Pebble (Smartwatch)

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Pebble smartwatch

Pebble was a company and a smartwatch of the same name that was financed through Kickstarter.com and marketed as the first commercially successful smartwatch from January 2013.

The Pebble can be connected to the smartphone and can use vibration notification or message text to inform you about incoming calls, appointments or social media messages, for example . In contrast to many other smartwatches, Pebble models do not have a touchscreen and an e-paper display that shows content permanently and enables comparatively long battery life. The Pebble was developed as an open platform designed to make it easy to create your own applications and clock faces, so there is a wide range of apps available for Pebbles. The pebbles were each sold at a relatively low price.

Despite further successful Kickstarter campaigns that financed Pebbles with a colored e-paper display, built-in speech recognition and heart rate monitor, Pebble was unable to cope with the growing competition and the stagnating smartwatch market, filed for bankruptcy in December 2016 and announced the sale of the intellectual property known to Fitbit .

Most of the Pebble servers were shut down in July 2018. The Rebble community project offers an extensive replacement.

Company history

Pebble started in 2009 as a student project by then 23-year-old Eric Migicovsky at the University of Waterloo in Canada . The company was absorbed by the Y Combinator incubator in 2011 .

On April 11, 2012, a campaign for Pebble was started via the crowdfunding portal Kickstarter.com under the direction of CEO Migicovsky. The media interest in the project was great and the Kickstarter campaign exceeded its goals by far with more than 85,000 pre-ordered pebbles for over 10 million US dollars and set several records on Kickstarter. Due to delays in production, the Pebbles were dispatched from January 23, 2013, about six months later than initially announced. The Pebble went on sale in July 2013 and the first edition was sold out within five days. Over 400,000 pebbles were sold in the first year, with sales estimated at $ 60 million. In addition to the Kickstarter campaign, Pebble was funded by business angels with $ 26 million.

In 2015, Pebble carried out a second, also very successful Kickstarter campaign for updated Pebble Time models with color displays, which were delivered from May 2015.

From 2014, the number of smartwatch competitors increased, in 2015 the Apple Watch was released. After the company rejected a $ 740 million offer from Citizen Watch in 2015 and an Intel offer of 70 million in early 2016 , Pebble filed for bankruptcy on December 7, 2016. The company also announced that it had acquired the intellectual property, particularly software, firmware and patents, of Fitbit. Fitbit also took over some employees. The acquisition price was $ 23 million. The press initially assumed a much higher price of around $ 34 to $ 40 million to just bear the debt.

The third Kickstarter campaign of the successor model Pebble 2, which was started earlier in May 2016, was only partially delivered; the products Pebble Time 2 and Pebble Core were no longer produced and shipped. The dissolution of the company also led to a loss of warranty for the Pebbles and the suspension of customer support. Fitbit initially guaranteed the operation of the Pebble server services for 2017. In January 2018, this period was extended to June 30, 2018. In addition, Fitbit made it possible with an update to operate the clocks independently of server services so that they can work even after the services have been switched off. Fitbit also referred to the Rebble community project . Under Rebble, a separate app store and replacement for the discontinued server services was developed as a free open source project. The functionality of the pebbles is almost retained. Rebble's basic functionality can be used free of charge; a small monthly fee is required to use voice recognition and the weather service. In 2019 Rebble had over 100,000 users for the first time.

Since the company was dissolved, pebbles are only available in a few retail chains. Spare parts and accessories can only be obtained from third-party manufacturers.

Models

Gray version of the original Pebble

Pebble

On April 11, 2012 Kickstarter.com launched the campaign for the original Pebble. The developers originally stated 100,000 US dollars for the realization of their project, and this goal was achieved after just two hours. As of May 9, 2012, more than 85,000 pre-ordered watches were no longer accepted; only one dollar could be donated to register for the newsletter. Due to the extraordinary success, the developers decided at short notice to offer the watches in a waterproof version and to equip them with Bluetooth 4.0 ; originally, Bluetooth 2.1 support was planned. At $ 10.16 million, Pebble was the most-supported project at Kickstarter at the time.

In addition to the three colors planned at the beginning of the project, an orange variant was announced at the end of July, which was selected by the customer in a vote. A gray version of the watch was announced in early September. The production of the smartwatch was delayed and the first smartwatches were not shipped until the end of January 2013 instead of September 2012. The Pebble was officially available for sale from July 2013. In Germany, Pebble had customs problems when importing; it was not until September 2013 that the Kickstarter supporters' pebbles were sent to Germany via the Netherlands. From February 2015 pebbles could be delivered directly to Germany.

The original Pebble is compatible with Android devices from Android 2.3 and iPhones from iPhone 3GS. The iPod touch is supported from iOS 5.0. The clock is 52 mm long, 36 mm wide and 11.5 mm thick. It weighs 38 g. The energy-saving, transflective LC display Sharp LS013B7DH01 with a resolution of 144 × 168 pixels enables comparatively long battery runtimes of 5 to 7 days, which, in contrast to comparable clocks, enable the content to be displayed permanently.

Pebble Time and Pebble Time Steel

Pebble time

In February 2015, two updated models were introduced under the names Pebble Time and Pebble Time Steel , which have a multi-colored e-paper display and a built-in microphone. In addition, the interface was revised, this shows missed notifications and future events in a timeline called overview. Like the first generation, the new models were announced on the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter.com , where the funding target of 500,000 US dollars was exceeded in the shortest possible time has been. In total, the campaign raised $ 20.34 million. Delivery started in May 2015.

The Pebble Time is 40.5 mm long, 37.5 mm wide and 9.5 mm thick. It weighs 42.5 g including the standard bracelet. As with the original Pebble , the battery life is a maximum of seven days.

The Pebble Time Steel is 40.5 mm long, 37.5 mm wide and 10.5 mm thick. It weighs 62.3 g with a leather bracelet or 116.3 g with a metal bracelet. The battery life is a maximum of ten days.

Pebble 2, Pebble Time 2 and Pebble Core

Pebble 2

A third round of financing through Kickstarter was initiated in May 2016. The new watches were the Pebble 2 , whose design is based on the classic Pebble , and the Pebble Time 2 , both devices for the first time with a heart rate monitor. The Pebble 2 was released in black, white, red-black and turquoise-white. The production of the Pebble Core was also announced, a small device with a GPS receiver as well as a 3G , WLAN and Bluetooth connection. It should enable joggers, for example, to record their route or stream music without a smartphone. In addition, Pebble Core should also support Amazon Alexa , with which information about language can be called up.

Due to the bankruptcy, the development of the Pebble Time 2 and the Pebble Core was discontinued. Only a few Pebble 2 devices from the Kickstarter campaign have been delivered, a refund of the pre-orders has been promised for all other devices. In addition, some Pebble 2 are offered on various sales platforms.

The Pebble 2 is 40.5 mm long, 37.5 mm wide and 9.5 mm thick. It weighs 42.5 g. The battery life is about seven days. A black version without a heart rate monitor was also released.

The Pebble 2 was praised for its good value for money. The heart rate monitor was criticized because of its inaccurate readings.

software

Firmware

An operating system called Pebble OS is installed on the Pebble . This is an adapted variant of FreeRTOS .

Since the release of firmware 2.3, the Pebble OS supports notifications in the style of Android Wear . Interactive app notifications adapted for Android Wear work this way on the Pebble Smartwatch. From version 2.8 the firmware supports the German language.

With the appearance of Pebble Time, firmware version 3 was introduced with the Timeline, a new user interface. While previously a click up or down changed the clock face, past and future events could now be controlled with a click upwards. These can be calendar appointments, the weather or individual events from other apps, such as sporting events.

With firmware version 4, the click up was covered with information from Pebble Health. Pebble Health tracks various fitness activities and sleep. With the Pebble 2, the pulse measurement was added.

After the Pebble server was switched off, the Rebble community project published a firmware update that fixes speech recognition under iOS 11 or makes it more reliable.

App development

Pebble provided a software development kit for macOS and Linux to program applications and clock faces in C and JavaScript for the smartwatch. Alternatively, there is an online IDE with GitHub integration, CloudPebble. CloudPebble enables complete project management, source code editing, compilation and installation.

A variety of applications have been developed, such as controlling music on the smartphone or using it as a speedometer while cycling or running. In December 2014 over 5,500 apps and clock faces were available, in May 2016 over 13,000 apps.

Web links

Commons : Pebble  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Andreas Donath: Pebble: Huge success for the small smartwatch . Ed .: Golem.de . May 21, 2012 ( golem.de [accessed April 4, 2017]).
  2. ↑ http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/597507018/pebble-e-paper-watch-for-iphone-and-android
  3. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original from April 24, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.getpebble.com
  4. ↑ a b Eric Migicovsky: Pebble's Next Step. (No longer available online.) December 7, 2016, archived from the original on January 4, 2017 ; accessed on December 7, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / blog.getpebble.com
  5. ↑ Ushering in the Rebble Era! In: rebble.io. Rebble, July 1, 2018, accessed August 4, 2018 .
  6. ^ A b Garry Tan: Pebble (YC W11) sells 400,000 smart watches in its first year . Ed .: Y Combinator . March 21, 2014 ( ycombinator.com [accessed March 7, 2017]).
  7. ^ Colin Nickerson: Eric Migicovsky, 27 How he invented the smart watch. In: MIT Technology Review . 2013 ( technologyreview.com [accessed March 7, 2017]).
  8. ↑ Shipping and Mass Production updates Production notification from the manufacturers on kickstarter.com (accessed on January 29, 2013)
  9. ↑ JP Mangalindan: Pebble sold 400,000 smartwatches last year, on track to double revenues in 2014. In: Fortune . March 20, 2014, accessed March 7, 2017 .
  10. ^ Assignment for the Benefit of Creditors. In: proofofclaims.com. Retrieved February 16, 2018 .
  11. ↑ Steve Kovach: Fitbit disc-less did it bought smart watch startup Pebble for $ 23 million . In: Business Insider . February 22, 2017 ( businessinsider.de [accessed March 7, 2017]).
  12. ^ John Biggs, Jon Russell: Fitbit is buying troubled smartwatch maker Pebble for around $ 40 million. In: TechCrunch . November 30, 2016, accessed March 7, 2017 .
  13. ^ Pebble 2, Time 2 + All-New Pebble Core. In: Kickstarter. Retrieved June 4, 2016 .
  14. ↑ First Steps Forward with Fitbit. (No longer available online.) In: Pebble Developers. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017 ; accessed on January 24, 2017 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / developer.pebble.com
  15. ↑ Katharine Berry on Twitter. In: twitter.com. Twitter, January 5, 2019, accessed August 13, 2019 .
  16. ↑ http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/597507018/pebble-e-paper-watch-for-iphone-and-android/posts/222888
  17. ↑ Pebble comes later. Golem.de, July 25, 2012, accessed on July 30, 2012 .
  18. ↑ Update # 19: Pebble also in gray. September 6, 2012, accessed September 7, 2012 .
  19. ↑ Pebble, the dangerous wristwatch. ZEIT ONLINE, May 14, 2013, accessed June 6, 2013 .
  20. ↑ Pebbles are finally arriving at German buyers. In: Heise. September 13, 2013. Retrieved September 25, 2013 .
  21. ↑ LS013B7DH01 Application Info ( Memento of the original from January 24, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Data sheet for the Sharp display (PDF, accessed January 29, 2013; 2.0 MB) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.sharpmemorylcd.com
  22. ↑ Is that the Pebble display. April 23, 2012. Retrieved August 23, 2012 .
  23. ↑ Pebble Smartwatch. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on April 16, 2015 ; accessed on June 22, 2015 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / getpebble.com
  24. ↑ kickstarter.com: Pebble Time , accessed February 25, 2015.
  25. ^ Pebble 2, Time 2 + All-New Pebble Core. In: Kickstarter. Retrieved June 4, 2016 .
  26. ↑ heise online: Two new smartwatches Pebble 2 and a new one. In: heise online. Retrieved June 4, 2016 .
  27. ↑ Android wearable Pebble Core gets Amazon's Alexa. In: heise online. Retrieved June 4, 2016 .
  28. ↑ Pebble smart watch review - hands on. Expert Reviews, accessed on June 17, 2014 .
  29. ↑ Pebble gets Android Wear notifications. Retrieved December 25, 2014 .
  30. ^ Bienvenue, Willkommen, and Bienvenida to new Pebble localizations. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on December 25, 2014 ; accessed on December 25, 2014 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / blog.getpebble.com
  31. ↑ Timeline (3.X software). (No longer available online.) August 30, 2016, archived from the original on October 28, 2017 ; accessed on February 17, 2018 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / help.getpebble.com
  32. ^ Pebble Health. (No longer available online.) December 7, 2016, archived from the original on February 17, 2018 ; accessed on February 17, 2018 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / help.getpebble.com
  33. ↑ Katharine Berry: Katharine Berry on Twitter. In: twitter.com. Twitter , July 24, 2018, accessed August 4, 2018 .
  34. ↑ SDK. (No longer available online.) In: pebble.com. Archived from the original on January 30, 2016 ; accessed on February 17, 2018 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / developer.getpebble.com
  35. ↑ CloudPebble. (No longer available online.) In: pebble.com. Archived from the original on December 7, 2016 ; accessed on February 17, 2018 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / developer.pebble.com
  36. ↑ Pebble passes 5,000 smartwatch apps. Retrieved December 25, 2014 .
  37. ↑ Pebble Core, Pebble 2 + Pebble Time 2 on Kickstarter. In: youtube.com. May 24, 2016, accessed February 17, 2018 .