As this is a Pebble watch it works with both iOS and Android, with an SDK available to devs to easily port their apps over to the Time Round’s circular display.
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Smartwatch pioneer Pebble has announced the Pebble Time Round, the firm’s first timepiece with a circular face.
When you talk to Migicovsky about smartwatches, you soon get the idea that battery life is a big, big deal for the designers of Pebble.
“We think it looks more like a classic wristwatch”, Migicovsky said in an interview. “They’re tending to build something that’s a little bit more in the Rolex watch category”.
As for software, it’s the same experience as you’d have on an existing, square Pebble, only with some differences in pagination. While I would of course much prefer a wider display, I appreciate the efforts that Pebble has gone through to make the Time Round’s bezel much more attractive and fashion-forward. Apps are available, allowing you to view weather, sports scores and more. But if you’re not beholden to the plastic, Time is definitely more useful than the original Pebble, and is in every way a refinement of the brand.
The Palo Alto company, which became an Internet sensation with two record-breaking Kickstarter crowdfunding campaigns, began taking orders for the $249 Pebble Time Round this week.
“It looks like a watch!” my wife proclaimed, when I showed her the Pebble Time Round. Pebble is working on an API for voice, so third-party apps can take advantage of this feature.
On those occasions when someone says a particular smartwatch isn’t on the chunky side, he or she generally means that it’s not as thick as… a thick smartwatch.
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So, for example, while the Pebble Time’s battery can last a week on a single charge, the Time Round will last just two days. Pebble did throw users a bone by adding quick-charging to the Time Round, which is said to provide a day’s worth of battery life with just 15 minutes of charging. An Apple Watch or Android Wear smartwatch, in comparison, typically needs to be recharged every night. It’s part of the reason Pebble watches don’t contain heart rate monitors (although it’s something the company’s looking at). It should survive a run in the rain, but showering or swimming with it isn’t advised. It’s thin, for sure, and the five different colored leather bands are easy to swap in and out. Bands either 14mm or 20mm in width are supported – the lugs are different, so once you pick a size you can’t switch – and if you’ve already got a favorite strap in that size, you shouldn’t have a problem using it.
