Holy moly is this Kickstarter project on fire. Every time I refresh the page, it seems to go up another five grand or so. It apparently met its $100,000 fundraising goal in two hours, too.
The project in question is a smartwatch called “Pebble” that connects to your iPhone or Android handset via Bluetooth and can be customized with watch-specific apps for cycling, running, golfing, music playback, caller ID, e-mail and more.
(MORE: With an App Store, WIMM’s Android Watch Gets a Little More Practical)
And unlike most other smartwatches that rely on battery-sucking LCD or OLED screens that time out to conserve juice, this one uses a power-sipping e-paper display that stays on all the time and is capable of “going for 7+ days” before needing recharged, say the creators.
Oh, and it tells time, too. There are “tons of watchfaces already, with more coming every day.”
Pebble’s creators have experience with smartwatches as well: They’re the same outfit behind the currently-available inPulse watch that’s compatible with BlackBerry and Android phones. That one’s got an OLED screen and lacks iPhone support, however.
Here’s the project’s video presentation:
[vimeo=http://vimeo.com/40128933]
The project will be taking funding pledges until May 18 – it’ll almost surely clear the million-dollar mark – at which point, the watches will go into production. Once they’re ready, they’ll “retail for more than $150,” according to the project page, but if you pledge $115 or $125 toward the project, you’ll get your own watch – a $99 early bird pledge level has sold out.
The watches are estimated to begin delivery in September and will be available in black, white or red, with a fourth color to be chosen by the project’s supporters.
Pebble: E-Paper Watch for iPhone and Android [Kickstarter.com]