Returning to the Best Smart Watch I've Ever Owned: The Pebble
Back in 2012, years before Android Wear or the Apple Watch were even an idea, I backed a Kickstarter project for what was for several years the highest backed project their website has ever seen, the Pebble. The idea was simple: a watch that could connect to your phone using an E-Ink display that you'd only have to charge once a week. Similar devices in the space were bulky, had battery life measured in single or low double-digit hours, and were slow.
I eventually got the Pebble in 2013 Time and loved it! I wore it for about 3 years, only replacing it when Pebble released a new one with a color E-Ink Display, the Pebble Time. I wore this for several years as well before moving to Android Wear devices, mostly to gain heart-rate tracking. However, I've never really felt "happy" with any smart watch I've used that wasn't a Pebble. They were all slow, often bulky, and rarely lasted more than a day and a half before I had to charge them (often leading to me spending part of the day with a completely dead watch because I didn't have a charger with me or a place to charge). There are smartwatches that advertise longer battery, but you often are stuck with a "rugged" look that adds unnecessary bulk to your wrist or are required to shut off most of the smart-watch functions to squeeze out more time.
Pebble went under in late 2016, mostly because they hired a ton of people and tried to pivot into other devices. They were bought by Fitbit, who proceeded to do nothing with their technology or software. Google bought Fitbit in 2021, and has proceeded to kill off their smart-watch line, focusing on fitness trackers.
Thankfully, Google decided to do the altruistic thing, and open-sourced the original Pebble software, meaning anyone could make a successor to the Pebble with the original OS and use the original apps and watch faces. And who should pick up the mantle but Eric Migicovsky, the man who created the original Pebble. He was even able to negotiate getting the original Pebble trademark from Google. Having over an extra decade in tech, he learned where the original company had failed, and is now launching two new models, one of which now boasts a touch screen, heart rate monitor, and 30 days of battery life without having to compromise on features. I've pre-ordered the Pebble Time 2 and am excited to get it early next year and go back to the best smart watch I've ever owned.