New Pebble SmartWatch

The Pebble Time is Pebbles newest addition to its smart watch family. The device features a new color screen in place of the typical black and white screen found on the Pebble Smartwatch.

Courtesy of CNET

The Pebble Time is Pebble’s newest addition to its smart watch family. The device features a new color screen in place of the typical black and white screen found on the Pebble Smartwatch.

Pebble recently launched a new, color version of their smartwatch product, called the Pebble Time.

Pebble was one of the first companies to enter the wearable tech market with the introduction of the Pebble Smartwatch. This watch connected to an iOS or Android device and featured an e-ink display that could relay mobile notifications such as text messages and other alerts. The Pebble Time is a new iteration of this product, now featuring a color display that is common on most smartwatches. Apart from its display, the Pebble Time functions much like its predecessor and other competitors in the market. The device boasts seven hours of battery life and offers many different personalization options that users can adjust to their liking.

“Pebble’s new color display really improves on previous user interfaces and takes the definition of a smartwatch to a whole new level,” Zabin Bashar (12) said. “Technology consumers always enjoy a color upgrade, and app developers will be able to now create more aesthetic apps. Furthermore, the watch uses a special e-paper screen, so the battery life should not be an issue, unlike most other smartwatches.”

Pebble Time is not available to purchase as of now and is a project that Pebble has listed on Kickstarter. As of Feb. 25, the device has 45,996 backers and has raised over $9 million in funding.

The market for smartwatches is seeing many competing devices vy for customer attention. Android Wear, which powers many smartwatches (such as those made by Motorola and Samsung), and Apple’s forthcoming Watch are products that are expected to dominate the market.

Many students feel smartwatches act as natural extension of their mobile phones, in a way that minimizes interaction with the phone and allows for more flexibility.

“I think that smart watches provide a groundbreaking outlet to access the technology that runs our lives in a classic and familiar manner that isn’t socially awkward or unwieldy,” Nikhil Reddy (12) said.

With many different smartwatches available in the market, users should have no trouble trying to find one that suits them.