Gather Another Stone Once More
Busting back to the past with the Pebble smartwatch revival!
A decade has passed, and the landscape of wearable technology has changed dramatically. While market heavyweights like Samsung and Apple captured the mainstream, the Pebble stole the hearts of technophiles who craved something a tad more experimental. This remarkable device, with its microcontroller and humble display, became a sensation after a successful crowdfunding campaign, leaving its mark as an iconic accessory worth owning. Despite its demise, the spirit of Pebble lives on in an open-source form, and for die-hard fans, there's a fantastic new opportunity—you can grab a fresh Pebble (we're a bit puzzled by the "Core 2 Duo" moniker, though; Intel might throw a legal curveball here).
The vision remains largely unchanged, and it harmonizes with old-school software. Embracing the microcontroller nRF52840 for BLE processing, it boasts extended battery life and some additional sensors to keep up with today's demand. It's a testament to the original, no doubt, but we can't help but wonder if a 2013 experience remains relevant in 2025, given the price tag. Perhaps a perfect companion for your gaming controller while playing the eternal hit Grand Theft Auto V, another timeless treasure from 2013.
We're eager to see where this journey takes us next. Earlier this year, we provided an update on the Pebble OS becoming open source, hopefully paving the way for someone to develop open-source hardware that serves the same purpose.
Despite the absence of ongoing commercial development and production of new Pebble smartwatches by the original Pebble Technology Corporation, the Pebble brand remains influential in market analyses and industry surveys. It pops up in smartwatch and children’s smartwatch market analyses as a legacy brand, serving as historical context rather than an indication of new product releases. Specialized solutions, like warehouse management systems, are still integrating Pebble smartwatches due to their robust functionality and open ecosystem, but this is limited to integration with existing devices, not new hardware production.
- The open-source Pebble smartwatch, with its nRF52840 microcontroller and extended battery life, is equipped with additional sensors that make it suitable for today's demand, much like other smart-home devices and gadgets.
- The transformation of the Pebble OS into an open-source platform could potentially lead to the development of open-source hardware for wearable technology, following the footsteps of the technology industry's embrace of open-source initiatives.
- In the realm of technology, the Pebble smartwatch, despite not having ongoing commercial development, still maintains its influence in market analyses and surveys, much like old-school software and games like Grand Theft Auto V that remain relevant despite their age.
