A new Pebble smartwatch is in the works as Google releases source code
Pebble is attempting a comeback with a new smartwatch.
The new Pebble watch aims to retain old features like e-paper and physical buttons.
Google sharing PebbleOS source code will expedite the creation of the new watch.
Despite being a Kickstarter darling, Pebble's time in the tech space was short-lived. While its first watch was highly successful, its second-generation products didn't quite hit the mark, which eventually led to the brand fizzling out and being purchased by Fitbit.
Luckily, dedicated fans have kept Pebble products alive since that time, and even Google showed it some unexpected love as well. With that said, it appears that Pebble is going to try and make a comeback, with Eric Migicovsky, who is the CEO and creator of Pebble, sharing news that something new is on the way.
Migicovsky shared that while there are plenty of great smartwatches on the market, none have really met his needs. Of course, everyone is different, but Migicovsky states that his ideal smartwatch in 2025 would have an e-paper screen, long battery life, and would be simple and easy to use.
Furthermore, there would be physical buttons and the device would be "hackable". For the most part, this is what Pebble was, and it looks like Migicovsky wants to see how an updated version would fare in the current market. The good news is that technology has only gotten better since the release of the original Pebble.
With that said, there's really not much more to share, as there isn't any concept art. But we do know that the watch will have "the same specs and features as Pebble" and that it will run PebbleOS. Google announced that it would be sharing the source code for PebbleOS.
Apparently, this move was a year in the making, and thanks to this code being available, it should make producing a new Pebble watch much faster and easier. So if you were curious, you can now head to GitHub to pour through all the code in detail.
It's been a long time, but it will be interesting to see whether Migicovsky can spark interest in Pebble in 2025. Hopefully, there was a lot learned from the past, and this time, the brand and its devices can have a longer run.
Migicovsky states that things will be smaller in scale this time, and the main priority is to "keep making cool gadgets and keep Pebble going long into the future." Of course, as stated before, it will be interesting to see just how many people are really interested in a watch like this when there are already so many great options out.
While battery life is just one of the many challenges that wearables have to overcome, there are some excellent examples out in the wild that offer several days, if not weeks, of battery life. Personally, I'd like to see something like the Pebble Time 2 finally make its way to customers, but what about you?
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