Latest news with #Migicovsky
Express Tribune
31-07-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Pebble smartwatches make comeback with August 2025 release
The iconic Pebble smartwatch brand is set to make a comeback, with founder Eric Migicovsky announcing that his company, Core Devices, has reacquired the Pebble trademark. Two upcoming smartwatches, previously known as Core 2 Duo and Core Time 2, will now launch as Pebble 2 Duo and Pebble Time 2, reviving the name that pioneered the smartwatch market. Migicovsky, who founded Pebble before its closure in 2016, revealed the rebranding in a blog post. The watches, powered by the open-source PebbleOS, are designed to recapture the charm of the original devices. The Pebble 2 Duo is in beta testing, while the Pebble Time 2 is undergoing engineering verification. Both are available for pre-order on Core Devices' rePebble website, priced at $149 for the Pebble 2 Duo and $225 for the Pebble Time 2. The Pebble 2 Duo is expected to begin shipping by late August, delayed from an earlier July target due to enhanced waterproofing tests and the addition of a waterproof speaker. US customers face a $10 tariff per Pebble 2 Duo, as the watches are shipped from Hong Kong, with non-US orders unaffected. Migicovsky noted the Pebble 2 Duo's Bluetooth range reaches approximately 140 metres in open areas, slightly more in urban settings. The Pebble Time 2 has received a sleeker design, though details remain sparse as it progresses through testing. The return of the Pebble name, nearly a decade after its discontinuation, has sparked excitement among smartwatch enthusiasts. I can't remember the last time I was legitimately giddy to receive something in the mail From the first @Kickstarter in 2012 to now, the new @Pebble Alpha, have been a supporter for over a decade now damn i'm old — Josh Cohenzadeh (@jshchnz) July 15, 2025
Engadget
13-06-2025
- Business
- Engadget
The spiritual sequel to the Pebble smartwatch is on track to ship in July
Eric Migicovsky, the creator of Pebble who's reviving the e-paper smartwatch with a new company called Core Devices, shared that the first new smartwatches are coming next month. The Core 2 Duo watch is on track to ship to pre-order customers in July and the pricier Core Time 2 is still on track to launch this year. The $149 Core 2 Duo is "near mass production" according to Migicovsky, and should land in the hands of all pre-order customers during July or August. If you pre-ordered, you'll be able to confirm your order and shipping details later in June. Migicovsky says he's also aiming to have "working engineering samples" of the $225 Core Time 2 "within the next month." Both the Core 2 Duo and Core Time 2 carry over the basic functionality of Migicovsky's original Pebble smartwatch, using either black and white or color e-paper displays, with health tracking, access to notifications and the ability to use the back catalog of classic Pebble watch faces and apps. The major difference between the two watches is that the Core Time 2 has a slightly larger screen, a metal frame and a built-in heart rate monitor. Core Devices is also opening up a beta program to test early watch hardware and its new Android and iOS companion app for syncing notifications and watch faces. You can sign-up to join the beta test via a Google Form and interestingly, Migicovsky writes that the new app will also be compatible with older Pebble hardware like the Pebble Time Steel and Round or the Pebble 2.
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.
