Pebble smartwatch was successfully funded 2 years ago through a Kickstarter. Now with the new Pebble Time Kickstarter campaign, another $20 Million in crowdfunding has been collected. It is a new smartwatch with a 9.5 mm thickness, a Cortex M4 processor, and Pebble OS. It has a good design and uses a special e-ink screen. This is a very successful contender in the smartwatch competition. This week we got an opportunity to review Pebble Time from a Nepali distributor named “Shop Life”. So this is our review of the device.
These days Android Wear or smartwatches from big companies like Motorola, Apple, and Garmin are trending in the market. Among those Pebble is a new company with special gear. Pebble Time is a new type of smartwatch under the $200 price bracket. Pebble Time price in Nepal at Rs 39,999 which is being sold at ShopLife (http://storeshoplife.com).
The tech industry moves really fast and the thirst for awesomeness is getting higher. There is a saying “The biggest room in the world, is the room for improvement.” Hence everyone is busy improving their product and giving the best to the market. It is the same here, the new Pebble Time is a newly upgraded Pebble smartwatch with exciting features.
The specs of this watch are pretty great and the look is just classic and lovely. The best thing about this watch is an electronic paper (e-ink) screen that gives it the best and most natural display. This is the same type of display that is found on Kindle Paperwhite. This also saves a lot of battery. Whatever anyone says looks come first for luxury wear rather than the specs, so we are starting with it.
Pebble Time Look and Design
This is a product that came from funding and this means it encapsulates people’s demand. It is bringing a good set of features with a good look in an affordable package. Pebble Time is built with polymer material and steel. It has a stainless steel border and normal silicone bands. This actually has a pretty clean, simple, and casual look. It is not so fancy, or dazzling as other watches from expensive brands like Apple are. These things help to keep prices lower and provide a casual look.
This is a very low-profile watch. So it won’t grab that much attention because there is no dazzle. By dazzle, we mean too much fanciness. But this will definitely catch your attention when you start to look at it and use it. Many people want functionality over design and this is what the target audience for Pebble Time is. This is where it can stand out more. Nevertheless, we don’t mean that it has a bad design. We just mean that is not much jewelry. For power, function, and price it is the new streetfighter.
Hardware and Specifications
Pebble Time has a body with 9.5 mm thickness so it is in the thin realm. Its size or dimensions are 37.5 mm by 40.5 mm. Inside this watch, there is a Cortex M4 processor that runs Pebble 3.0 OS. On top, there is a 1.25 inches color e-paper screen. It is protected by scratch-proof Gorilla glass. All these are interesting but unfortunately, there is no touch interface. You will have to get the support of the buttons on the side of the watch. By the way, it is dustproof, shockproof, and waterproof with a limit of 30 meters.
At the back of the watch, we have a magnetic charging cables port. This also acts as a place to add “Smart Straps” which can provide additional functions like GPS, and NFC. The watch has an e-ink display so an LED backlight has been added for under-lighted situations and nighttime. This display technology is different from regular LCD, LED, and AMOLED. Therefore the look is different and power consumption is astronomically different. For other features, there is a microphone and Bluetooth 4.0 for connectivity plus communication.
Software and Apps
The Pebble Time app for smartphones is supported by Android 4.0+ and iOS 6+. For now, the watch is running its new OS known as “Timeline”. It supports more than 6000 apps that fully fit its screen size. The apps really add functionality and increase productivity. Important notifications, calendars, and other information are presented in a charming way on this device.
It has the concept of a timeline actually so the OS is also called “Timeline”. Users can press a button to see the present, past, or future information. For example, previous game scores, and past information from a few days ago. Similarly, you can see future information about programs like meetings and appointments. So we can see that the operating system name matches its nature.
Also Read: EVO Gamepad Pro 2 Gaming Full Review
Experience and Summary
The experience with the new Pebble Time is very good and exciting. It has very unique display technology. The e-paper is very light on the eyes and is very soothing. There are some drawbacks to it but there are many benefits as well. With some interesting features like shaking gestures for dismissal of notifications, music, and voice control we loved our time with it. The pedometer, compass, and gyrosensor give the watch features and support to future apps that can improve the productivity of this device.
With the minimalist and smart design, it looks simply elegant. The features are brilliant and with the new color e-paper screen, the battery performance is just awesome. For usage, this device will give you about a week on normal use. We give this device a big ‘A’ rating for the battery life and screen.
By the way, it has an average performance like other watches of this range. But for what you are paying now you are getting a good product. The price in Nepal is high due to import costs and a lack of big distributors. As there is no high sales volume, the margins are high. So, if you like to buy this watch, contact ShopLife Nepal. They also sell many electronic devices and gadgets online. They have exclusive products as well and you can order them special devices via their “Custom buy” feature.
