Australian review: Pebble launches Time smartwatch with week-long battery life, disses Apple Watch
The original smartwatch maker is back with the Pebble Time, but can its all-week battery life and colour screen steal business from Apple and Samsung?
THE company that literally kickstarted the smartwatch trend is back, and it wants you to look past the Apple Watch to something a little more unconventional.
Palo Alto-based Pebble has launched its third attempt to get on your wrist in the Pebble Time, and it debuts a colour screen, fresh software, and even a water-resistant microphone for dictating messages.
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Plus, it retains features that set it apart from the smartwatches which followed, including week-long battery life, use with Apple and Google phones, and a water-resistant body.
But can it be enough in what has become a fiercely competitive, multibillion-dollar market filled with the likes of Apple, Samsung, Motorola, LG and Sony?
The launch of Apple’s first smartwatch in April not only changed the smartwatch market but its leader.
Juniper Research estimates Apple has already sold more than two million watches, bringing in $1 billion.
“This makes it the most successful smartwatch launch to date, with no other launches coming close in a comparable time period,” Juniper devices analyst James Moar says.
Moar predicts Apple will sell more than 7 million smartwatches by the end of the year.
But Canalys vice-president Chris Jones says wearable technology is still in its infancy and needs more third-party apps and software advances to ensure its longevity.
“Apple and other vendors still face important challenges to make the smartwatch a breakout hit,” he says. “Improvements in performance, battery life and sensor integration are needed to make future models more attractive.”
Pebble is acutely aware of these demands. Despite breaking Kickstarter crowd-funding records for its first smartwatch, and bringing down the website with its subsequent $20 million Pebble Time and Time Steel announcements, its efforts do not match that of its new rival.
In response, though, the company says an “overpriced trophy watch wasn’t on our to-do list”.
Pebble Time instead does not stray far from its predecessor, even though it's a worthwhile upgrade.
The Pebble Time looks less like a high-quality craft project, and shaves 20 per cent off the last model to sit just 9.5mm off the wrist. Its body is also slightly curved and, combined with a standard-sized, silicon wristband, it looks pleasingly inconspicuous for wearable technology.
The Pebble Time screen is undoubtedly the biggest upgrade to this device. It’s still an e-paper display that is friendly on battery life but it now shows 64 colours.
They look like colours you’d see emerge from a BubbleJet printer but the rainbow treatment is a welcome addition and one that adds life to this smartwatch. Naturally, they can also be seen in direct sunlight, unlike the screens of their competitors.
The Pebble Time’s user interface also shows a complete makeover. Users can access important appointments by pressing the top or bottom right buttons: up delivers past calendar additions while down lets users glimpse and plan for the future.
Tapping its middle right button lets users access notifications, settings and apps installed on the watch.
While some apps require smartphone input, a surprising number of Pebble apps can function on the watch alone or control the connected phone. They include silent alarms, AppLauncher to open apps on a phone, Jawbone and Misfit step-tracking apps, and apps for music playback.
Pebble’s app store is by no means comprehensive, but there is plenty of gold to those willing to pan for it.
Another important feature added to the Time is a microphone, hidden on the watch’s right side. If you receive an SMS, for example, you can reply by selecting the message and dictating your response.
The voice-to-text translation is reasonably accurate and you’re given a chance to proofread it before sending to avoid awkward situations.
Alternatively, this watch will let you reply with an emoji, albeit by button-mashing your way through a screen of crudely outlined, tiny versions.
Disappointingly, you can only reply to messages when they first appear on screen. There’s no way to send SMS messages to contacts without first receiving one, as you can on rival smartwatches.
Despite its upgrades, the Pebble Time retains some of its most important features that its rich opposition has yet to match.
Pebble promises a battery life of up to a week from this smartwatch, and we reliably extracted five days of use from it per charge.
It will also connect to an Apple iPhone or a Google Android handset (4.0 and above), so users don’t have to pick and stick with a side.
And then there are its sporty credentials. Like most ordinary wristwatches, you can dunk this watch in up to 30m of water without consequence.
Pebble’s third smartwatch does not outdo its competitors in all areas, however. Touching its screen will not help you work this watch, nor can you answer a call by speaking to your wrist.
Its interactions are limited — there's no reading news stories or viewing Instagram on its screen — and it retains a large frame and bezel around its 1.25-inch screen.
Some of its Apple interactions are also limited. It will not allow dictated replies to SMS messages if you connect it to an iPhone, for example, though you can reply to Gmail messages.
Ultimately, the Pebble Time is unlikely to convince Apple and Samsung smartwatch users to throw out their gadgets. The Pebble Time is quite geeky, esoteric, wearable technology, even though its old advantages and new additions make it a genuine upgrade on its predecessors.
Is it better than mainstream smartwatches? Yes and no. Will smartwatch switchers, the smartwatch sceptical, and technology tinkerers rightly adore it? Absolutely.
Pebble Time
3.5 out of 5 stars
$US199
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