
Pebble 2, Time 2 + All-New Pebble Core - asadlionpk
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/597507018/pebble-2-time-2-and-core-an-entirely-new-3g-ultra
======
mikestew
I bought the original Pebble on Kickstarter. I jumped on the Time on
Kickstarter when it was announced. I changed my order to the Time Steel when
it was made available. I bought an original one for the wife, I bought her a
Time as well.

And I'm going to wait on this one. If they're going to delve into the fitness
category, I'll be looking at Garmins (of which I have several, albeit older
ones with no smart watchy stuff) which are more durable (my $DEITY, does the
Pebble get scratched up), go forever on a charge, and I'm willing to bet just
plain do the job better because Garmin has been at it for a while.

Given the hurdles on iOS that Pebble can't seem to overcome (for which they
are not entirely, if at all, to blame), I'll also wait and see what Apple has
on tap. Apple has some shortcomings to eliminate, maybe they'll do that next
round.

It's not because I'm unhappy with my Pebbles, I love my current Time Steel.
But if I'm going to spend money on a watch that does what Pebble is currently
advertising, my options open up to include established competitors in that
space. I'm not willing to bet real money that Pebble can outdo those
competitors right out of the gate. So I'll wait until it hits retail, see what
it really does and what the experiences of others are. Maybe I'll get one, but
it's not guaranteed like it was for previous versions.

~~~
nl
I think Garmin is way underrated as a (hardware) technology company.

Given that they were a GPS company that people wrote off as being irrelevant
in the age of smartphones and Google Maps they have done a great job carving
out multiple niches in sports devices (and that ignores their "Smart Glass"
airplane business).

I have 2 Edge cycling computers and a Garmin running watch and love them all.

The Edge 520 is the type of device that I'd see the specs of and expect to be
a half-implemented heap of junk (connects to my phone to receive notifications
while I ride? Automatically uploads rides when I finish them? This will never
work). And yet it really is rather good.

~~~
imaffett
My wife got a pebble time last year after upgrading her OG pepple. It
scratched like crazy and had tons of issues.

She bought a Garmin Vivoactive after xmas and both of us havent looked back.
We get 2-3 weeks pf battery with moderate gps use. Alerts work way better then
the Pebble watch. I highly recommend the garmin. I forget I have to charge it,
but it takes 2 hrs to go from 20%-100%.

Also, I only know one person who wears a pebble, and it was a hand me down.
Eveyone I know who owned a Pebble switched to Appl, Android Wear, Microsoft
Band or Garmin.

~~~
robalfonso
Thats interesting. I wanted alerts as my primary reason for getting a wrist
device.

I agree the garmin was very sharp but mine for whatever reason lost bluetooth
connection constantly.

The pebble on the other hand has been great for notifications.

I really wished the garmin had been better about that. YMMV.

~~~
gvurrdon
Alerts are my primary reason also; the only time I do any vigorous exercise I
certainly won't wear a smartwatch due to the risk of damage, so that
functionality isn't of much use. I don't want to wear a watch in bed or in the
shower either. I'm not keen on biometric data being collected anyway so it's
good that the latest version of Android Wear allows denying sensor
permissions.

What would be ideal would be a smartwatch that can manage to set Google
reminders without having to have Google Now turned on; that, plus the
occasional text message and even more occasional use of navigation, are all I
use it for other than looking at notifications.

------
epmatsw
The Core is pretty intriguing. Love the idea of a little cheap hackable piece
of hardware that also hits the iPod Shuffle niche.

~~~
tlrobinson
Agreed. 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, 4GB storage, wireless charging, buttons +
expansion port, runs Android... for $70. Not bad.

I love that they're marketing it as hackable. I wish more companies would do
that.

I wonder what kind of interface the expansion port is.

~~~
erohead
USB pins are exposed through a removable backplate (next to the SIM slot).
We'll release 3D Cad next week or so.

~~~
tlrobinson
Cool. I imagine someone will make a GPIO "backpack", but it would have been
nice to have a few out of the box.

~~~
ethbro
Agree, but in a device in a minimal form factor it's probably better to have a
single high speed bus exposed as opposed to trying to break out everything.

------
untog
Sad they haven't announced a new Pebble Time Round - I got one after giving up
on smartwatches for a long time and it's fantastic. I get compliments on it as
a watch before anyone even knows it has smart functionality built into it. At
the end of the day, smartwatches are still fashion accessories and the PTR is
the only one so far that doesn't look supremely awkward to me.

~~~
mrinterweb
I find it strange seeing non-pebble smartwatches on people's wrists where the
display is off by default. I don't think having a device that is passively in
sleep mode by default is very fashionable. Kind of like looking at an
elaborate painting frame minus the painting. When I hear about people spending
top dollar for the higher-end Apple watches, I just think it is so strange
that the expensive fashion accessory they are wearing will be seen by others
as being off most of the time.

~~~
sundvor
Agree 100%. My PTS gets 9 days+ between each charge and the display is always
on, whilst doing steps and sleep tracking and integrating with my S6 Edge.

I love the fact that the Pebble is such a focused device; I'd never trade it
for an "screen on demand when shaking it around" iWatch, even if they threw an
iPhone in for free.

------
NDizzle
I really love my Time 1. The battery life is outstanding and while most apps
are not pretty, there is a lot of functionality here. Even if you limit it to
text/email notifications it's pretty great.

I just went on a 6 day vacation and didn't even bring my charger. Worked like
a champ.

~~~
fredley
I'd disagree over the prettiness, I think given the hardware they're working
with the UI is generally fantastic!

~~~
NDizzle
I think the UI is solid. Pretty is subjective. I agree with you overall.

------
zitterbewegung
I wonder why they are launching on Kickstarter and not just coming out with
the product since they already are well established?

~~~
mbesto
1\. Marketing

2\. Kickstarter money is technically a donation, so you can spend the money
right away if you need to. (taking a typical pre-order is little tricky from
an accounting perspective if it's considered revenue)

~~~
taylorwc
Donation is the wrong way to think of it from an accounting perspective
(though perhaps not from a legal recourse perspective.) Preorders are not
recognized as revenue. They are a debit (increase) to Cash and a credit
(increase) to a liability that's usually Unearned Revenue. As you ship, you
credit (increase) Revenue/Sales and then debit (decrease) the Unearned Revenue
liability account.

Edit: renamed 'Prepaid' to 'Unearned' \-- had to brush up on my GAAP
nomenclature

~~~
ascorbic
Agreed. That's pretty much how my (UK) accountants treated my Kickstarter
revenue.

------
johnatwork
Just a warning to fellow Canadians.

I went in on the Pebble Steel in the past, and while I expected a Duty charge,
I didn't expect it to be around 100$ Canadian.

EDIT: Sorry I meant Pebble _Time_ Steel

~~~
orillian
I didn't pay anything extra for duty? I bought my wife a "Round" back in
January, and while the Canadian dollar was crappy, I only payed 25% in CDN
dollars over the websites listed price. So, not sure if I got lucky or you
just didn't. :(

On a side note Canadian shoppers can find the watches at their local Best
Buy... at least the current ones anyway. You might not get the style you want
though, as they seem to be a bit limited that way. Pricing is usually close to
the US price. I paid the extra to get the style I wanted for the wife.

~~~
johnatwork
Yeah I checked online, and the duty charged to people was all over the place,
some correlation with provinces, but not strictly.

------
nharada
It's crazy to me that Pebble manages to crowdfund most of its operations like
this. I assume that since the delivery dates are so close they've almost
finished development on the products? So really this more of a pre-order than
anything else.

~~~
jtruk
It makes a good platform for viral publicity. I presume that's worth the
Kickstarter fees for them.

~~~
svens_
Exactly. In addition they also don't have to care about scaling their webshop
to now almost 4000 buyers in the first hours.

------
rince
I was using a FitBit Charge HR but eventually just grew fed up with having to
charge it - the cable is (afaik) proprietary and the one they included in the
box is hilariously short. So I would often forget to grab it in the morning
since it wasn't by my bedside (rather bed-floor). But I did like one thing
about it - having the time on my wrist. So I just bought a cheap Casio and
couldn't be happier.

I'm intrigued with the Pebble 2 and Time 2 - like that it's always on, and can
go a long time between charges. But how does it work with iOS? From The
Wirecutter, it looks like it's not a pleasant experience
[http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-smartwatch-
iphone/#peb...](http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-smartwatch-
iphone/#pebble) Any other opinions?

~~~
eddiecalzone
My Charge HR lasts 4-5 days between charges. I assume the charger is
proprietary because the watch is water resistant, so I'm ok with that. I keep
the cable at work, and set a vibrate alarm to remind me to plug it in Friday
afternoons. If you do need a spare charger, they're $5-$10 on Amazon. Cheaper
than your Casio watch I bet ;)

Looking fwd to the Pebble2 though. IMO all smartwatches should be eInk and
hackable.

~~~
pbhjpbhj
Cheapest Casio watch on Amazon.com is $8. With a wall adaptor it looks like
the Charge HR charger is $8 too.

------
bambax
Tried Pebble, liked Garmin Fenix 3 MUCH better: it's round, it has GPS
(inside, not with an additional gadget), has superb battery life and feels
indestructible -- it may not be, it's just how it feels.

It's more expensive but well worth the extra money IMHO.

~~~
burnstek
Love my Fenix 3.

Garmin does a nice job bridging the cap between the "smart" watches like
Pebble and the Apple watch, and the more serious fitness devices like those
from Polar and Suunto.

I have much "nicer" watches, but this one is just far more utilitarian,
especially for an active person.

It's also very sharp looking in comparison to the cheaper/plastic looking
option.

~~~
bambax
GPS works almost everywhere (including on planes!); compass works absolutely
everywhere, including near big metal objects, on the subway, etc. It's really
really great.

That said, software could be improved, and that's an understatement. The mess
that is "basecamp" is a disgrace, esp. for a company like Garmin which is
associated with navigation...

~~~
burnstek
Man! I hate Basecamp too! I haven't bothered trying it with my Fenix, but I
used it on my Colorado handheld GPS for a few backpacking trips, and it was
terrible. Especially the early versions.

------
dlevine
This seems like a pretty interesting device. I'm an avid runner, and my option
is either to wear a clunky GPS device or to carry my smartphone and pair it to
a lighter-weight and sleeker device. This basically enables both use cases
without having to lug the phone, plus it adds some interesting features with
the built-in storage and streaming 3G.

I think that a lot of people will buy if Pebble can price this competitively.
Their closest competition is the $250 TomTom Spark Cardio + Music, and it
seems like they will undercut that. With that said, 6 months is a long time,
and I wouldn't be surprised if new and better devices come out before this
ships.

------
emsy
I love the concept of the Core, because I often leave my phone at home.
Unfortunately it requires a country whith a mature and affordable mobile
internet infrastructure, neither of which applies to Germany.

~~~
Kihashi
You don't need an internet connection to use it. It has 4GB of storage and can
do offline syncing over WiFi

> You can also use Core’s 4GB of built-in storage to access your favorite
> playlists, podcasts, and audiobooks.

> Core also works without a SIM card or cellular plan, using WiFi to sync
> offline music and workouts.

~~~
emsy
Open Hotspots in Germany are incredibly rare (due to a just recently lifted
law that made Hotspot providers liable for criminal activities commited over
their connection). The use cases you described can be covered with an iPod
Shuffle or similar MP3 player. The interesting part is really the mobile
internet connection, which is hard/pricy to come by in Germany and probably
other countries. Especially in rural areas you won't get a good enough
connection for Spotify.

Another useful use case would be an emergency button for elderly people.
Current devices are rather expensive and/or only work at home.

~~~
SyneRyder
I don't think you need to use open hotspots - assuming you have your own WiFi
at home, you can just do your syncing once you're back at home after your run.
Also the core has GPS, which the iPod Shuffle doesn't.

I didn't find Germany's mobile internet too expensive, I was quite happy with
Congstar prepaid when I was last over there. Certainly comparable with
Australian mobile internet pricing. On the other hand, Australia now has free
mobile Spotify streaming (on Optus), not sure if Congstar does.

------
piquadrat
As somebody who doesn't use Spotify, I wonder how open the Core will be, e.g.
for other audio providers like PocketCast. If I could just tell it to play the
latest podcasts from my PocketCast, this would be the perfect fitness tracker
for me.

~~~
asadlionpk
I assume it will run standard pebble apps in headless mode.

~~~
jamstruth
They state in the Kickstarter that the Core runs Android. So basically it runs
the Spotify android app. Chances are that support could be added easily for
other apps.

------
andrewmunsell
I was an original Pebble backer, but since moved to an Apple Watch. Though
it's not Pebble's fault, the lack of proper iOS integration (iMessage,
HealthKit, etc.) is really a bummer after using Apple's complete package. I
wish my Apple Watch had some of the features that Pebble does (water
resistance, long battery life), but the Apple ecosystem lock-in is a powerful
force...

I wish Eric & the rest of Pebble the best of luck-- they really are one of
only three viable smartwatch platforms, which is pretty incredible for such a
small company. It'll be interesting to see how they can fit the core into the
activity monitor space as well.

~~~
fredsir
Although Apple doesn't, the Internet claims Apple Watch is water resistant
even for swimming.

~~~
andrewmunsell
Yeah, it's more of a peace of mind thing. The new Pebble is water resistant to
30m, which is really, really deep water. Though I could probably swim with my
Apple Watch, it's not something I particularly want to risk since it's not an
advertised "feature".

------
fencepost
I don't see a lot of folks mentioning it, but what jumped out at me in reading
it is that the Core will act as a PAN (Personal Area Network) Internet gateway
to provide 3G connectivity to other devices via Bluetooth tethering. That
could be a really nice touch for "always-connected" devices without having to
tie them to a phone.

~~~
ncr100
Good spot!

I wonder whether Google Project Fi will support this. Fi is already very
reasonably priced and recently began offering data-only SIM cards extending a
base plan with a pay-as-you-go rate.

~~~
Kihashi
Well, they say that it will support most pay-as-you go plans and such, so I
would expect it would. Haven't seen official confirmation though.

~~~
ncr100
A reddit thread (link needed) claims the CEO dude said 'yes'.

------
darklajid
I was a Pebble fan, but recent changes are bad. They stuff more and more into
their Pebble Health cloud offering.

Just today I opened a support call to figure out what data they transmit to
their servers and how long they store it.

I'm also currently unconvinced that you can use the Pebble to track steps/your
sleep without uploading your data (i.e. it seems that you either opt into
Pebble Health and Pebble gets your data or .. you don't get it either).

Depending on the reaction of the support call I will either dispose of this
thing or use it offline - new products from Pebble aren't exactly interesting
for me at this point..

~~~
fra
Pebble engineer here. You can absolutely disable data upload and continue
using pebble health. The support team will guide you though it. In the future,
we hope to make the settings options to do so more explicit. The only feature
that currently requires analytics to work is voice transcription.

~~~
darklajid
Thank you, that's awesome and reassuring - although you might take away that
it's near impossible to figure out in the settings right now.

You even got a reply on this random board from another pebble customer who's
still confused (and usage log doesn't seem likely to me, that sounds like
telemetry? "User likes to access feature A" vs "All the sensor data").

In short: I'm looking forward to the support reply. Initial reply was
'forwarding to tech, might need more time'. Please consider making this more
explicit, if you're in a position to bring this issue up.

Edit: In fact, this comment of yours convinced me that Pebble (vs all the
other watches) IS the right choice - I just backed the campaign for a Time 2 /
Core combo). Thanks.

------
howlingfantods
If this works as well as advertised, I'm definitely tossing my Fitbit Charge
HR. What a colossal waste of money that was.

~~~
tedd4u
Could you elaborate? I've been looking at the FBCHR as an Apple Watch that I
don't have to charge every night and thus could take advantage of sleep
tracking. Also unlike WATCH I understand the FBCHR automatically detects
runs/workouts without having to start a workout app. Thanks.

~~~
howlingfantods
\- They advertise 5 days charge but I get maybe 3 days. 4 at best.

\- The heartrate reader is only accurate when you're at rest. Any sort of
sweat or physical activity and the reading becomes wildly inaccurate or just
stops working.

\- The app takes like 5-10 minutes to sync every time and it won't sync in the
background. So when syncing, I have to move my finger around on the phone so
my phone doesn't lock and mess up the sync. I live in China so that might be
the issue here. YMMV

\- It does auto detect but I have a Vespa scooter so everytime I ride my
scooter, it counts it as me walking a shitton of steps and I have to manually
go on the website to delete those activities. This is also occasionally an
issue in cars.

Overall, just dissatisfied with how this product works.

~~~
Rezo
The Charge HR sync is garbage in the US as well. It never syncs for me unless
I explicitly open the app, and even then it takes forever. "All day sync" is
enabled, I've tried resets etc. no dice.

I'm OK with the HR accuracy, but the sync issues make it more trouble than
it's worth. I still wear the thing, but only bother to sync and look at the
app perhaps once a week at most since it's so damn slow.

------
vvvv
Question: I've been deliberating getting a smartwatch so this is good timing.
However, I've been trying to cut down on screen time and distractions. Is
getting a smartwatch a good idea?

~~~
kbd
> I've been trying to cut down on screen time and distractions. Is getting a
> smartwatch a good idea?

You make it sound like those desires are at odds, when in fact a smartwatch
_supports_ your goal. Thanks to my Pebble, I only take my phone out of my
pocket when I _intend_ to use it. I don't even take my phone out of my pocket
to reply to text messages sometimes now, since I can do it from my Pebble.
Ditto for changing/pausing the song on Spotify, or of course _checking the
time_ , which I used to use my phone for before I got my Pebble (first first
gen, then Time). Not to mention it's great to be able to send calls to
voicemail if I don't want to answer them or don't recognize the number, and I
can do that without stopping walking.

I'm sure I'd frequently fire up Twitter or Hacker News if I had my phone in my
hands after replying to a text, so I think my Pebble saves me from a lot of
distractions.

------
RijilV
Core is super cool, but I feel there's a big miss for tracking heart rate. I
suppose you could cobble it together with Wahoo Fintness TICKR X and merge the
data after the run, but it would be awesome to combine those two products.

Also would be great to see it tie into other devices like cadence / speed
sensors for bike rides.

Does show that these types of devices are just around the corner, which is
exciting. For me, I'll keep on trucking my phone with me until I get full
integration with tracking heart rate and cycling metrics.

~~~
dlgeek
It pairs with the watch, which is tracking heart rate. Think of Core as a
phone replacement to run the watch, not a watch replacement.

~~~
xyzzy_plugh
Does it? That wasn't remotely obvious from the kickstarter page. I understood
it to be a headless Pebble.

~~~
kingosticks
"Pair with Pebble

Core can take your Pebble watch to the next level. When paired, Core provides
a network connection for internet-enabled Pebble apps. "

------
jamstruth
And here I just bought a Pebble Time. Guess I know why it seemed so cheap.

Hopefully this won't fragment the app marketplace and it will maintain
universal app coverage across all the Pebble watches.

I wonder if it would be possible for an Android Wear watch to do something
similar to the Pebble: Long battery life, no touch screen, e-paper display and
run alright. I imagine the colour space differences between e-paper and LCD
would cause issues though.

~~~
xyzzy_plugh
Android is a much beefier OS than Pebble, which is an RTOS and doesn't scale
down nearly as well. Pebble can produce products at such low prices and high-
battery costs because they squeeze every drop out of their low cost hardware.

Most Android apps require more system resources than the entirety of a Pebble
watch.

Aside, I'm continually impressed with Pebble, and disappointed with Android
Wear products. Taking a phone OS and cramming it on a watch seems lazy, not
innovative, and the experience has never felt great. What Pebble has done
feels really innovative and polished -- they've come a long way.

~~~
maxerickson
The $100 Pebble Core is advertised at the link as an Android device.

~~~
predakanga
The Core is also advertised as lasting through "5 days of 45 minute workouts"
\- I imagine that 3:45 battery life isn't too tough to achieve

~~~
maxerickson
Yeah, their lighter platform seems to be a win for battery. But their cheapest
product is going to be an Android widget, presumably because that is an easy
path to a broader range of features.

------
ethbro
It's funny seeing how many people are missing the cheaper "Early Bird" tiers
that are still available.

"$79 or more Limited (14991 of 15000 remaining) ONE Pebble Core in your choice
of white or black."

~~~
merpnderp
There is a $10 shipping fee in the US, and likely higher shipping fees
elsewhere. I believe this is jacking up the tiers.

------
kylec
My only complaint is that the buttons are all merged into one on both the
Pebble 2 and Time 2, like they are on the Pebble Time. One of the things I
liked about my original Pebble compared to my Time was that the buttons were
separate, making it easy to press one without accidentally pressing another
one.

------
rufugee
I'm a runner, but I generally listen to tech podcasts or audible books while
doing so. When someone gives me a watch with the ability to listen to these,
combined with built-in GPS, I'm on board. Until then, I'll begrudgingly
continue to lug around this phone...

~~~
bdcs
What you describe is almost exactly what Pebble is offering: one of their new
watches + the Pebble Core (GPS + Cellular + headphones jack)

~~~
rufugee
From what I've read it supports streaming music... To stream podcasts it'll
have to have an app for that, and for using Audible it'll have to support,
well, Audible.

Add to that the fact that it requires its own 3g connection, which will add a
monthly cost. I'd much rather have built-in storage sufficient to store
audiobooks and podcasts...

~~~
Kihashi
It has 4GB of storage.

> You can also use Core’s 4GB of built-in storage to access your favorite
> playlists, podcasts, and audiobooks.

Not sure if it will work with Audible specifically, but it should work with
normal audiobook files.

You do not _have_ to have a 3G connection to use it. It has WiFi for offline
syncing.

~~~
rufugee
Ah, didn't catch that. If it works with Audible, it'll be a win. Thanks.

------
headgasket
I think core should be marketed to the elderly, as an emergency button in case
of theft or medical emergency. They would sell millions in Florida.

~~~
criddell
Probably won't because of battery life. An emergency button should be able to
go years between charges.

------
emptybits
Pebble CEO, Migicovsky, says about the Core, "Look, when you go for a run you
can take this instead of taking your phone."

I think the Core is really interesting but his hopeful "instead of" vision
might be naive, based on the Core's capabilities.

Leaving a smartphone at home when it only weighs as much as a gulp of water
(e.g. a 4 oz iPhone) seems like a step 20 years backwards in convenience and
peace of mind when you can't call or message from a Core.

~~~
Trufa
One thing I didn't understand though, do you need the watch for the Core to
work?

~~~
unwiredben
Nope, it can be controlled by the watch, but you should also be able to use
voice control, headset buttons, and the two on-device buttons.

------
silveira
Although I'm happy with my Pebble Time using watchface ForecasWatch by RCY, I
pledged to the Pebble Time 2. It's pretty much the same product with bigger
screen, heart rate, and more battery life. I was planning to buy another
Pebble to give as gift this year, then I'm just upgrading mine and I'll give
my older one as a gift.

------
BrooklynRage
Do these new models still support SmartStraps? Couldn't find anything about it
on the Kickstarter page.

~~~
timdorr
[https://ksr-ugc.imgix.net/assets/012/496/450/ef433d2391d654a...](https://ksr-
ugc.imgix.net/assets/012/496/450/ef433d2391d654aa37817295ce10f4a0_original.png?w=680&fit=max&v=1464084071&auto=format&lossless=true&s=057eca4e119d9b9e854a135dc8b4e94a)

Looking at the back, it _appears_ so. I think they've sort of backed off on
the Smart Strap strategy after nothing has really materialized out of it.

~~~
frio
One thing _did_ ([https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/800343142/tylt-vu-
pulse...](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/800343142/tylt-vu-pulse-for-
pebble-timetm)), and unfortunately Pebble just kind of screwed them over. I
can't imagine there's any malice involved; integrating HR was an obvious step
forward for the product. Backers got an update today advising us that Pebble
and Tylt have collaborated such that the Pulse will be able to feed HR data to
Pebble Health, so it looks like Pebble have probably been good to deal with.

Still, I imagine it leaves a sour taste in the mouth of anyone else looking at
making "Smart Straps".

------
asadlionpk
I know Pebble has fans (me being one of them) but it seems they will reach
their goal today. Which is crazy!

~~~
delecti
The first Pebble met their goal within 2 hours, the second within 1 hour, so
it's not terribly surprising that this one met its goal within about 2 hours.
Still definitely impressive though.

------
lost_name
I assume if you wait a few weeks, you'll see an announcement for the Steel
versions of these.

~~~
comfydragon
The Time 2 already is a Steel version, and the Pebble 2 is intentionally
plastic ("sporty").

~~~
lost_name
You seem to be right -- other articles mention that the Time 2 has steel
casing. I'm surprised they don't mention on the kickstarter page, it was a
major selling point for me.

Edit: Also interesting, the new Time 2 has an MSRP $50 cheaper than the Time
Steel.

------
TeMPOraL
Well. And I just got my Time last week... :).

Anyway, I love Pebble, I like their approach with always-on e-paper-like
screens. I do am however a bit disappointed they jumped completely on the
fitness bandwagon. Is there nothing more interesting to do with wearables than
sports?

~~~
neuronexmachina
I suspect that heart rate/movement tracking are increasingly becoming
something that wearables are pretty much assumed to have, like GPS or cameras
have become in phones.

~~~
TeMPOraL
I don't mind the heart rate / movement tracking per se, but look at the
marketing done here. It's targetting pretty much _only_ people who are
obsessed with fitness / sports.

------
quinndupont
Anyone have any suggestions for a Pebble Core competitor that exists today? (I
don't want to wait until deep into 2017 for the Core) I'm basically looking
for: iPod shuffle, but with BT audio and ideally compatible with a streaming
service.

~~~
andars
> deep into 2017

Are you anticipating major delays? January isn't very deep.

~~~
quinndupont
January isn't very deep into 2017, but I've backed a good half dozen
Kickstarters and they rarely hit their targets (then again, Pebble is pretty
solidly established at this point).

But, even if they ship in January that is still a long ways away, and plenty
of changes and new products will be launched before (in my opinion, that's the
real risk with these long announcement/pay times for this kind of presale).

------
BinaryIdiot
I enjoyed my original Pebble but I stopped using it quite a while ago and
while I would love to pick up a new one they just don't look stylish enough. I
mean sure they're getting better and yes this is very subjective...but why do
they always have to do a double bezel? It drives me nuts! I'm glad they have
improved upon it but most of their marketing shots are with a black screen
next to the first, black bezel seems really misleading to me (just like they
did with the original Time launch).

Anyway I'm not surprised they'd go back to kickstarter. Tons of promotion and
I bet they get a special rate compared to most other users of kickstarter.

------
Fej
Has Pebble's build quality gotten better? I havw the original, it wasn't made
very well. Had the sticky button issue, they replaced it. Then the vibration
motor died in the replacement, basically making it useless as far as a
smartwatch goes (since I mainly use it for notifications). They wouldn't
replace it, since the replacement only had a 90 day warranty. Of course I
don't wear it anymore, I would have tried to repair it but it's impossible to
open.

Doesn't exactly inspire confidence if a company doesn't stand behind its
products. Even Google does a better job.

~~~
phlyingpenguin
They had a few really common problems with the original, notably screen
tearing due to a bad connection inside of the device. They replaced my
original twice with no questions asked.

I upgraded to a Time not that long ago and it's been solid. I haven't heard of
a whole lot of problems with anything but the originals.

~~~
Daneel_
I had the tearing issue with my original. I upgraded to a pebble steel rather
than replace it (international shipping isn't worth it), and the quality has
been second to none. A year and a half on, the leather band is slightly
scuffed, but otherwise it feels and looks completely new. The vibrate motor is
much quieter and smoother compared to the original one as well.

------
yalogin
Why does Pebble have to go to Kickstarter? Is it because they get money
without any strings attached? They are a very well established company at this
point. Its a good strategy though.

~~~
TeMPOraL
Besides marketing benefit and having ordering&payments basically handled for
them, I think it's a sort of tradition. Pebble was _always_ on Kickstarter.
I'd be disappointed if the new ones weren't on it too.

~~~
unwiredben
They didn't KS the Pebble Time Round, but that was explained because it was
being marketed outside their core market; they did make a deal for PT Steel
Kickstarter users to get one at a discounted price.

------
svens_
Never noticed that Kickstarter has live updates for money and backers.. It's
crazy how fast they sell (probably in part due to the earlybird specials),
almost 1k USD / second.

That being said, it almost feels like an abuse of the platform. It's their
third generation of smartwatches after all. I really like the new models with
heart monitor though and now they've also added a pure fitness tracker-like
device.

~~~
wmeredith
I feel the same way. Pebble isn't kick starting anything at this point.
They're just crowdfunding interest free R&D loans with pre-sales, which is
fine, but the use of the Kickstarter platform for the THIRD time seems
disingenuous.

~~~
TeMPOraL
I don't know. I like them using it much better than the usual use - VCs
checking product-to-market fit prior to deciding whether to invest in a
startup. Kickstarter is long past being used to actually kickstart anything,
at least in tech projects.

------
bpchaps
Neat. A few months ago (before I had to watch money extra carefully), I was
looking to make something similar to the Core by removing the strap of the
pebble and dremmeling a hole into the mount and making it into a keychain. It
seemed like the perfect thing if paired with a bluetooth dumb phone.

Everyone called me crazy for wanting to do it, but it looks like that market
actually exists - without a screen, even.

------
julian55
I like gadgets as much as anyone but I'm still struggling to find a use case
for a smart watch. My preferred mode of exercise is cycling and I already have
a GPS bike computer & HRM. I know I could see notifications from my phone on
my wrist but that just isn't enough to tempt me. Having said that if I did get
one the Pebble looks like the best option.

------
iaw
I wear analog mechanical watches, I really wish Pebble would release a band
with a small screen. I'd like to be able to check my meeting schedule without
grabbing my phone or computer.

There's one absurdly overpriced smart band on the market currently and it
doesn't function well. Right now if I want one I'll need to build it myself :/

------
tsieling
I love that they announced a couple weeks ahead of an expected Apple Watch 2
announcement. Excellent marketing.

------
chowder
What is the most affordable way to get GSM service for the Pebble Core? It
looks like it would cost $20 per month to add a "tablet line" to my current
mobile plan which is way too much for me.

~~~
bdcs
If you have Google Fi for your main phone (20$/mo + 10$/GB) you can add up to
9 data-only SIMs for 0$/mo + 10$/GB. The per GB is really fair (I think it
rounds to the nearest MB and everything left over rolls over to the next
month).

[https://support.google.com/fi/answer/6330195?hl=en](https://support.google.com/fi/answer/6330195?hl=en)

------
mobiuscog
Unfortunately, no Windows (mobile) support. That's a shame.

~~~
Twirrim
Windows mobile sales have dropped to less than 1% of the market
([http://www.cnet.com/news/windows-phone-market-share-falls-
be...](http://www.cnet.com/news/windows-phone-market-share-falls-below-one-
percent/)).

Not sure there is enough value in supporting it, compared to the outlay on
development.

~~~
mobiuscog
It's obviously up to them if they want to omit even 2 million potential
customers.

Personally I don't get the 'not enough value in supporting it' considering the
other phone systems obviously had to gain support at some point - now, more
than ever considering the universal platform, Windows development makes a lot
of sense.

Still, it's their choice - I'll just spend my money elsewhere.

------
baby
I bought a Pebble Time yesterday for around a 100$, I was suspecting the uber
low price to be the sign of a new pebble watch :)

------
hudo
I had Pebble 1, then switched to Moto 360, and after about 1y tried Pebble
again (don't like droid notifications). And on pebble nothing changed! No new
apps, some existing apps didn't work any more, everything looked like dying
platform. Compared to droid, where i could find hundreds of watchfaces and
apps, pebble app store looks like a joke. Very sad about that, since imho
smartwatch OS concert on pebble is better than droid.

------
ansgri
Time 2 Gold (with color display!) + Core. Fantastic. If only did they ship to
my country.

------
freshrap6
Are the voice reply capabilities for iOS still limited to certain carriers?

~~~
feld
Yes. I still don't have it on T-Mobile.

------
digi_owl
Frankly it seems that focusing on fitness is a distraction.

The core is apparently a smartphone without the touch screen, or perhaps a
mobile router with extra smarts.

Anyways, i am really not a fan of this timeline thing they have been going
with on their recent watch models.

------
aladine
Just less than 1 day and Pebble already reach their goal

------
taytus
Maybe Apple watch should do a kickstarter campaign.

~~~
guelo
Why?

------
blackoil
They have reached the goal. This is crazy fast.

------
atjoslin
So Kickstarter money is counted as donations, right?

Does that mean that they don't have to pay sales tax on any of these
preorders?

~~~
giarc
Kickstarter takes between 8%-10% [0].

0 -
[https://www.kickstarter.com/help/fees?country=US](https://www.kickstarter.com/help/fees?country=US)

~~~
joosters
Surely Pebble have cut a better deal with Kickstarter...

~~~
giarc
Kickstarter takes 5%, so that piece is likely negotiable. The 3-5% is for
payment processing and it seems like it is through Stripe or Braintree. Both
start at 2.9% plus $0.30 per transaction but bulk pricing is available at
$80,000/month (which Kickstarter definitely meets). So there is some wiggle
room on both side, but this is Kickstarters profits so likely won't cut a ton
of percentage points.

------
headgasket
just pledged for both core and time 2. I think this is an exiting development.

------
LeicaLatte
The Pebble reminds me of "mp3 players" that used to flood the market during
the iPod era.

