The Pebble smartwatch is making a comeback. Google has open-sourced the Pebble software, which means anyone — including Pebble’s founder — can make one.
The Pebble smartwatch is making a comeback. Google has open-sourced the Pebble software, which means anyone — including Pebble’s founder — can make one.
The OG smartwatch is getting a second life.
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/25280992
Google agreed to release Pebble OS to the public. As of Monday, all the Pebble firmware is available on GitHub, and Migicovsky is starting a company to pick up where he left off.
The company — which can’t be named Pebble because Google still owns that — doesn’t have a name yet. For now, Migicovsky is hosting a waitlist and news signup at a website called RePebble. Later this year, once the company has a name and access to all that Pebble software, the plan is to start shipping new wearables that look, feel, and work like the Pebbles of old.
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The pebble time is still the best Smart Watch I've ever owned. Perfect with notifications, good battery life, easy controls, beautifully efficient e-paper screen. Can't wait to see what they do now!
I think it was something like reflective LCD and not epaper, that's what allowed it to have a fast refresh rate but still use very little power. I'm still surprised I haven't seen much tech using that type of screen.
I've made many posts on many platforms wondering the same thing, especially for something like a watch that you want to be always on. Sure, amoled exists, but isn't e-paper much better for that use case?
I'm even daily driving an e-paper android tablet for notes and reading and it's awesome. A charge lasts me over a week with heavy use.
Also, not entirely sure of the exact tech for the original pebble, was it TFT? The RePebble site linked by OP talks about e-paper but maybe that's just what they want going forward
It was a Sharp "Memory LCD".
https://sharpdevices.com/memory-lcd/
Basically "visible memory storage".
You treat it as addressable memory and write into it, and it will hold that state using about 15 microwatts to do so.
You can still buy the display modules , there's a few boards that let you easily drive them with arduinos and etc.