Tuesday March 3rd, 2015 l «a .1 "xiv; [nology]? .- .\ , : Pebble T Kori Bovms EDITOR-IN—CHIEF Pebble Technologies announced their first smartwatch model in 2012 on crowdfunding platform Kickstarter, eventually earning over $10 million by the end of their online funding period. The original Pebble smartwatch included a black and white e—pa- per display, a 5 atm waterproof rating, and a battery life of approximately seven days. The Pebble can communicate with Android or iOS devices via Bluetooth to bring phone notifica- tions to the wearer’s wrist. In February 2014, Pebble unveiled their Pebble Steel, a second- generation smartwatch with the same software features and screen of their original smart- watch, but updating the body to be thinner and more modern, adding a brushed steel fin- ish to replace the plastic finish of their original model. On February 24th of this year, Peb- ble announced the Pebble Time, their third- generation smartwatch. Pebble Time boasts a variety of improvements over previous mod- els, including a 64-color e—paper display and a microphone for responding to notifications. J1» Tn i_. ime smartwatch unveiled According to Pebble, the Pebble Time smart- watch will retain the battery life and water re— sistance that made their previous models im- mensely popular. Pebble Time was released on Kick- starter, ofiering three colors and an exclusive engraving on the underside of the watch for backers, which the company did for their origi- nal smartwatch debut The Pebble Time is 20% thinner than the original Pebble smartwatch, giving it a thickness of 9.5 mm. Unlike its pre- decessors, Pebble Time has a curved body to fit better on the wearer’s wrist. Pebble Time also embraces the customization that Pebble fans have been doing to their watches; the new model will be compatible with all standard 22mm watch bands and features quick-release pins for the watchbands, allowing wearers to swap bands quickly. Pebble will also be releas- ing models and data for their wearer commu- nity to design custom covers and docks, if they wish. , -_ jewels. r", - 1 Wm With the new color display also comes a reimagined operating system and user interface. Pebble Time will have a timeline or— ganization where notifications, news, and re minders are laid out chronologically in order to help users more seamlessly navigate their watch. Less than 20 minutes after launch- ing on Kickstarter, Pebble Time fully reached the company’s $500,000 goal. On the afternoon of Monday, March 2, Pebble Time had raised more than $11.9 million, topping the compa— ny’s previous record with the original Pebble. With more than 25 days left in their funding campaign, Pebble Time is currently the 2nd- most-funded Kickstarter project of all time, and has the potential to raise the most pledged money in Kickstarter history. Pebble has made it clear that they will be releasing a few more surprises before Pebble Time is delivered in May of this year. With a few more updates and announcements in store, Pebble and smartwatch fans eagerly await the opportunity to learn more about a next-generation smartwatch. Images courtesy of Pebble Technology SUBMISSIONS DUE BY MARCH 31 | 2 P.M.' I IITWRITINGCONTEST@GMAIL.COM ||T Lewis College of Human Sciences Wafflumifiur