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Pebble Time is the smartwatch redesigned (pictures)

With a new metal frame, a thinner look and a reworked operating system, the Pebble Time smartwatch arrives on Kickstarter.

Scott Stein
I started with CNET reviewing laptops in 2009. Now I explore wearable tech, VR/AR, tablets, gaming and future/emerging trends in our changing world. Other obsessions include magic, immersive theater, puzzles, board games, cooking, improv and the New York Jets. My background includes an MFA in theater which I apply to thinking about immersive experiences of the future.
Lynn La Senior Editor / Reviews - Phones
Lynn La covers mobile reviews and news. She previously wrote for The Sacramento Bee, Macworld and The Global Post.
Scott Stein
Lynn La
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Pebble on Time

Today, Pebble unveiled its new Time smartwatch. It's the biggest redesign of its original smartwatch since the release of the Pebble Steel. In addition to some hardware tweaks, the device also has a revamped operating system.

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Updated look

Although the screen is the same size, the watch itself is smaller and lighter.

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Sleeker profile

It's 20 percent thinner at 9.5mm, and it has a metal frame.

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Interchangeable bands

The watch strap is a standard 22mm, so it can be swapped, but a new pin makes it easier to switch them out.

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The Pebble in black

The Pebble Time will come in three colors at first: red, white and black.

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Impressive battery life

Like its other iterations, the watch aims for a seven-day battery life, is swim- and shower-friendly, and has physical buttons.

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New e-paper display

New features include a color e-paper display that has a faster refresh rate than Qualcomm's Mirasol screens, capable of animation running at 30 frames per second.

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Easily viewable outdoors

The display is meant to look good in everyday light and has a backlight as well.

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Equipped with a microphone

A microphone allows voice-to-text translation, which will let you respond quickly to messages, much like Android Wear.

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Pebble OS 3.0

Pebble Time runs a revamped type of OS, using time itself as a metaphor. Instead of scrolling apps, the new Pebble OS runs off a timeline.

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Your past, present and future

The top button scrolls back in time, the bottom forward. Notifications, appointments and Google Now-like info pings get pinned along the timeline, and you click on one to open up more information, almost like a mini-app.

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Still compatible with iOS and Android

The smartwatch is still compatible with iOS and Android handsets, so you can control apps like the music player.

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Integration with your phone

You can accept or decline incoming calls.

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Checking the market

You can also check stocks on your Pebble Time.

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Today's forecast

The Weather Channel and ESPN are on board to serve notifications to the device's new OS, with more services to come.

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And of course, the time on Time

As for watchfaces, unlike the current Pebble, you'll only install one at a time. This time around the Pebble wants you looking at info, not clock designs.

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Exclusively on Kickstarter

The Pebble Time (right, with the original Pebble on the left and the Steel in the middle) is available now to pre-order on Kickstarter, a move designed to appeal to early Pebble adopters. For $159, you can get one by May. The Pebble Time will retail later on for $179 and then $199, the same as the Steel (which is £179 in the UK for comparison; UK and Australian prices are yet to be announced).

Check out more of CNET's coverage on wearable tech here.

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