{"id":394574,"date":"2026-01-07T19:56:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-07T19:56:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/394574\/"},"modified":"2026-01-07T19:56:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T19:56:10","slug":"pebble-seeks-to-remedy-the-wearable-industrys-original-sin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/394574\/","title":{"rendered":"Pebble seeks to remedy the wearable industry’s original sin"},"content":{"rendered":"

As soon as I held the Pebble Round 2<\/a> in my hand, I suddenly realized what I\u2019d been missing for the better part of a decade. I\u2019ve always felt smartwatches should supplement, rather than supplant, your phone, but that\u2019s an attitude that feels almost quaint these days. After all, Apple and Samsung believe everyone wants a watch that can do almost everything your phone can do. But that wasn\u2019t the prevailing opinion at the dawn of the smartwatch era, either philosophically or from limitations in the technology. Back then, companies like Pebble<\/a>, Vector<\/a>, Basis<\/a> and others all built devices that added a second screen to the device in your pocket, and were all the better for it. Thankfully, Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky agrees, and if his project to revive the company is successful, perhaps we\u2019ll once again see these alternative approaches flourish. The first step on this very long road is the Pebble Round 2, which aims to be the standard bearer for a new generation of comparatively less smart, but fundamentally more useful, smartwatches.<\/p>\n

Round 2 was announced on January 2, and is the second product in Core Devices\u2019 (Migicovsky\u2019s new company) lineup of revived Pebbles<\/a>. The first was the revamped Time 2, aping the form of its more successful predecessor, while the Round 2 is an attempt to correct the mistakes of 2015\u2019s Pebble Time Round. That watch, when it debuted, was met with disappointment from critics who loved its aesthetics but little else. Back then, building a Pebble with a round face required plenty of compromise, including a higher price, shorter battery life, fewer features and a massive bezel. A decade on, and the technology has come along sufficiently to render such compromises moot, making for a much better device overall.<\/p>\n

The new watch has a 1.3-inch color e-paper touchscreen which stretches to the end of the case. Its display has been bonded to the glass crystal, dramatically improving the viewing angles and reducing glare. You should expect to get two weeks of life on a single charge, but it remains just 8.1mm thick, and you can really feel that lack of heft when it\u2019s in your hand. In fact, compared to so many of its smartwatch peers, you could almost unironically describe it as dainty, making its case size feel almost comically large. On the materials side, the case feels strong enough that I think it would withstand the rigors of daily life, and I\u2019m quite smitten with both the polished rose gold and brushed silver finishes.<\/p>\n

On one hand, it\u2019s hardly the major reason to buy a watch, but I\u2019m deeply smitten by how much text the Round 2\u2019s display can render. Even the fanciest of smartwatches aren\u2019t that willing to display big reams of text for your ease of reading. I was tickled to read a lengthy Slack message which reminded me, again, of what I\u2019ve been missing for all of these years. Perhaps that\u2019s a sign of the broader benefits a device like this offers, which is the ability to tweak its UI to what you need, rather than being tied by the UI designers in Cupertino and Mountain View.<\/p>\n

There are plenty of omissions in the spec list, including no optical heart rate sensor, no GPS and no speaker. I\u2019m not weeping over any of them: I\u2019ve not used my smartwatch\u2019s GPS in years and yes, and Pebble is swerving away from the health and fitness market. I don\u2019t want to take calls from my wrist, either, and while the omitted heart rate sensor is harder to take given their ubiquity, it\u2019s been done to ensure the watch is thinner than many of its competitors.<\/p>\n

Migicovsky is candid about Pebble\u2019s failure, saying the company spent too much to become a global hardware brand. He invested heavily in inventory in anticipation of blockbuster sales that never came, similar to Peloton\u2019s post-COVID slump. This time around, the focus is on ensuring the company remains sustainable over the long term and, hopefully, building a succession of products. Rather than big investments, he\u2019ll make small batches of devices to cater to pre-orders and won\u2019t water down his philosophy in the hope of attracting a broad user base. He even said the Pebble website may include recommendations for alternative smartwatches from other companies to ensure he\u2019s only catering to the faithful.<\/p>\n

\"Three<\/p>\n

Three Pebble Indexes side by side on a table. (Daniel Cooper for Engadget)<\/p>\n

It\u2019s his hope that this approach will give him the time and space to make more products, such as the already-announced Pebble Index 01<\/a>. It\u2019s a $75 ring equipped with a microphone, Bluetooth and a single push button, where users can record brief reminders to themselves. Rather than add weight and complexity with a rechargeable battery, each Index has a sealed-in cell that the company promises will last for up to two years. A month before the battery is due to expire, you\u2019ll be asked if you want to buy a replacement, sending in the original for recycling. It\u2019s an unusual arrangement but one that Migicovsky believes is more compelling than some others. After all, users aren\u2019t saddled with any monthly subscription fees, and they only need to buy a new one if they\u2019ve actually gotten the benefit out of their existing model. As with the revived Pebbles, the prevailing attitude is that nobody\u2019s twisting your arm here.<\/p>\n

\"Image<\/p>\n

Image of the rear sides of the Pebble Round 2 (Daniel Cooper for Engadget)<\/p>\n

More broadly, Migicovsky has the time and money now to explore these product ideas free from the usual pressures. He has no investors or backers demanding instant returns and fast growth, giving him license to pursue his ideas as far as he wants to take them. And he is determined to return a small degree of whimsy to consumer electronics, building gadgets that are in some way fun. Let\u2019s hope he succeeds, because the industry can\u2019t survive another decade of homogeneity.<\/p>\n

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