Pebble (watch)

Pebble Smartwatch
Also known asPebble
DeveloperPebble Technology, Corp., Pebble Devices, Corp in California.[1]
ManufacturerFoxlink Group in Taiwan[2]
Product familyPebble
TypeSmartwatch
Generation1
Release dateJanuary 23, 2013 (2013-01-23)
Introductory price
  • Pebble: $99[3]
  • Pebble Steel: $149
DiscontinuedDecember 7, 2016
Units sold2,000,000+ as of December 2017[4]
Operating systemPebble OS; uses a customized FreeRTOS kernel.[5][6] Can communicate with Android and iOS apps using Bluetooth. Portions of Pebble OS are closed source.[7]
CPUSTM32F205RE Cortex M3 CPU
MemoryRAM 128 KB (84 KB OS, 24 KB app, 12 KB background worker, 8 KB app services)[8]
StoragePebble Time series: 50 slots for faces/apps stored on watch, infinite can be loaded from the connected phone.
Pebble Classic series: 8 slots for apps/watch faces, 100 KB per slot for a total of 800 KB user accessible space.
The Kickstarter version has 4 MiB (32 Mibit) flash.[9][10] Originals built after October 2013 and all Steel watches have 8 MiB (64 Mibit) flash.[11][12][13]
All models also have 512 KiB SoC flash memory
Display32-millimetre (1.26 in) 144×168 pixel Sharp Memory transflective LCD[14][15]
GraphicsPebble Classic/Steel: 1-bit black-and-white transflective LCD; Pebble Time: 64 (6-bit) color e-paper.
SoundNone
Input4 buttons
3-axis accelerometer with gesture detection
magnetometer and ambient light sensor,[5] microphone on Pebble Time models
CameraNone
ConnectivityBluetooth 2.1 and 4.0 LE (used for iOS 7 notifications) + EDR
Power130 mAh, 7 days (assuming c. 20–30 notifications a day, and a per-minute updating watchface)
Current firmwareVersion 4.3
DimensionsPebble: 52 mm × 36 mm × 11.5 mm (2.05 in × 1.42 in × 0.45 in),[16]
Pebble Steel: 46 mm × 34 mm × 10.5 mm (1.81 in × 1.34 in × 0.41 in)
MassPebble: 38 g (1.34 oz),
Pebble Steel: 56 g (1.97 oz) (with default watchband attached)
SuccessorPebble Time (both normal and Steel variants)
RelatedFitbit
Websitepebble.com

Pebble is a discontinued smartwatch developed by Pebble Technology Corporation based in Palo Alto, California that shipped from 2013 to 2016. A brainchild of Eric Migicovsky, funding was conducted through a Kickstarter campaign in 2012. It was the most funded project in Kickstarter history at the time, raising $10.3 million.[17] Pebble watches can be connected to Android and iOS devices to show notifications and messages. An online app store distributed Pebble-compatible apps from many developers including ESPN, Uber, Runkeeper, and GoPro.

A steel-bodied variant to the original Pebble, the Pebble Steel, was announced at CES 2014 and released in February 2014. It had a thinner body, tactile metal buttons, and a Corning Gorilla Glass screen. In 2015, Pebble launched its second generation of smartwatches: the Pebble Time and Time Steel. The devices were similarly funded through Kickstarter, raising $20.3 million from over 75,000 backers and again breaking records for the site.

In December 2016, Pebble officially announced that the company would be shut down, and would no longer manufacture or continue support for any devices, nor honor any existing warranties.[4] Support for the Pebble app store, online forum, cloud development tool, voice recognition, and voice replies ceased in June 2018,[18] although support for some online services was restored by the unofficial "Rebble" community.

  1. ^ "Business Entity Detail". California Secretary of State. April 4, 2012. Archived from the original on March 15, 2015. Retrieved May 21, 2014. Entity number C3456720
  2. ^ Milian, Mark (September 16, 2013). "The Sticky Situation That Delayed the Pebble Smartwatch". Bloomberg L.P. Archived from the original on May 2, 2017. Migicovsky signed an agreement with Taiwan-based Foxlink Group to assemble the Pebble! watches in a plant near the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen.
  3. ^ "The Pebble is now even cheaper". Compare Smartwatches. October 3, 2014. Archived from the original on October 11, 2014. Retrieved October 7, 2014.
  4. ^ a b "Pebble – Pebble's Next Step". December 7, 2016. Archived from the original on December 7, 2016. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  5. ^ a b "Pebble smart watch review – hands on". Expert Reviews. January 9, 2013. Archived from the original on August 15, 2013. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
  6. ^ Murray, Brad (May 23, 2014). "FreeRTOS™ Code Revisions from Pebble". Archived from the original on August 21, 2014.
  7. ^ Migicovsky, Eric (May 22, 2014). "Eric Migicovsky on Twitter". Archived from the original on July 15, 2015. Our proprietary code is not open source though.
  8. ^ "What is Pebble's (and Steel's) actual amount of Memory and Storage (RAM and ROM)?". May 15, 2014. Archived from the original on March 4, 2017.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference iFixit was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ "OET Exhibits List for FCCID RGQ-PEBBLE-WATCH, Internal Photos". FCC. December 27, 2012. Archived from the original on April 20, 2016.
  11. ^ Detwiler, Bill (June 16, 2014). "Cracking Open the Pebble Steel". Archived from the original on August 19, 2014.
  12. ^ "OET Exhibits List for FCCID RGQ-PEBBLE-WATCH2, Internal Photos". FCC. January 6, 2014. Archived from the original on April 20, 2016.
  13. ^ "FCC OET Exhibits List for FCCID RGQ-PEBBLE-WATCHA, Internal Photos". FCC. October 18, 2013. Archived from the original on April 20, 2016.
  14. ^ Galan, Walter (March 12, 2013). "Pebble Teardown". iFixIt. Archived from the original on March 15, 2013.
  15. ^ Chang, Alexandra (May 14, 2012). "Hands On With Pebble Smartwatch, the Most Successful Kickstarter Project Ever | Gadget Lab". Wired.com. Archived from the original on September 8, 2013. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
  16. ^ FCC Office of Engineering and Technology (December 27, 2012). "OET List Exhibits Report". fccid.io. Archived from the original on April 20, 2016. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
  17. ^ Hardawar, Devindraw (January 23, 2013). "Pebble smartwatch now shipping, but expect to wait a while for yours". VentureBeat. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  18. ^ Goode, Lauren (January 24, 2018). "Fitbit will end support for Pebble smartwatches in June". The Verge. Archived from the original on January 24, 2018. Retrieved January 24, 2018.