It appears to be like like a Pebble, it really works like a Pebble, however don’t name it a Pebble. Eric Migicovsky, the unique creator of the Pebble smartwatch, simply unveiled two new smartwatches — known as the Core 2 Duo and the Core Time 2.
These non secular successors to the Pebble smartwatches are out there for preorder, costing $149 and $225, respectively.
When you aren’t conversant in Pebble, the Palo Alto-based startup was one of many first breakthrough successes of the Kickstarter crowdfunding platform — all the best way again in 2012. The corporate created smartwatches earlier than the Apple Watch and Android-based smartwatches existed.
Whereas Pebble managed to promote over 2 million units, the corporate abruptly closed in 2016. After an insolvency course of, what was left was acquired by rival Fitbit (now a division of Google, after all).
Quick-forward to 2024, Migicovsky had a daring concept: What if we may return to these less complicated occasions and less complicated tech units? What if we may deliver again the spirit of the Pebble?
Google has been surprisingly useful on this course of, because the tech large is open sourcing PebbleOS, the working system that powered the unique Pebble smartwatches.
Whereas Google acquired Fitbit a couple of years after Fitbit acquired Pebble’s belongings, it seems that Pebble’s IP wasn’t value a lot to Google, so the corporate determined to provide it again to the neighborhood of Pebble fanatics.
Now, Core Units, Migicovsky’s new firm, has unveiled two new smartwatches that can run PebbleOS.
The Core 2 Duo is actually a brand new Pebble 2 working the unique Pebble software program.
It has an always-on E Ink show with a couple of buttons on the facet of the gadget. In comparison with different 2025 smartwatches, it’s fairly primary. That E Ink display screen is a non-touch, black-and-white show. However the smartwatch helps alarms and timers — groundbreaking, I do know.
The wearable pairs along with your cellphone utilizing Bluetooth in order that it may possibly show notifications and connect with the web. It’s also possible to management the music in your cellphone because of the Bluetooth connection.
However the two issues that made the Pebble stand out from its successors are nonetheless true at the moment. First, the battery life is great. The corporate guarantees as much as 30 days of battery life. Second, it’s a enjoyable, hackable gadget. There are 1000’s of watch faces, and it’s simple to create small apps for the gadget.
“This mission is a labour of affection reasonably than a startup attempting to promote tens of millions of watches,” Migicovsky wrote in a weblog put up asserting the units. “There could also be some tough edges (actually). Issues will get delayed. Some options won’t be prepared at launch. Issues may break. Issues couldn’t final so long as you’d like.”
“The one factor we will assure is that it is going to be superior and a whole lot of enjoyable! Each time you look down at your watch, you’ll smile 🙂,” he added.
The opposite smartwatch Migicovsky’s firm introduced at the moment, the Core Time 2, primarily shares the identical specs because the Core 2 Duo, but it surely has a much bigger, 64-color show in a steel casing. It’s additionally a contact show, however Pebble apps don’t help contact interactions for now.
Migicovsky says shipments for the Core 2 Duo ought to begin in July.
The Core Time 2 will take a bit longer to provide and ship; it’s slated to be out there in December.
