Pebble's second generation smartwatch comes with a dedicated heart rate tracker

1:28:00 PM dickwyn 0 Comments

After two successful launches, Pebble is once again coming back to Kickstarter. Their latest funding project this time around is primarily focused on introducing the second generation Pebble smartwatches. The Pebble 2 and Pebble Time 2 build upon the original Pebble series which was known for it's amazing battery life.

Previously, the Pebble was known for it's strong smartwatch capabilities like replying to messages, a dedicated app store with thousands of apps and a solid community to back the product With the second generation Pebble, the California based company is bringing their smartwatches up to speed with offerings from other smartwatch maker.

The most notable improvement over the first generation pebble is the inclusion of a dedicated heart rate tracking support on both the Pebble 2 and Pebble Time 2. Pebble says they have configured the two new smartwatches with features like automatic activity tracking to make it more appealing as a fitness tracker

Pebble made all of this possible all while retaining the amazing battery life. Even with the heart rate tracking, the Pebble 2 can last up to 7 days on a single charge and the fancier Pebble Time 2 can last up to 10 days.

The Pebble 2 which will cost $99 or $109 through the Kickstarter campaign will be priced at $129 when it hits the market. The biggest thing to note is that the Pebble 2 still comes with a black and white epaper display which helps to retain the sub-100 price. However, Pebble has included a Gorilla Glass screen protection on the Pebble 2's display.

While the Pebble 2 looks a lot like the original Pebble, this second generation product has been redesigned to fit the new heart rate monitor. There's also an integrated microphone so you can do things like reply messages with your voice.

Last year, Pebble unveiled the Pebble Time with a sleek design paired with a color epaper display and the new Pebble Time 2 is a lot like the former. Think of the Pebble Time 2 as the convergence of the Pebble Time and the Pebble Time Steel. In terms of functionality, the Pebble Time 2 features the exact same feature set as the Pebble 2 like heart rate tracking but in a sleeker form factor.

The Pebble Time 2 will retail for $199 when it arrives in the market but through the Kickstarer campaign, you can get the Pebble Time 2 for as low as $169.

Both the Pebble 2 and Pebble Time 2 will charge wirelessly through a new dock and the company has retained the feature to swap the included watch band with any 22mm watch strap.

With the launch of the new smartwatches, Pebble says that they will be completely phasing out the original Pebble smartwatches once these second generation devices hit the market. So, if you are looking for a brand new smartwatch for your Android or iPhone, you can consider backing the project on Kickstarter that will be running through 30th June 2016.

Pebble will begin shipping the Pebble 2 to backers beginning September 2016 and the Pebble Time 2 will be shipped to backers starting Novermber 2016. Given that Pebble has a good track record, expect to receive your product on time.

Learn more or consider backing the new Pebble 2 or Pebble Time 2 here