The company behind the Pebble smartwatch has trimmed the price of the device and added some health-focused features in order to compete with the influx of competition.
The original Pebble can now be obtained for just $99/£99 down from $149/£149 while the premium Pebble Steel device is also down to $199/£179. That’s a $50/£50 saving across the board. From next month O2 will begin selling the smartwatch in the UK with an exclusive Cherry Red colour.
Today the company announced the arrival of a Jawbone app and a Misfit app, allowing the Pebble to continuously track steps and monitor movement in the background in much the same way a wristband like the Jawbone UP24 does.
The Pebble has a compass and accelerometer built-in, but these are the first apps to really take advantage of them.
Just like most aforementioned trackers, with the help of Pebble and Misfit, the Pebble will be able to track and store the data offline, before eventually syncing it back to an accompanying smartphone app. That feature will be coming soon, the company said.
Beyond that, Swim.com has also released a stroke-tracking app for swim-friendly Pebble smartwatch.
Alongside the software update and new price points, Pebble also took a little stab at the newly-announced Apple Watch.
On its GetPebble website, the firm depicts its wearable, accompanied by the caption “Breathe, Jony! It’s just a watch” – a not-so thinly-veiled dig at Apple design guru Jonathan Ive who went a little overboard on the hyperbole in a video shown during the launch event.
Lower down on the page, Pebble added that: “Pebble is made by real people, for real people keeping it real,” while polishing off the page with: “Just to recap: We made a watch, we didn’t solve global warming.”
Will Pebble’s knack for keeping it real, combined with a much more attractive price point and some new fitness features make it the smartwatch for you, despite intense competition from Apple, Samsung and the army of Android Wear watches?
Read more: Apple Watch vs Pebble
Via: CNET
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.