Latest news with #CoreTime2
The Verge
05-05-2025
- Business
- The Verge
The Pebble's creator demos his new smartwatch
After announcing a new company called Core Devices and a pair of new smartwatches running the now open source PebbleOS, the Pebble's creator, Eric Migicovsky, has launched a podcast. In the first episode of Tick Talk w/ Eric Migicovsky, he gives a brief demo of the Core 2 Duo that's still in development, talks about potential new features, and addresses concerns over how US tariffs will affect the price and delivery of the new smartwatches. Migicovsky is still confident the Core 2 Duo – the cheaper model with a black-and-white screen lacking touch capabilities – is going to ship some time in July 2025, but his demo of one of the first units from the factory shows a device with software that's still under development. The familiar PebbleOS UI is there, but basic features like telling time haven't been enabled yet, and the Core Devices team is still working on drivers for vibrating notifications and the smartwatch's accelerometer. The Core 2 Duo will come with a silicone strap reminiscent of the Apple Watch's with a slot for tucking excess length away while it's worn, and Migicovsky demonstrated the tiny USB-C magnetic charging dongle they revealed last month. Although Migicovsky believes the original Pebble team did a lot of things right a decade ago with the original Pebble watches, there are a few new features he wants to eventually introduce for the Core 2 Duo and the Core Time 2, a follow-up that's set to ship in December 2025 with a color touchscreen. Watch face widgets would make it easier to see information like the weather or upcoming appointments at a quick glance, while deeper integration with Beeper – the universal chat app Migicovsky developed after selling Pebble to Google – would improve both smartwatches' communication capabilities. Better access to AI voice agents is something on Core Devices' wish list, given that the Core 2 Duo and the Core Time 2 both have speakers and microphones. And thanks to the European Union's Digital Markets Act (DMA) forcing Apple to open up its devices, Migicovsky says he will support expanded operability with iOS should Apple allow it, potentially allowing users to respond by voice to incoming messages when paired to an iPhone, at least in Europe. The Core Devices team is also doing a lot of work on PebbleOS' underlying architecture and porting it to two new Bluetooth chipsets with the goal of expanding the types of devices the operating system can be used with – not just wearables. But what those other devices might be hasn't been revealed yet. During the podcast, Migicovsky also addresses the effect President Trump's tariffs on Chinese-made goods will have on the Core 2 Duo and the Core Time 2, as both smartwatches are manufactured in Shenzhen. With steeper tariffs for these types of devices on pause, Chinese-made smartwatches are currently subjected to 27.5 percent tariffs, he says, which will potentially increase the price of incoming shipments by $10 or $25. But specifics on how that will affect the cost of the $149 Core 2 Duo and $225 Core Time 2 aren't yet known.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Yahoo
Your Old Pebble Watch Will Come to Life With the New App
Old Pebble watches (firmware 3.x and above) will be compatible with the new iOS and Android companion app launching alongside the Core 2 Duo and Core Time 2 watches. While Core Devices is not directly focused on porting the new open-source PebbleOS to older Pebble devices, there's active development by community members. The Rebble project continues to support older Pebble watches, providing functionality independently of the new PebbleOS. Last week was exciting for those who have been interested in wearable tech for a while. After nearly a decade of dormancy, Pebble returned with the announcement of two new Pebble ePaper smartwatches coming this year. Now, we're getting some good news for old Pebble watches, too. The journey has been an interesting one for owners of the original Pebble smartwatches. Back in 2016, the company filed for insolvency, and Fitbit acquired most of Pebble's assets. The Pebble web services were discontinued on June 30, 2018, rendering existing devices mostly unusable. However, Pebble diehards banded together to create "Rebble," an unofficial development group with the mission of extending support for existing devices. Rebble allowed users to switch their devices from the original Pebble web services over to Rebble Web Services, restoring some of the functionality. This was a great community-driven project that saved many Pebbles from being abandoned. With the news of Google open-sourcing the PebbleOS codebase earlier this year and the new smartwatches, there's been some excitement about the possibilities for older devices. Founder Eric Migicovsky addresses several of the frequently asked questions he's been receiving, including the future of old Pebble watches. Will my old Pebble watch work with the new upcoming iOS and Android apps? Yes! We will launch a new app for iOS and Android before we start shipping Core 2 Duo. This new app will be compatible with all old Pebbles on firmware 3.x and above. The new upcoming app mentioned is a companion app for the new Core 2 Duo and Core Time 2 watches. This app will essentially take the place of the long-gone original Pebble companion app, and it will bring back easy access to watch faces, apps, and settings. Currently, you can browse the store at But what about the new PebbleOS? Will that be coming to old Pebble watches? Eric addresses that question as well. Can my old Pebble run the new open source PebbleOS? Maybe! Updating old watches to work with the new firmware is not something we (Core Devices) is focused on, but there is a, among others, a very smart ex-Pebbler working on this and we are helping as much as we can. Are you an embedded developer and want to help? Join #firmware-dev on the Rebble Discord. That sounds like a pretty strong "maybe," which is cool to hear. Of course, if you really want to use an old Pebble, the Rebble project is still alive and kicking. You certainly don't need to wait for the new PebbleOS to be ported over, but it does sound like that will likely happen at some point. This is all very exciting for everyone who has owned or been interested in a Pebble smartwatch. There's something special about an ePaper display and battery life measured in days instead of hours. It's a great option for people who want a more minimal experience. If you'll excuse me, I need to go dust off my old Pebble Time Steel. Source: Eric Migicovsky
WIRED
18-03-2025
- Business
- WIRED
The Pebble E-Paper Smartwatch Is Back. Just Don't Call It Pebble
Mar 18, 2025 12:00 PM Pebble's founder is back with a company called Core Devices and two familiar smartwatches—Core 2 Duo and Core Time 2—but this time he's only making roughly 10,000 units of each. Photograph: Core; Getty Images If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. Learn more. Please also consider subscribing to WIRED Nearly a decade after its demise, smartwatch maker Pebble is back—sort of. Today, the company's founder, Eric Migicovsky, has unveiled new hardware running open source PebbleOS. However, since Google owns the Pebble trademark, these are not Pebble smartwatches. Instead, say hello to the first watches from a new brand called Core Devices: Core 2 Duo and Core Time 2. For a brief history lesson, Pebble skyrocketed to fame in 2012 through a wildly successful Kickstarter campaign. The company's smartwatches had e-paper displays and arrived ahead of the first Apple Watch, offering wearers the ability to see notifications, create custom watch faces, and even access an app store—all with battery life that lasted a week despite an always-on screen. But the company scaled too quickly and then didn't meet its sales targets, eventually deciding to sell to Fitbit. A few years later, Google bought Fitbit, which meant it owned Pebble's assets. The original Pebble smartwatches didn't die off—Fitbit kept the lights on for some time, and thanks to Pebble's cult-like fanbase, a coalition of developers and enthusiasts helped launch the Rebble project to replace Pebble's web services when Fitbit eventually shut everything down, so that core functions of the watches kept working. But what's enabled Migicovsky to introduce new hardware running PebbleOS is Google's decision to release the source code in January. 'I asked politely if they would open source the operating system, and they very graciously did,' Migicovsky tells WIRED. 'We wouldn't be able to do what we're doing now if Google hadn't done that, so we're super appreciative.' New Leaf That brings us to Migicovsky's new brand—Core Devices—a nod to the Pebble Core, the screen-less wearable that never shipped. This is a very small operation that consists of Migicovsky, another full-time employee, and a few contractors—he says he's taking things a bit more cautiously this time around. That's why there will only be roughly 10,000 units available for the Core 2 Duo and a little more of the Core Time 2—preorders are live today if you want to reserve one. 'I'm intentionally trying to build something that's sustainable, rather than a fast-growing do-or-die company," Migicovsky says. "We're taking small risks, we're doing a couple of products, one at a time—and cautiously, carefully building this company to be sustainable. If we can do our jobs, build these watches and make people happy, we'll build more. There's always more time." Core 2 Duo Photograph: Core The first to arrive this July is the Core 2 Duo, which shares many characteristics with the Pebble 2 from 2016. This $149 wearable has a 1.26-inch monochrome e-paper display embedded into a polycarbonate frame that comes in black or white. Like the original, it has a microphone, is IPX8 water resistant, and features step and sleep tracking. So what's new? Battery life has been beefed up significantly from 7 days to 30. There's a newer Bluetooth chip inside, a barometer and compass, a quieter and stronger motor for better vibration alerts, and more reliable buttons (the old buttons had a history of degrading over time). Migicovsky says the new pushers should offer up to a 30 percent longer lifetime in testing. Core Time 2 Photograph: Core Next is the Core Time 2, which resembles the Pebble Time 2 that never shipped. It has a few enhancements over the Duo, such as a larger 1.5-inch 64-color e-paper screen, an aluminum frame and buttons, and a heart-rate monitor. It also has a touchscreen. While the operating system is not built for touch interactions, this capability will initially let you hop into apps by tapping on a 'complication' on the watch's face. Over time, the touchscreen interactions will expand. These upgrades mean a higher $225 price, and it won't ship until December. Classic Pebble Like the Pebbles of old, Core's smartwatches buzz when notifications arrive, have customizable watch faces, show the time on an always-on display, can control music playback via physical buttons, and offer rudimentary health tracking. They can access more than 10,000 PebbleOS apps and watch faces published through the Rebble Foundation. Some apps may try to access web services that aren't available, and watch faces for the Core Time 2 will have a border until developers update them to take advantage of the larger display. Migicovsky says there will be a companion app for Android and iOS, and an updated software development kit for developers who want to create new apps. Core Time 2 (left) and Core 2 Duo (right) Photograph: Core One new app Migicovsky is toying with is a ChatGPT app that lets you push one of the buttons to activate the AI assistant. The new built-in speaker will let you hear answers without having to pull out your connected smartphone, which powers the whole experience. Even with capabilities like this, these watches are not designed to have all the features you might find on an Apple Watch. 'This is not for everyone," Migicovsky says. "Most people like the Apple Watch. Most people are happy with the Apple Watch. This is for the people who aren't. This is for the people who don't feel like they're well served by the status quo.' Furthering this view that the Cores are not for everyone, in Migicovsky's blog post announcing the two watches, there's a section that nudges people to avoid Core's latest if they want a fitness watch, a full-featured smartwatch, or even a device that is super polished. Migicovsky says some features may not be ready at launch, there could be delays, and the whole project could also not last as long as expected. 'We're not predicating our entire lives on the success of this,' Migicovsky says. "We'll move on and build other products if people don't want these." Perhaps this more measured approach will mean Migicovsky's latest won't befall the same fate as Pebble, or perhaps not—early-adopting consumers will again have to run the risk of buying in to a product that could die before its time. Migicovsky is at least trying to mitigate this risk, though, as you can preorder the Core 2 Duo and Core Time 2 now to secure your unit—but if you get cold feet and change your mind, you can get a full refund if you cancel before your watch ships.
