Pebble CEO and founder Eric Migicovsky revealed
the news Wednesday at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, during a
press conference that was webcast to eager Kickstarter backers. Pebble is a
minimalist watch that connects through Bluetooth to an iPhone or Android
smartphone. It displays texts and emails, vibrates for each incoming call, and controls
music playlists. Sports and fitness apps are also available. The company has
been under massive scrutiny as the top-funded Kickstarter project of all time,
especially after it ran into major shipping delays. (Pebble isn't alone; a
CNNMoney examination of the top 50 most-funded projects on Kickstarter found
that 84% missed their target delivery dates.)
About 69,000 people backed the Kickstarter
project, and Migicovsky found himself committed to shipping 85,000 Pebbles.
Supply and production issues popped up immediately. In July 2012, two months
after the campaign ended, Migicovsky told backers they wouldn't be receiving
their Pebbles in September as planned. Nearly four months later, Pebble is
ready for launch. The first batch of watches will begin shipping to Kickstarter
backers on January 23, and Migicovsky said "tens of thousands" of
people have signed up for additional pre-orders on Pebble's website.
Related story: 9 reasons Kickstarter projects
ship late
Unlike some Kickstarter projects, the final
Pebble product looks a lot like the original plans. Its e-paper display is
readable outdoors, and the battery lasts seven days. An interchangeable strap
houses the polycarbonate watch face, which weighs about 1.3 ounces.
"We designed this, at its base, to be a
sports and fitness watch," Migicovsky said Wednesday. "It's very
light on the wrist, which was important to us."
Those who sweat profusely need not worry: Pebble
is water resistant to five atmospheres. Cute features include a shake or tap of
the wrist to activate a backlight, and multiple options for displaying time: a
clock image, a "fuzzy time" setting for readings like "twenty to
one," a sliding text option, and even a binary option.
Pebble wants developers to begin creating apps
for its platform, which is compatible with Android 2.3.3 and higher, and with
Apple's iOS 5 and higher. The company plans to release over-the-air software
updates every two to three weeks, Migicovsky said.
"Our goal was to make it awesome from day
one, and then improve with updates," he said. "We're excited to see
how it evolves."
But don't look for Pebble in any retail outlets.
"It would be great to see Pebble in stores,
but we haven't made any kind of deals yet," Migicovsky said.
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