It's Pebble smartwatch vs Apple smartwatch. Here's how the Kickstarter success story is planning to give the Pebble Time serious wrist appeal
Even before leaking on is own website, we knew Pebble was planning something big for 2015. CEO Eric Migicovsky had already revealed plans to unveil new hardware and a software platform and we didn't have to wait too long for it.
The first Pebble was launched three years ago on Kickstarter and raised over $10m. The metal band-toting Pebble Steel followed next in 2014 and now we have the Pebble Time. Making the return to Kickstarter to drum up some extra publicity, Pebble's third smartwatch has already raised over $4m and that total is rapidly climbing.
Set to ship to backers from May for $159 (just over £100), with a retail price of $199 (just under £130) the Time looks set to land just in time to go head-to-head with a certain Apple Watch.
So has Migicovsky and his team done enough to keep Apple's smartwatch at bay? We take a look at the key new Pebble Time features and how they compare to the Apple Watch.
SEE ALSO: Apple Watch alternatives to look out for in 2015
The Pebble Time lasts for a week
We still don't know exactly how long the Apple Watch will be able to run before you need to reach for the charger, but judging from comments made by Tim Cook, it's likely to be just a day or at the most two. Like the first two Pebbles, the Time will wipe the floor with Apple's smart timepiece for staying power.
The main reason it can go the distance is the screen. While Apple opts for a prettier Retina display with Sapphire glass, that screen is also going to sap the life out of the battery. Pebble is sticking with a e-paper display with Gorilla Glass 3 protection. This is the first time Pebble has included an e-colour always-on display, after only offering black and white options on the original and the Steel. Crucially, the e-paper colour display should still be far less demanding on the lithium polymer battery powering performance.
One thing Pebble doesn't offer that Apple does, is wireless charging. So you don't have to carry around a proprietary cradle like most Android Wear watches. We'd much prefer swapping wireless charging if we didn't have to charge our watch as much as our phone though.
It's not all plastic
While the original Pebble is an all-plastic affair and the Pebble Steel added a more luxurious stainless steel strap, the Time is like a combination of the both.The rectangular watch face has slightly curvier look with a stainless steel bezel. The silicone watch straps, which are likely to be the same 22mmm ones on the original are removable so there's room to customize. It's also going to be available in three colours, so you'll have your pick of white, black or red models.
Pebble has decided not to pack its watch sensors like the Moto G or the LG G Watch R, but it isn't ruling it out the option to do so. Instead it's leaving it to developers to build the sensors for its smart accessory port, which also opens the window to the kind of smart straps we've already seen announced like the Montblanc e-Strap.
In comparison to the Apple Watch, well, let's just say that the chaps at Cupertino have pretty much all of the bases covered on this front. For starters, you have the option of 38mm and 42mm straps and there's three different editions. The most expensive model, which is made for 18-karat gold is set to cost around $10,000. Unlike the Pebble Time's standard buttons, Apple is opting for a Digital Crown dial to interact with the touchscreen when you don't want to get your greasy fingerprints all over it.
You can take the Time for a swim
Before the Pebble, Migicovsky and his team launched the InPulse smartwatch. It quickly learned that one of the key things a smartwatch had to be able to do was be waterproof. Unlike the Apple Watch, which will be good enough to run in the rain or do the dishes with, the Time is waterproof at 5 ATM so you can take it in the bath or the swimming pool.
Unlike many waterproof smartphones, it has been tested in both freshwater and saltwater, so it's primed for swimming in the sea as long as you don't go any deeper than 50 metres.
SEE ALSO: Apple Watch vs Pebble
Pebble's new software sounds a lot like Android Wear
Migicovsky claimed Pebble's new software platform, would be like ‘unlike anything else used on smartwatches to date.’ We can't say we entirely agree, but the good news is that it'll be compatible with iPhones running iOS 8 and Android smartphones running Android 4.0 or above.
While the original put notifications at the heart along with features like music playback and third party app support through the Pebble App Store, Pebble is now introducing Google Now-esque features, where you can quickly glance at notifications in chronological order. Unlike Android Wear, you can look back at previous notifications, although there's no indication how far back it goes. The Time even includes a microphone, which unlike Google Voice Search is mainly used for replying to messages and creating memos.
We don't know all the specifics of Apple's software approach but we do now it will run on its own optimized operating system where you'll have a homescreen where all the apps live. There'll also be a Pebble-like Glance mode, the ability to receive notifications, mobile payment support via Apple Pay plus apps from the likes of Nike, BMW and CityMapper on the way when it launches.
Early Verdict
There's no denying that the Apple Watch looks the part and there'll be a legion of iPhone and iPad owners lining outside stores to own one. Developers both big and small are already preparing apps for the platform, so there should be no shortage of software support to add extra functionality.
Where the Apple Watch is lacking is in nailing those basic smartwatch features we expect to see at the very top of the specs sheet. Like a battery life that lasts longer than a couple of days, cross-platform support and being able to wear it in the shower. The Pebble Time ticks all of those boxes. but it's not the only smartwatch that does these days.
Until we get to see the Pebble Time up close, it's impossible to know whether the Android Wear-like software really is as groundbreaking as the company claims. While the Kickstarter figures are already sounding impressive, Pebble hasn't had to go toe-to-toe with Apple before and it might not be pretty.