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Pebble E-Ink watch for iOS and Android drums up nearly $2m

The Pebble E-Ink watch works with iOS and Android, and already has over $1.6m funding.

Luke Westaway Senior editor
Luke Westaway is a senior editor at CNET and writer/ presenter of Adventures in Tech, a thrilling gadget show produced in our London office. Luke's focus is on keeping you in the loop with a mix of video, features, expert opinion and analysis.
Luke Westaway
2 min read

Kickstarter, the website where ordinary folks can throw money at crazy inventions, has a new darling. Meet Pebble, an E-Ink wrist watch for iOS and Android that's already raised nearly $2m in funding.

The device itself reminds me a little of the chic, glossy styling found on Nokia's Lumia 800, and the idea behind it is to fill your wristwatch with apps and nifty phone features.

It connects to your iPhone or Android device using a Bluetooth connection, and displays the time using an E-Ink display, of the kind you'd find on the Amazon Kindle. Once hooked up to your mobile you can use an iOS or Android app to install new apps onto the Pebble.

Those apps could monitor your progress as you run, for example. Other cool features will include the ability to control music playback on your phone remotely (handy if your mobile is docked in a speaker), or see who's calling you from your watch before fishing your phone out of your pockets to answer.

Notifications can be sent to your watch, and dismissed with a shake of your wrist, and designers Pebble Technology will let developers create their own apps for the watch, so we could see some cool stuff emerging from have-a-go developers. Take a peek at the video embedded below for footage of what the Pebble could be capable of.

The project still has 35 days left to rally supporters, though it racked up an impressive $1m of support in just 28 hours. Pledging $115 (about £72) to the project will nab you one of the black watches -- expect to add $15 (about £9.40) to pay for delivery to the UK.

Delivery is pegged for September, so anyone keen on chucking their cash at this quirky accessory should see it arriving in the post later this year. Those who enjoy jogging in the rain or spontaneous snorkelling sessions will be chuffed to know that the Pebble watch is water-resistant enough to swim with.

Although fancypants phone watches are nothing new, the Pebble's slick interface and E-Ink screen could make this device more appealing than horror stories like the Dyal Swap Signature -- the display should be easy to view in sunlight, and the battery should hold out a lot longer than a normal digital display.

I'm not sure everyone will be sold on the design though, as it looks as though it could tread a fine line between minimalist chic and just looking a bit plasticky. But what do you reckon? Inform me in the comments, or over on our Facebook wall.