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New wider color-screen smartwatch appears on Pebble’s website

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Update: The image has been removed and replaced with the below image of an actual pebble… Oops?

We told you last week that Pebble is likely about to announce the next-generation of its smartwatch, featuring a thinner design, a color e-paper-like display, and a revamped OS. Now, thanks to an image hosted on Pebble’s own servers, we have a look at a device with a physical appearance matching the device we described. The device looks to have a larger bezel, as well as buttons that are smaller compared to its predecessor.

As we reported, the watch is going to be thinner than the current generation, but you can’t really see that based on this image alone. And while the new device will have a color display and a slimmer hardware profile, it’s said to have battery life that compares to the first generation Pebble. On the inside, the next Pebble is going to have a Cortex M4 processor and a 6-axis gyroscope. Unlike the Apple Watch, the new Pebble won’t have a touch screen, and its resolution is definitely on the low side compared to Apple’s upcoming device.

The device’s operating system has been completely redesigned by the team behind WebOS, featuring a timeline view that shows a list of recent notifications, while the entire user interface for the watch features many new animations and appearance tweaks. While the focus of the operating system is said to be turning to notifications and alerts for future calendar events, third-party applications won’t be going anywhere.

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Comments

  1. AeronPeryton - 9 years ago

    Get ’em while they’re relevant!

    It’s a shame that WebOS ended up not meaning anything. Those guys tried really really hard to make something beautiful and different.

    • Gazoo Bee - 9 years ago

      I still think web-based phones could be competitive. It’s a shame that the only people making a web phone today are the Firefox people, and they insist on using shitty Firefox technology instead.

      • jjshane - 9 years ago

        WebOS wasn’t “web-based” not in the comprehensive sense that FFOS is, it was web-based in name, primarily. It was well done though, the sw stack I mean, still lots of native code/elements, not mostly HTML5.

        Never did it for me as much as Maemo 4-6x (6x was re-badged as MeeGo_Harmattan) & MeeGoCE* (which Sailfish is now based on). But it always seemed to get way more hype, never understood that, prolly because of the tragic Palm story attached to it.

        I’m not sub’d to this thread (waaay to busy), so apologies in advance if I’m not able to address any responses.

        *Tizen was born out of this (& Limo/Bada) from an organisational sense “in some respects”, not from a code sense

      • jjshane - 9 years ago

        N.B. the modern WebOS could be completely diff to what I used, no idea what they’re doing, nowadays.

    • hoits2000 - 9 years ago

      What do you mean? The whole iPhone OS stole from the webos and windows.

      • Gazoo Bee - 9 years ago

        I was talking about using WebOS as an actual OS, on web-enabled devices. If the FlipBoard folks can get 60 fps out of HTML 5 now, I think web-based OS’s just got a teeny bit more relevant.

    • myke2241 - 9 years ago

      WebOS is coming back strong! did you see the Audi LG WebOS watch? also saw yesterday that LG sold 5M WebOS TV’s last year.

  2. Oflife - 9 years ago

    Great software let down by the fact Americans cannot do industrial design – with one exception, the Ford Mustang. Hire a Brit or Italian guys! I want a Pebble so bad, but this is way too chunky. I was waiting, but going to get the Steel instead as it’s less chunky, width wise anyway.

  3. Tony Quiles - 9 years ago

    I feel lied to, I’ll withhold any real judgement until tomorrow but this seems like a step backwards, design wise, to me…

  4. Andrew Messenger - 9 years ago

    This might be the ugliest watch i’ve ever seen.

  5. hoits2000 - 9 years ago

    Pebble Steel is great. I was sceptical of the whole smart watch thing until I got the Steel. It does everything I want it to. Not having it on me now feels like I left my wallet or phone at home. I’m looking forward to the new software and watch.

  6. Gazoo Bee - 9 years ago

    The only one of these that ever appealed to me visually was the metal one with the metal expansion band and that , only from a “tech geek” point of view. All the others are so seriously ugly I’d have to be a senior or an imbecile, or someone who just doesn’t care if they are wearing purple pants, rainbow socks and has their shirt on backwards.

    The thing is barely useful and only appeals to geeks, keeping it geeky looking (and thus “cool” at least in a geeky way) was important, but I think they have screwed up on the new one. The “geek chic” is gone.

    • I’ve got the $99 Pebble and believe it or not it’s awesome. Obviously if you need an all singing all dancing smartwatch you need to look elsewhere, but if you want a watch which not only tells the time but sends notifications to your phone, is light and waterproof and has a battery life of a week, then the Pebble fits the bill perfectly :)

  7. Toro Volt (@torovolt) - 9 years ago

    It looks awesome!
    Certainly more masculine than the Apple Watch.
    Hoping the battery last as long as the original Pebble.

    • nono68200 - 9 years ago

      I prefer personally Apple Watch design… This watch remembers me old watches of my youth (watches in plastic)…

  8. It looks like my old calculator watch from 6th grade…

  9. Olivia Ryan - 9 years ago

    Pebble watches are now available online only at http://goo.gl/KT02sj

  10. Aron (@AronDraws) - 9 years ago

    I have been in love with the original Pebble since I saw it– the pixel screen reminds me of the stuff we had when I was a kid, and thats why I love it :D

    I am excited to hear about the new ones tomorrow but I’m REALLY hoping I can get a white Pebble still :D

  11. To be fair:
    1. i’ve abandoned all other watches (11 of them in my “collection” and counting) for my Pebble Steel
    2. Ive abandoned my original (Kickstarter version) Pebble for my current “steel” version
    4. I’ll abandon my Pebble the instant Apple Watch is available

    Good luck to the Pebble crew in a post-Apple Watch world…

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