pebble 2

A Review of the Pebble 2 – Kickstarter Funded Project

Four years ago, Pebble embarked upon a record-breaking Kickstarter campaign that attracted a wide fan base. Consumers were won over by the company’s original water resistant, durable smartwatch with a weeklong battery life. This brings us to the company’s Pebble 2 smartwatch that is now focused on fitness and health tracking. The base model of the line is available for $99, with another model retailing for $130. The second model features sensors on its underside for the tracking of heartrate throughout the day and as you exercise.

This new smartwatch also features a workout option, can track walks and runs as well as generic workouts. Even if you do not choose to activate the workout option, the Pebble 2 can automatically know when you begin to increase your levels of activity.

This new smartwatch looks slightly different from its predecessor. It features a 1.26 inch, black and white e-paper display with a Gorilla Glass lens and manufactured of polycarbonate. It does need to be noted that the display is not a touch screen, it does contain physical buttons that are user-friendly.

Sleeker but Still Angular

The Pebble 2 is thinner than the original Pebble smartwatch. The bezel is smaller, which makes the display screen seem larger. The watch is water resistant to upwards of 30 meters and contains a built-in microphone for responding to texts messages. It does need to be noted that there are some limitations for the smartwatch in regards to iOS, mainly when connected to the following networks: T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T. There are so many wonderful gadgets and accessories for these types of items such as watch straps you can buy on Tao Bao or the Solar Power Bank – this kind of gadget allows you to charge your mobile on the go or while you’re even out in nature, and it can be a complete life saver for some people, and it’s also great for the environment!

The Pebble 2 also features hardware additions include an optical heart rate sensors. Additionally, the company utilized activity-based software on an algorithm that has been developed by a PhD candidate in neuroscience from Stanford University.

Notifications are Both Annoying and Ignorable

Users of the Pebble 2 will notice that their daily step goals are consistently changing. This is due to the company wanting users to utilize their own personal bests as guideposts as opposed to some arbitrary number. With the new smartwatch, the exercise tracking is automatic and the watch with give you a [digital] thumbs up for moving about.

Heart Rate Track is a Bit Dismal

At times, you will receive readings that make absolutely no sense. It will make you wonder if the software governing the heart rate tracker is defective. Hopefully the company will offer a fix for this very soon.

In Conclusion

If you can disregard the issues that are plaguing the heart rate tracker, the Pebble 2 is a good choice in the realm of health and fitness tracking smartwatches. It is a nice improvement over the original Pebble smartwatch due to its built-it microphone, smaller bezel and it being slightly thinner. The battery life outlives all its competitors. It is said to last a week long, but you can be certain to get a full six days out of it before it will require a charge.

You will also want to note that the Pebble 2 is far less expensive when compared to the Apple Watch or the Android Wear Watch. The design choices are up for debate, but all-in-all the smartwatch is ideal for those new to the trend and wanting to get their feet wet.