As promised, the Pebble Kickstarter edition watches shipped out on Wednesday to a few lucky backers. Intrigued by technology innovations, we are always excited to see a new product. However, is the smart watch a neccesity?
The Pebble is the latest addition to a line of smartwatches that can interact with smartphones. A watch is an accessory and what matters in a good timepiece, besides the ability to keep time, is the design. The dynamic of a watch is crucial to consumers, people want a watch that looks appealing. The Pebble watch design is not only appealing, but practical. A review describes the watch as being comfortable to wear and feels lightweight on the wrist. The screen is simple, it uses an e-reader type of display that is easy on the eyes and can be read in daylight.
Syncing the watch with your mobile phone makes it possible for you to manage and remote control your music, receive calendar reminders, and receive notifications from email, text, Facebook and Twitter. Bluetooth technology allows the Pebble to work with your Android or Apple phone, saving you from having to constantly check your phone every five minutes. Reports show that the Pebble watch notification only displays the most recent message received, so you will still need to check your phone at some point.
Pebble is not the first smart watch to hit the market. Sony and Toshiba also have their own versions of smartwatches and so does WIMM labs. However, none of the watches really have caught on and developed a buzz that Pebble has. Using Kickstarter to fund the Pebble creative intiative, the project earned 68,000 backers who donated over $10,000,000. The trick is getting consumers to want the watch.
In these times, a watch seems to be more of a luxury or fashion statement, than a necessity. Late last year, Casio announced that it was shipping their blue tooth enabled watch to retailers. If there is a company to perfect the concept of a smart watch, it would be the longtime timekeeping experts over at Casio. Their G-Shock brand of watches is a staple in the timekeeping business. What Pebble has over the competition is a practical design and the power of strategic marketing. The early backers that helped fund the Pebble smartwatch will receive their watches fairly soon. Will the Pebble find its niche in real world technology? Only time will tell.
