Like 68,928 other people, I backed the future: Pebble.

Well, the future is running a tad late.

Pebble’s Kickstarter project promises a glimpse of Tomorrowland: a watch you can customize with apps that access your smartphone through a Bluetooth connection. It will be the first “smartwatch” that works perfectly with both Android and iPhone. The Pebble is much smaller and lighter than similar devices, but the stand-out differentiator – for nerdies like me – is its high-res ePaper display. That means this thing will look totally sharp in direct sunlight. Hear, hear (if you hadn’t already)!

The team had projected they’d be shipping Pebbles (including my chosen color, “Arctic White”), by last month. Unfortunately, manufacturing is still underway. 

After I finally get my Pebble (by mid-next year, they’ve assured), I plan to check texts from it, see who’s calling, control my favorite Pandora channels, keep stats on running and bike-riding, see my notifications, and probably a bunch more cool stuff – hands-free.

One of the most exciting aspects of the Pebble is the Open SDK the company will offer alongside it. That means smart people everywhere (shouts again, to my nerdies!) can develop apps for the Pebble. When I heard this, my mind bee-lined to the implications for my young-adult speculative fiction novel Thirty Decibels. In the story, both classes (Whisperers and Leaders) use devices called ’ponders – they’re within eyeglasses, contact lenses, desks, mirrors, and windows, but they’re primarily worn on the wrist like a Pebble. A ’ponder makes use of more native technology than a Pebble, but I bet we’ll soon see these developments. I believe Pebble’s SDK and its open-source philosophy will make it possible.

Pebble’s Kickstarter project has ended, but you can still pre-order Pebble.

Are you a developer interested in building a Pebble app? Let’s talk. Drop me a line by leaving a comment below or clicking my picture on the top right corner.

Check out these choice quotes about Pebble:

“Kickstart [a] nice e-paper watch! Your Backer, e pluribus unum!”
– William Gibson

“Smartwatches haven’t really caught on with mainstream buyers – but that might change with Allerta’s new wrist-worn creation”
– Wired Gadget Lab

“Proven track record…Incredibly useful product”
– Forbes

Related articles

• Take A Look At The Slick Interface On The Pebble Smartwatch (businessinsider.com)
• After Seeking 100K, Pebble Smart Watch Raises over 3M on Kickstarter (epicagear.com)
• Pebble Tech shows off Smartwatch UI [Demo video] (androidauthority.com)
• Pebble E-Paper smartwatch gets close to release with UI preview (video) (mobilesyrup.com)