Pebble, which made the first smartwatch worth mentioning, is developing two new models, the Pebble 2 and the Pebble Time 2. They're handsome enough, and a huge step up over the products they'll replace this fall. But they're not nearly as interesting, or potentially groundbreaking, as the Core.
The Core costs $69, clips to your shirt or keychain, and may hold the key to everything Pebble wants to do in the future. For now, though, this cube is best described as an iPod Shuffle for Spotify. Pebble actually worked with Spotify, so you don't have to worry about it crapping out with the next software update. Pair the wee gadget to your phone, pick a few songs or playlists, and stream away using the Core's 3G modem. (Pebble's working on letting you sync your music to the four gigs of internal storage, too.) The Core has a headphone jack, but also works with Bluetooth headphones if you hate wires. It also has GPS, so it plays nicely with Strava, Runkeeper, and Under Armour Record, and you can program one of its buttons to send an emergency text with your location just in case you pull a hammy. If you run or ride, the Core is everything you'd ever want from an iPod Shuffle for Spotify.
But Pebble sees so much more than that. The Core is essentially a tiny wearable computer with Android 5.0, two buttons, a mic, and a headphone jack, that fits in pocket and connects to the Internet everywhere. Pebble plans to open it all up to developers, with few guidelines or restrictions. The company hopes they'll make the Core do everything from summon an Uber to track your kid to control every device you can imagine. Voice control through the microphone could make it a handy digital assistant, and 3G connectivity could make it a router for your smartwatch or any other device.
Pebble isn't interested in replacing your phone, but it is definitely interested in helping you get around it. Beyond the possibilities of the Core, the Pebble 2 ($99) and Pebble Time 2 ($169) may keep you from needing to dig it out of your pocket quite so often. The two watches, which you'll find on Kickstarter next to the Core, feature a new software quirk called "actions." Pressing the top button on the right side of the watch opens a list of one-tap options shows up: Text Anna, Call an Uber, whatever. Scroll to the one you want, click the middle button, and you're done. No opening apps, no digging through menus. Pebble wants to build an app store of sorts for these actions, and eventually make watches smart enough to know what you want to do and put that action front and center.
Both watches are far more attractive, with much smaller bezels and cleaner designs. The Pebble Time 2 is stainless steel and comes in gold, replacing both Pebble Time and Pebble Time Steel in a single device. Both still have e-paper displays, last more than a week, and now also offer built-in heart-rate monitors. They aren't as fancy as an Apple Watch, but you can buy both of them and have money left over for a nice Timex just in case. Pebble's not trying to compete with Apple, really; it's trying to create an entry-level market for smartwatches. And even that might just be a distraction from the real show, as the company tries to figure out how to turn an iPod Shuffle for Spotify into a truly wearable computer.
