Latest news with #Beeper
Washington Post
28-02-2025
- Washington Post
Stop juggling six different chat apps. There is a better way.
If you're frazzled from ping-ponging among a bunch of apps to check your chat messages, let me suggest a balm for your addled brain. I'm a fan of Beeper, a mostly free app with a single inbox to read and reply to chats and direct messages from about a dozen services, including Google's texting app for Android phones, WhatsApp, Slack, Meta's Messenger, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Automattic-owned Beeper is releasing redesigned desktop and iOS apps
owner Automattic last year acquired the multi-service messaging app Beeper for $125 million and said it would merge it with an earlier acquisition in the same category. Now, Beeper is releasing the first set of redesigned apps for iOS and desktop in beta after the merger. In a blog post, Beeper said that it built the desktop app using app's foundation, and the iOS app from scratch. The company added that the new set of apps are faster and less battery hungry. On X, founder Kishan Bagaria said that while users can still use the old app, eventually the company will provide an easy way to migrate to the new set of apps. Currently, the app uses Beeper Cloud to store messages and credentials for other services. In upcoming versions, all this data will be stored on-device. What's more, the new apps will have on-device encryption for better privacy and security, and support multiple accounts associated with the same messaging service. Bagaria also mentioned that down the line, the Mac app will allow users to send and receive iMessages. Beeper was founded by Eric Migicovsky, who was the founder of the Pebble smartwatch and a partner at Y-Combinator. After the acquisition, Migicovsky became the outfit's head of messaging. However, last month Migicovsky announced that he is focused on building Pebble again.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Automattic-owned Beeper is releasing redesigned desktop and iOS apps
owner Automattic last year acquired the multi-service messaging app Beeper for $125 million and said it would merge it with an earlier acquisition in the same category. Now, Beeper is releasing the first set of redesigned apps for iOS and desktop in beta after the merger. In a blog post, Beeper said that it built the desktop app using app's foundation, and the iOS app from scratch. The company added that the new set of apps are faster and less battery hungry. On X, founder Kishan Bagaria said that while users can still use the old app, eventually the company will provide an easy way to migrate to the new set of apps. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. Currently, the app uses Beeper Cloud to store messages and credentials for other services. In upcoming versions, all this data will be stored on-device. What's more, the new apps will have on-device encryption for better privacy and security, and support multiple accounts associated with the same messaging service. Bagaria also mentioned that down the line, the Mac app will allow users to send and receive iMessages. Beeper was founded by Eric Migicovsky, who was the founder of the Pebble smartwatch and a partner at Y-Combinator. After the acquisition, Migicovsky became the outfit's head of messaging. However, last month Migicovsky announced that he is focused on building Pebble again.
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Yahoo
Pebble, the original groundbreaking smartwatch, is coming back
The person behind the Pebble smartwatch, which arguably kickstarted the whole smartwatch craze when it launched in 2012, is returning to build the true successor to it. In a blog post on his personal site, Eric Migicovsky wrote, 'A small team and I are diving back into the world of hardware to bring Pebble back!' His announcement follows Google's release of the original Pebble smartwatch software — PebbleOS — as open source, allowing keen Pebble owners to more easily adapt it for use with modern smartphones and systems. There is already a healthy fanbase dedicated to keeping Pebble smartwatches and software going, and the open source library will help speed up the process of making old Pebble smartwatches more usable today. Migicovsky continued to explain what his plans are for the new smartwatch: 'The new watch we're building basically has the same specs and features as Pebble, though with some fun new stuff as well. It runs open source PebbleOS, and it's compatible with all Pebble apps and watchfaces. If you had a Pebble and loved it, this is the smartwatch for you.' He also talked about the 'core set of features' he wants from a smartwatch, including an always-on, e-paper screen so it can be seen in sunlight and isn't as power-intensive as an OLED or LCD, buttons on the case, and a simple user interface built on 'hackable' software. He specifically mentions wanting to add the ability for developers to build their own watch faces for it. While these features are his wishlist, it's likely all will make it to his new smartwatch. Migicovsky calls the project a 'Pebble replacement,' but it's not certain the Pebble name will be used. Pebble was sold to Fitbit, which in turn was purchased by Google, and while the software is now open source, the name may prove more difficult to acquire. Apart from Google possibly owning it, there is another smartwatch company releasing smartwatches using the name Pebble too. It's still early days for the project, and Migicovsky wants to complete the product specification and timeline before discussing how you'll be able to buy one. He ends by saying the new smartwatch will be exactly like the Pebble, 'in almost every way,' which is bound to please the many fans of the original. While there will certainly be fans waiting for the new Pebble, smartwatches have moved on since Pebble shook things up between 2012 and 2016. Whether it's a Casio G-Shock DW-H5600, a Withings ScanWatch 2, or an Apple Watch Series 10, the choice is far wider and more inclusive today. Since Pebble's demise, Migicovsky founded Beeper, a universal messaging app which found a way to put iMessage on Android and avoid the whole blue bubble/green bubble social nightmare, without any security problems either. Beeper was acquired by Automattic, which owns WordPress, in 2024.
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Google open-sources the Pebble smartwatch's software, and its creator is making a new model
Pebble is back, baby. On Monday, Google (which owns Pebble's IP via its Fitbit purchase) open-sourced the OG modern smartwatch's software. Although that paves the road for anyone to make new Pebble-esque wearables (or custom firmware for the old models), one high-profile figure has already raised his hand: Pebble creator Eric Migicovsky. Google says the open-source PebbleOS includes most of the software's source code. The only exceptions are proprietary code for chipset and Bluetooth software. Google's Matthieu Jeanson, Katharine Berry and Liam McLoughlin wrote that developers face 'a non-trivial amount of work' in finding replacements for the stripped-out pieces of code. Migicovsky says he spurred the project by asking friends at Google if they would open-source the software. The Pebble founder, who went on to run Beeper (the iMessage for Android app that sparked a short-lived war with Apple), wrote on his blog that he wants his planned smartwatch to be a modern take on the original Pebble — a spiritual successor that doesn't try to reinvent the wheel. 'No one makes a smartwatch with the core set of features I want,' he wrote. 'I had really, really, really hoped that someone else would come along and build a Pebble replacement. But no one has.' His wishlist for the as-yet-unnamed product includes an always-on e-paper screen, long battery life, a 'simple and beautiful user experience,' physical buttons and hackability (like custom watch faces). Those were indeed the hallmarks of the innovative and charming Pebble, which broke Kickstarter records and preceded Apple, Samsung and Google's models by several years. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. 'The new watch we're building basically has the same specs and features as Pebble, though with some fun new stuff as well,' the Pebble founder wrote, adding that his team still needs to nail down the product's exact specifications and timeline. 'It runs open source PebbleOS, and it's compatible with all Pebble apps and watchfaces.' Developers can get Google's open-sourced Pebble OS on GitHub. And if you're interested in Migicovsky's as-yet-unnamed spiritual successor to the 2013 smartwatch, you can sign up for updates on its webpage.
