Latest news with #Migicovsky
Android Authority
05-05-2025
- Business
- Android Authority
First Core 2 Duo smartwatch demo is here, with updates on shipping and software
TL;DR Eric Migicovsky demoed the Core 2 Duo smartwatch in the first episode of his new podcast. The watch is still being tested, but PebbleOS is running with watch faces and Bluetooth. US buyers could face a small price hike due to tariffs, but July shipping is still the goal. Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky posted a new video from his garage last week. The video showed off an early version of the Core 2 Duo smartwatch and discussed the project's current status. It gave us our best look at the upcoming smartwatch yet, and Migicovsky also answered fan questions about the future. In the first episode of a new podcast called Tick Talk with Eric Migicovsky, he gave a quick demo of the device, which is still in the testing phase. The unit he showed on camera isn't even sealed up — it's held together with tape and can't actually tell the time yet — but it's already running PebbleOS. Despite being a work-in-progress, features like Bluetooth and watch face support are in place, with some pretty cool examples demonstrated. The strap and charging dongle that will ship with the watch were also shown. According to Migicovsky, the plan is still to start shipping Core 2 Duos in July, but he warned that new US tariffs on China could cause some headaches for buyers in the States. He said Core Devices will try to minimize the extra costs — currently estimated to be between $10 and $25 per watch — by bulk importing the units. Customers outside the US shouldn't be affected, as those orders will ship straight from China. Migicovsky answered several questions from fans, including ones about new features. He's thinking about adding complications, which are little widgets like weather or calendar data that show on the main watch face. He's also keen on better integration with Beeper so you can see chat history, and deeper support for voice-based AI agents like Bobby, which is a Gemini-based platform he has on his Pebble watch. He goes on to mention small tweaks he'd like to see, such as making the backlight less harsh at night and increasing the font size for the clock on the notification screen. While the focus right now is getting Core 2 Duo out the door, Migicovsky hinted at broader plans. Core Devices is working on making PebbleOS easier to port to different hardware. Once the groundwork is laid, creating new hardware running PebbleOS should be easier, whether from Core Devices or others. As always, the Pebble spirit seems to be very much alive. 'I love having a device in my life that just makes me feel happy,' he said, showing off a watch face on his current Pebble with an octopus holding an ice cream cone. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
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.
Bloomberg
18-03-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Smartwatch Pioneer Pebble Relaunches With Apple Watch Alternative
Eric Migicovsky, whose smartwatch startup Pebble Technology Corp. was bought by Fitbit in 2016, is returning to the space with a new company, Core Devices LLC, and two products modeled after Pebble's original hardware. 'I'm not trying to sell this to everybody,' Migicovsky said of the the new devices in an interview. 'It's for the people who don't feel served by Apple Watch, Pixel Watch or Garmin,' he added referring to popular models from Apple Inc., Alphabet Inc.'s Google and Garmin Ltd.
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.
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.
