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NYT: Apple experimenting with wrist-worn iOS devices using curved glass (updated)
Rumors of Apple building a watch-like device have existed since time immemorial -- they've built up the same near-mythical status that the iPhone did pre-2007, or a TV set does today. The New York Times, however, claims that the watch concept exists as more than just some fan art. Reportedly, Apple has been "experimenting" with wrist-wearable devices that would run iOS and use curved glass. Other details are left to feverish speculation, although the OS choice suggests it would be more than just a glorified iPod nano watch. Before we get too excited, we'd do well to remember that any testing in a design lab doesn't equate to production plans: the company might well scrap its work before it ever becomes public, if it's indeed real to start with. Still, there have been enough advances in flexible displays and miniaturization that the notion of connected, wearable Apple gear is no longer as far-fetched as it once seemed. Update: Not to be left out, the Wall Street Journal has made a similar claim. It adds that Apple has explored possibilities with its contract manufacturer Foxconn, although there's not much more to learn at this stage.
Starfish shows off prototype of smartwatch at Macworld/iWorld 2013
One of the more anticipated "products" at Macworld/iWorld 2013 was the Starfish smart watch: an iPhone and Android-compatible watch that eventually will be capable of receiving incoming calls, texts, email, stock market updates and more -- or so the vendor claims. Does that sound familiar? Mentions of the Starfish watch first emerged last fall with an ad in iPhone Life. Pocketables detailed the initial accounts of the watch, billed as a device that would mirror your iOS device onto the tiny watch. The prototype that I saw today didn't do that much; it just accepts incoming calls. But, it was hooked up to an Android and an iOS device. Check out the video of the prototype in action. CEO Jason Buzi said that the Kickstarter, initially planned for last fall, will start in a couple of weeks. Eventually the product is planned to cost $169.
Pebble smartwatch review
More Info Pebble smartwatch hands-on Pebble smartwatch unboxing Pebble smartwatch raises $100,000 in two hours What is Kickstarter? The answer you'll hear, as long-winded as it may be, will likely touch on Pebble. If it doesn't, you'll probably want to ask someone else -- with more than $10 million pledged, the people's smartwatch catapulted past the crowdfunding site's records and the startup's own expectations. It achieved a $100,000 funding goal in two hours, and it was clearly a favorite among our readers. Of course, there were doubts that Eric Migicovsky, the company's founder, would deliver such an appealing and seemingly powerful product for $125, but following our first look during the company's CES press conference, that dream became real. So, what is Pebble? It's not a smartphone for your wrist, as we've seen attempted before. In fact, it's far less sophisticated than you might expect -- the lightweight device reads out basic text, lets you skip through music tracks and, of course, displays the time. It's hardly the greatest achievement of our generation, or even the device of the year. It's become incredibly popular, sure, but despite the hype, you certainly don't need to own one. Yet, somehow, even the most technologically inept people in our lives have heard it mentioned on morning talk shows, FM radio stations or from pre-teens anxious to impress their friends. Having a smartphone alone isn't enough anymore. Or is it?
Pebble smartwatch unboxing (video)
It's here! After nine months of waiting and a whopping 31 project updates, our very first Pebble smartwatch has finally arrived. Despite all of the excitement surrounding this device, the unboxing itself was rather anticlimactic -- there's nothing but a watch and USB cable inside, and the box took all of 10 seconds to open, despite an unexpected cardboard zipper failure. The packaging is very similar to what Amazon uses to ship its Kindles, and we definitely don't mind the no-frills design, especially considering that it's efficient, made from recycled materials and dead-simple to open. If you're a Pebble backer, your device is coming soon, if it hasn't arrived already -- that doesn't mean you can't unbox one with us, though. There's a gallery below, followed by a quick video after the break.
Pebble Smartwatch app hits the App Store
Just hours after Pebble announced that it shipped out its first few hundred units of Pebble watches to early Kickstarter benefactors, Pebble Smartwatch, the companion app to the device, has hit the App Store. Users don't need the app to use most of the features of the watch, however the app is required for software updates and installing timepiece faces. The app works on the iPhone and iPod touch but is not optimized for the iPad. From the Pebble Smartwatch app description: PEBBLE - E-PAPER WATCH FOR IPHONE AND IPOD Pebble is the first watch built for the 21st century. It's infinitely customizable, with beautiful watchfaces and useful internet-connected apps. Pebble connects to iPhone and iPod using Bluetooth, alerting you with a silent vibration to incoming calls, emails and messages. While designing Pebble, we strove to create a minimalist yet fashionable product that seamlessly blends into everyday life. The Pebble app provides a dashboard for your Pebble smartwatch: - Notifies you when software updates for Pebble ready to install - Installs and remove custom watchfaces onto your Pebble - Sends ping test messages to your Pebble - Helps you troubleshoot issues Pebble Smartwatch is a free download. Pebble watches are currently available for pre-order. They cost US$150.
Pebble smartwatches begin shipping to backers this afternoon, iOS app still pending (update: app ready)
Pebble has just informed backers that the very first orders will begin shipping today, though the iOS app is still pending approval from Apple. In the meantime, Android users will have access to a compatible app in Google Play beginning tomorrow -- just in time to start using those freshly unboxed smartwatches. iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users will be able to display notifications and control music in the meantime, though advanced features like watchface and OS updates won't be possible until the app is ready for download. Now, a bit more bad news: the Pebble team reportedly jumped the gun on shipment notifications, so even though you may have received word that your watch is on the way, it may not be in the first batch of 500. If you've also received a tracking number, however, your device is likely to be in the mail. We're holding out hope that our Pebbles fall within that latter group -- stay tuned for a review just as soon as we've had time to put the device through its paces. In the meantime, hit up the source link for some more pics from factory. Update: That was quick -- the iOS app is ready to go.
Pebble smartwatch hands-on (video)
It's hard to believe that nine months have elapsed since we first wrote about Pebble. The smartwatch quickly became one of Kickstarter's most successful campaigns -- raising $10 million in a few short weeks -- only to miss its original shipping date. We knew things were looking up when the device recently cleared the FCC and today at CES 2013, Allerta confirmed that Pebble will be shipping to its backers on January 23rd. We spent some time with the smartwatch here in Las Vegas and came away extremely impressed with the level of polish the company's achieved. Pebble's most visually striking feature is its colorful multi-layer polycarbonate face / bezel, which looks fantastic. The device is incredibly light (just 38.2g / 1.35oz) but still manages to feel solid. Build-quality is top-notch -- Allerta's clearly put a lot of care into the hardware. The sides and back are black and completely sealed (Pebble is water-resistant to five atmospheres). On the right side you'll find the up, select and down buttons, while the left side is home to the back button and a magnetic power connector, à la MagSafe. Speaking of which, battery life is rated for a lofty seven days per charge. More after the break.
Pebble smart watch shipping to Kickstarter backers on January 23rd
Pebble promised some news during its CES press event today, and it's now confirmed that, after a series of delays, the smart watch will finally begin shipping to Kickstarter backers on January 23rd. That includes some 85,000 orders in all, which will apparently take six to eight weeks to fulfil as it's now looking at a production rate of about 15,000 units per week. The company will then begin fulfilling non-Kickstarter pre-orders after that. Eager for a closer look at what's in store if you ordered? You can find our hands-on look at the finished device right here.
Live from Pebble's CES 2013 press event!
Welcome to Pebble's press event at CES, brought to you live from the Las Vegas Convention Center! We've heard plenty about this smartwatch -- it entered the Kickstarter hall of fame last year, after all -- and today might just be the day it finally makes it to market. Join us as we live-blog the first eyes-on of this much-anticipated device.
Updated Android-based I'm Watch, new I'm Here GPS tracker make their debut
We got a look at the first version of the Android-based I'm Watch at CES last year, and the Italy-based company is back again this year with an updated version and another new accessory. As you can see, the I'm Watch appears to be largely unchanged on the outside, but it promises a number of others improvements courtesy of the new I'm Droid 2 operating system (no word on the Android version it's based on just yet), including a "smart tethering" feature designed to minimize battery use, new "i'music" and "i'mages" apps, and a new "i'market" app store. Making its debut alongside it is the company's I'm Here device, a GPS tracker equipped with a SIM card that can be used by adventurers or those simply concerned with safety -- it'll also let you make an emergency call at the push of a button. Look for it to be available sometime in May for $169. We're hoping to get our hands on both of them shortly, but you can find some additional details in the press release after the break and at the source link below in the meantime.
Toshiba's concept smartwatch reads your pulse, pulls maps from your phone
Last year at CES, smartwatches seemed like they might become the next big thing (they didn't). This year, the trendy wearables are all fitness trackers, which have already become something of a meme among gadget makers. Toshiba thinks it has a way to bridge both trends. Here at CES 2013 the company is showing off a concept smartwatch that uses an ECG sensor to measure the pulse in your wrist. What's more, it can identify you based on that, and lock down other features of the watch if someone else puts it on. Of course, it also does all the other things you'd expect a smartwatch to do, like pull in email and calendar appointments from your smartphone. We're told that if this came to market (and we don't know that it will), it would pair with an Android / iOS app, which would allow the watch to not just sync email, but also pull in maps and turn-by-turn directions. The hardware itself is styled more like an analog watch than other smartwatches we've seen. Toshiba demoed it with different bands, some of them made of leather in serious tones like black and dark brown. As you can see, the 1.7-inch, 200x320-pixel OLED screen can display different clock faces, some of them even designed to mimic an analog watch. As far as runtime is concerned, a Toshiba rep indicated that the company is aiming for at least two days of battery life, though that figure is hardly final. In our hands-on, we noticed some charging points on the reverse side of the face, which you'd use with a proprietary charging cradle. At the same time, the Toshiba spokesperson indicated USB charging was also a possibility. Again, no word on when or if this will come to market. Even if it never surfaces, though, we can get behind the idea of smartwatches that track vitals -- or perhaps fitness trackers that do a little more. %Gallery-175358% Sarah Silbert contributed to this report.
4iiii unveils Viiiiva heart rate monitor that wirelessly links to your iPhone or smartwatch
So, you've been monitoring virtually every aspect of your athletic performance and tweeting it to the world, but not your heartrate or other basic performance factors? Apparently that just won't do, sport-o, so 4iiii has announced the chest-worn Viiiiva monitor. That'll let you add those indicators to sportwatches from the likes of Garmin or Timex through the ANT+ interface, or iPhones and iPods using Bluetooth. To lighten your training load, you can record the data with the Viiiiva alone, then sync it up later and record, plot and analyze your stats with a clutch of iOS fitness apps like Strava or Training Peaks. You'll be able to pick one up soon for $79 on at 4iiii's site (see coverage) and select retailers, so head to the PR after the break and feel the burn.
Pebble smartwatch stops by FCC, tries to prove it's not vaporware
The Pebble smartwatch missed its original September target ship date. Then, it failed to ship in time to stuff stockings this holiday season. And, while we've seen them in person and the company claims a release is imminent, you'd be forgiven for being a bit skeptical. But there is reason to hope: the connected wristwear has officially received a thumbs up from the FCC. What's more, the e-paper timepiece gets the full teardown treatment and comes complete with an owners manual. There's no surprises here, but if you're the impatient type, there should be a few things to keep you occupied until the next delay.
Cookoo analog smart watch makes early debut in Hong Kong, we go hands-on (video)
Remember the Cookoo smart watch? For those who don't know, 'tis an analog watch with a notification display plus Bluetooth 4.0 low energy connectivity, and it prides itself for its much longer battery life compared to other smart watches. We originally covered it as a Kickstarter project back in May, and seven months later we found ourselves at its humble launch event in Hong Kong. That's right, it turns out that ConnecteDevice, the company behind this gadget, is based in said city; though it did also emphasize its multinational effort on this project -- French design, American engineering, Indian plus European coding, and Hong Kong plus Shenzhen R&D on integration and manufacturing. Interestingly, the company decided to make a commercial debut in its home town ahead of the bigger launch at CES next month. Read on to see how we got on with this wearable -- there's a hands-on video after the break as well.
Pebble smartwatch hit with further delays, won't be stuffing a stocking near you
Pebble's finally coming soon! Just not in time to become one of the season's hottest stocking stuffers. As seems to be par for the course with Kickstarter projects, the blockbuster smartwatch is more than a bit behind schedule, but the team is hot on the case, keeping backers in the loop with regular update posts. The latest, which hit inboxes just this afternoon, confirms that the device will support iPhone SMS and iMessage notifications (phew!), assuming you have it linked up with an Apple device running iOS 6. We also got to take a peek at some hot-off-the-press Pebbles in their final finishes -- the black, gray, orange, red and white wearables posed for a point-and-shoot, so they don't pack the typical punch of a pro photo job. Still, they look mighty slick, and if the shot above is any indication, they might turn out to be quite the fingerprint magnets, too. We'll be keeping an eye on Kickstarter for an official shipment notification, but in the meantime, backers are invited to login to their Pebble accounts to make final color selections by next Friday. You can hit up that site at the source link below, then hop past the break for an iMessage demo.
Google patents smart watch with flip-up display that could reveal everyday objects' secrets
It looks like Google has considered transferring ideas from Project Glass over to your wrist by patenting a smart watch with a transparent, flip-up touchscreen. If such a device ever came off the USPTO papers, it would present notifications and other info transmitted from your smartphone at a glance, like many, many others now on the market. However, Mountain View's added a new twist when you'd flip up its bezel -- at that point, it's claimed that the watch could channel a plethora of other Google apps, like Gmail, Goggles, and Maps. Of course, you'd be able to privately view messages inside the bezel, but since the display would also be transparent, you could see through it to landmarks or object around you. According to the patent, you could then be given directions based on GPS coordinates and the buildings "seen" by the watch, while a Goggles-like implementation would be able to identify smaller items in the display. That would let the search giant throw ads or other data about the product your way, giving you the info you need to snap it up -- and likely not hurting Google's bottom line.
Pebble team posts UI preview, provides an early look at how you'll interact with the E-Paper Watch
Sadly, Pebble won't be making its way to backers by its original September estimate, but the design team wants you to know that it's hard at work, traveling the world to source components, running shipping tests and spending time refining the user interface in order to provide a top-notch experience once you do receive your device in the mail. To that end, Martijn, the UI designer, has dropped by Vimeo to provide us with a "sneak peek" at the device's operation, including some demos on iOS and a connected prototyping board, using a custom tool that sends designs to the Pebble screen from any graphics program in real-time (a feature that will reportedly also be available in the SDK). From what we've seen, there appears to be plenty of space on the screen to show incoming calls, read emails with eight lines of text at a time, view appointment details, select songs and control volume, and, of course, see the current time. Commenters seem to be quite pleased with the design so far, and we have to agree -- it's a pretty slick UI. Jump past the break to see it in action.
Pebble smartwatch will miss September shipping date, blames darn popularity
The latest update sent to Pebble's Kickstarter backers (and a few Engadget editors) is a double-edged one. After announcing that the smartwatch will be available in a new orange edition, the makers admitted that the crowd-funded wrist candy won't be shipping to its backers on schedule in September. No new date has been disclosed just yet, but the delay was attributed to the project having to abandon early plans of making just 1,000 smartwatches. The level of production has now ballooned, meaning the factories involved are aiming to hit 15,000 Pebbles per week "as soon as possible."
Steve Wozniak reveals contents of his backpack, has a lot of stuff
This is what happens when you're someone who co-founded Apple.
Pebble smartwatch outs SDK preview at Google I/O, gives developers a kickstart on apps
If you invested in the Pebble e-paper smartwatch -- and who didn't? -- you'll be happy to hear that the firm has unleashed a preview of the Kickstarter darling's SDK at Google I/O this week. That'll give developers a head start on creating apps for the ARM-powered e-paper device, allowing them to learn exactly how it receives data from Mountain View's robot OS. The company said the new kit supports multiple program languages to boot, allowing developers of all skill levels to create Pebble-enabled apps. The document is still a work in progress, of course, but advances like this should help keep it from getting trampled by the cavalcade of smart wrist devices now coming out. Check the source link if you want to grab it.
