Kickstarter success story Pebble has blown past its goal on the crowdfunding site to fund brand new smartwatch, the Pebble Time.
The original Pebble watch was one of the first projects to bring crowdfunding sites such as Kickstarter into the public eye, and it has now replicated that success with the more advanced Time watch, which sports a colour e-ink screen. A Kickstarter target of $500,000 (£324,000) was set for the watch, but the project has already racked up donations of more than $3m (£1.9m) and counting. “We’re thrilled Pebble has come back to Kickstarter to share their latest innovation. As enthusiastic members of the Pebble community, all of us at Kickstarter are excited to help them again bring an exciting vision to life,” said Yancey Strickler, Kickstarter CEO.
The Pebble Time’s colour display minimises power consumption to allow for a battery life of seven days. A built-in microphone allows you to respond to incoming notifications with voice replies or record short notes.
The Pebble has also undergone a redesign, which renders it 20 percent thinner and generally a lot slicker looking. The bezel has been crafted from stainless steel and the screen is covered in Gorilla Glass to keep the watch protected from being battered and bruised. The waterproofing that was a feature on the original Pebble has been maintained, allowing the watch to survive all weathers and activities, including swimming.
One of the selling points of the Pebble has always been that it is compatible with iOS and Android, unlike many of the other more complex smartwatches currently on the market.
Perhaps the most interesting element of the Pebble Time though is a feature that the Pebble team is also hoping to bring to other Pebble watches. The watch has been designed around a brand new interface called Timeline, which organises information like notifications, weather, news and reminders chronologically.
Of course the watch will be compatible with all existing Pebble apps and watch faces — there are currently more than 6,500 to choose from. On Kickstarter the Pebble Time is available for $159 (£102) in three colours and will start shipping in May. After this, you will be able to buy it directly from the company for $199 (£129).
