The Pebble Steel Smartwatch

The post The Pebble Steel Smartwatch appeared first on MoTech Radio.

Coming out of 2014’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the main topic of conversation seems to be “wearables”. As [W] puts it, “These are wearable computing gadgets that for the most part are taking the form of wrist watches.” Smartwatches entered conversation in 2013, but no one was particularly pleased with the results (consider the Samsung Galaxy Gear, for instance). Much of the concern was that the pros of the devices did not outweigh the con of wearing something that looked so dorky. And the $300 price didn’t help either. However, the release of the Pebble Steel may be lmay be leading the industry in a new direction:

Pebble Steel review: at last, a stylish smartwatch

When we speak of smartwatches, what do you think of first? If you’re the nostalgic type, your mind might drift back to Dick Tracy, or to those times when Michael Knight yelled at KITT to help get him out of impossibly tight spots (which, let’s face it, was nearly every single episode). But those types of products, once associated with sci-fi movies and TV shows, are now a dime a dozen…

As the above review makes clear, the Steel is not the next-generation smartwatch – it’s essentially the same as the 2013 Pebble, but with a much classier and practical appearance:

“[W]e want to clarify that the Steel isn’t meant to replace the year-old Pebble. It’s designed to be a premium option targeted at those who’d otherwise prefer to adorn their wrists with more expensive timepieces.”

It is perhaps this simplicity and stylish appearance, combined with the benefits of the new Pebble Appstore, that make this watch stand out:

Pebble’s Steel Smartwatch Is Fine, but the Real News Is the New Pebble Appstore

For many Kickstarter products, the greatest day of their lives comes when they get shipped to the patrons who backed them on the crowdfunding site. And then nobody ever hears much of anything from them again. …

The smartwatch industry certainly has a long way to go, but Pebble, aptly-named, appears to be paving the way.