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The non-existent Pebble watch scores its first app

RunKeeper signs on to be the first third-party app to run on the "Smartwatch" that's been shattering records on Kickstarter.

Eric Mack Contributing Editor
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Eric Mack
2 min read
RunKeeper is about to be attached to Pebble at the wrist. Kickstarter / Pebble

The Pebble smartwatch is the hottest thing going...that no one can get their hands on yet. The "e-paper watch for iPhone and Android" won't even be available in prototype form until August, but already it's landed its first partner -- the fitness tracking app RunKeeper.

According to a post on the RunKeeper blog, the app's users had been clamoring for Pebble support, so when RunKeepers creators were approached about a partnership, they jumped at the chance:

With Pebble integration, you won't ever have to pull the phone out of your pocket or armband -- you can just see and do everything you need right from your watch (which connects with the phone via Bluetooth).

Pebble has become a phenomenon in recent weeks; its Kickstarter project has raised more than $8 million in just 15 days, shattering the previous fundraising record for the crowdfunding platform. Pebble's campaign is only halfway through and the project's momentum seems to be accelerating, even before the first watch ships. Pebble had set an initial goal of raising $100,000 in seed money -- an amount it exceeded in the first few hours the project was live.

Donors to the Pebble Kickstarter project are essentially pre-ordering the watch; so far more than 50,000 people have pledged the minimum of $115 or more to get at least one watch in return. A few hundred backers have gone so far as to pledge enough to get mini-distributors' kits in return.

Pebble promises that its watch will connect to iOS or Android devices via Bluetooth, while also running certain apps on its own platform. RunKeeper is the first third-party app to sign on. Can an e-ink version of Angry Birds be far behind?