When Pebble launched its new Pebble Time watch on Kickstarter last week, I’m sure I wasn’t alone in thinking it would be nice if there was steel edition (as there is for the original Pebble). Well, it turns out there is a steel version of the Pebble Time after all. It was announced today at Mobile World Congress.
The new Pebble Time Steel has a stainless steel casing – which is around 1mm thicker than the plastic edition, and it comes in three different finishes: silver with a stone leather strap, gunmetal black with a black leather strap, and gold with a red leather strap. In addition to the leather straps, each model also ships with a matching stainless steel band. Although most of the internals are the same as the plastic Pebble Time, the Steel does have one significant difference. It has a slightly bigger battery, which Pebble says should last up to 10 days – that’s an extra 3 days compared to the plastic version.
Besides unveiling the new model, Pebble has also provided some more information about the Pebble Time’s smart accessory port (also present on the Steel). The company has launched a new platform which will allow developers to create smart straps for the device. Potentially, these smart straps could extend the capabilities of the watch by featuring GPS sensors, heart rate monitors, or even additional batteries.
When it goes on sale, the Pebble Time Steel will have a recommended retail price of $299, which is $100 more than the plastic Pebble Time. However, Pebble is offering a limited number for $250 via its Kickstarter campaign. Don’t worry if you backed the campaign prior to today’s announcement, Pebble is allowing anybody who wants the metal version to increase their existing pledge. Just be aware that the Pebble Time Steel is expected to ship in July – a couple of months later than the plastic version.
I’m pleased to see Pebble offering a premium version of the Pebble Time. While I still have some reservations about the size of the bevel, I much prefer how it looks compared to the non-metal model.
What do you think about it? You can let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment below, or by tagging us on your preferred social network.
[Via: Engadget]
I’ve tried out two Pebbles but unfortunately the kit strap they include with them are always too short for my wrist. I don’t exactly have monster wrists, either…. but they need to be about an inch longer for those who do have larger wrists. I know you can buy something else, but then that just means shelling out more money for something that should really be part of the kit.