Developer SDK availability". Pebble Technology. Kickstarter. 13 April 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
  22. ^ "Pebble Watchface SDK Release". 12 April 2012. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
  23. ^ "Pebble Watchface SDK Documentation". 12 April 2012. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
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