Pebble revival: the era of e-ink screen smart watches returns

In 2012, startup Pebble made a breakthrough with its first smart watch after a successful campaign on Kickstarter. The device, which featured a unique e-paper screen for the time, sold more than 2 million units. While this figure may seem modest for giants like Apple or Samsung, it was a significant success for the startup. However, in 2016, the company’s intellectual property was sold to Fitbit.

The company’s intellectual property was sold to Fitbit.

New plans for Pebble founder

More than a decade later, Pebble founder Eric Midzikowski has announced his intention to revive the iconic smartwatch. This time, the device will get modern improvements and new hardware. According to Midzikowski, while smartwatches have evolved over the past few years, no model on the market meets his key requirements.

Midzikowski says that while smartwatches have evolved over the past few years, no model on the market meets his key requirements.

What the perfect smart watch should be according to Pebble

Midzikowski highlights the following key features that a modern smart watch should have:

• A constantly active e-paper screen that doesn’t blind others and can be read well in the sun.
• Long battery life so you don’t have to carry extra cables with you when traveling.
• Simple and beautiful user interface with basic functions: time display, notifications, music control, alarms, weather forecast and activity tracking.
• Physical buttons to control music without having to look at the screen.
• The ability to customize and create your own dials.

Overcoming production and software difficulties

On the technical side, production became cheaper than in the early years of Pebble. The main challenge remained software, as the original PebbleOS operating system was sold along with the company’s intellectual property.

Luckily, Google agreed to make PebbleOS open source. It can now be found on GitHub, making it much easier to develop a new watch.

The PebbleOS is now open source.

Return to simplicity and innovation

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In his blog, Midzikowski shared his plans to build a team and dive back into the world of hardware development. He promised to keep the specs and features of the original Pebble watch, while adding modern features and “fun new things.”

Midzikowski said he’s going back to the original Pebble watch.