News & Reviews:   Pebble smartwatch

Again, last week had no really dominating news but there were some notables. Caving in to the pressure, Microsoft have announced that the full Windows 10 experience may soon run on Qualcomm Snapdragon processors. Fitbit are buying Pebble, effectively marking an end to the initially crowd-funded Pebble smartwatch.

This week there wasn't any major event or device that stood out in tech, but we did see notable new entries with the announcement of the Samsung Galaxy C5 and C7 smartphones while Xiaomi launched their affordable 4K video recording Mi Drone. Pebble announced some new wearables and the rumours were rife as usual but the more notable one included that the honor 5C could be coming to Malaysia next month while something better and more beautiful would be coming from honor in Q3.

The folks at Pebble have announced their first round smartwatch with the Pebble Time Round which at 7.5mm thin and 28g is currently the world's thinnest and lightest smartwatch. Featuring a 1.25-inch circular e-ink display the Time Round offers a 22mm band and 14mm band and also has quick charging as well. The first thing most people will notice are the rather thick bezels but like other Pebble smartwatch, the Time Round is Android and Apple iPhone compatible. There is a cost to battery life due to the size shrink but it should last more than a day on a single charge. No Malaysia release dates or pricing details but it is currently available at pre-order for $249 (RM1093) in November 2015.

While the sequal to the Pebble smartwatch, the Pebble Time has already been announced and successfully funded several times over, it is now the turn of the Pebble Time Steel version. Tech specs and features are mostly the same except for an increased 10-day battery life along with an extra leather strap. While it looks and works the same as the Pebble Time smartwatch, the Pebble Time Steel smartwatch sports a more premium metallic design. This is reflected in the amount of pledge it starts from, which is $250 (RM906). It is set for a retail price of $300 (RM1087) so you do get some savings and you can also upgrade from Pebble Time to Pebble Steel without losing your place in line. The Pebble Time Steel is available as an additional pledge for the original Pebble Time Kickstarter campaign. Check out the video for yourself in this article.

The Pebble Time smartwatch has been officially launched with a brand new Kickstarter campaign that has already reached it's funding goal of $500000 within minutes of being announced (as of the time of writing, the campaign has already reached $7.4 million). The most notable features of the Pebble Time smartwatch includes it's colour e-paper screen and a new user interface. Other differences include a thinner and lighter design at 9.5mm thin but it retains a 7-day battery life. The colour screen is protected by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass while the underside is curved somewhat to fit the shape of your wrist. It is also water resistant enough for you to go swimming with it. While you can wait for it to appear at third-party sellers you can go to the Kickstarter campaign direct and pledge for a Pebble Time smartwatch from $179 (RM648) but bear in mind that there may be extra shipping fees. No Malaysia release dates but it should start shipping in May 2015. The regular retail price will be set at $199 (RM720) in the next 30 days so get a move on if you want one.

The Pebble watch has just received an important firmware update. Both the apps on the Android and iOS app store have been updated to the new version adding some interesting features to the watch. The smartwatch also received a firmware update to support these new features. The Android app has been upgraded to version 2.3 which now supports Android Wear notifications. So, users can now interact as well as reply to the notifications from various apps on the device. Also, the company has added support for pre-defined replies (up to 5 supported) for these notifications. Users can also reply via various Android compatible SMS apps. The watch face as well as app notifications will automatically update even when the screen is off in this new version. Apart from these new features, the update also fixes standard bugs on the smartwatch. It is necessary for the watch firmware to be updated version 2.9 to use these features. So, update the smartwatch before downloading the new Android app. The iOS app was also updated to version 2.6.4, however, apart from usual bug fixes, there were no important additions made to the app feature list.

Coming from the makers of the first successful consumer smartwatch is the Pebble Steel smartwatch. Essentially the same Pebble bluetooth notifications smartwatch, the new Steel offers a more stylish and sturdy look with premium materials that include a Corning Gorilla Glass panel and all metal materials. The Steel definitely looks and handles nicer than the original plastic Pebble smartwatch but it still runs the same Pebble apps and notifications as before. The Steel will not replace the original though as it will be priced at a higher-end $249 (RM817) price tag. As far as Malaysia release dates go, the Pebble Steel smartwatch will be available worldwide on 28 January 2014 but you can still go to the Pebble Steel site to pre-order as stocks are limited.

Every day another smartwatch prototype comes up, especially from crowd-funding sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo. After the Pebble smartwatch started it, we've seen quite a few other Bluetooth connected smartwatches, but only a few which can stand on their own without having to rely on accompanying smartphones. The A.I. Watch is one of them as it allows you to make and accept calls, is powered by Android, is water-proof and has a functional 5MP camera. Since you can insert a SIM card, the A. I. Watch is practically a smartphone with tech specs that include a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 512MB of RAM, 1.54-inch (240 x 240) touchscreen, 500 mAh battery, 4GB of storage, WiFi, GPS and Android 4.0.4. Unfortunately, it is still in prototype stage, and needs $100000 on an Indiegogo campaign to reach mass production. If it does become successful, each watch could cost $279 (RM909) but if it manages to break it's goal, the makers are promising other stuff like 1GB of RAM (for $500000) or a bigger battery. No exact Malaysia release dates but as of the time of writing, the watch has another 41 days before it has to reach it's pledged goal of $100000. Check out the video in the article.

They may be just accessories for now, but smartwatches mark the trend for the next step of mobile computing devices in the form of wearable computers. While development on smartwatches have been on for the past couple of years, most of it has involved independent developers like the creators of the Pebble smartwatch which crowdfunded it's development. Quite recently, better known tech companies have taken a crack at it with the Sony SmartWatch 2, the Samsung Galaxy Gear and the Qualcomm Toq. Which one reigns supreme and which one would we buy? Read on and find out. 

While smartwatches have been released before (Pebble smartwatch, Sony SmartWatch 2) and there are more coming like the upcoming Agent Smartwatch or the better known Samsung Galaxy Gear, there are just as many reasons to wait first before going out and buying a smartwatch. We list 4 of these reasons in this article so if you're thinking about getting a smartwatch now, this is the article to read as we explore why you should or should not get a smartwatch.