The new Pebble appstore will debut on Feb. 3, filled with apps that are optimized for the Pebble smartwatch lineup. Some of the apps include Yelp, ESPN, Foursquare and Smartwatch+.
The Pebble appstore will vastly increase the selection of apps available for the company's smartwatch and ensure that each app is designed with Pebble's interface and small screen size in mind. Much like Apple's App store and the Google Play store, the Pebble appstore will have categories, room to write reviews and a search function for easy browsing of the growing selection of Pebble-optimized apps.
The appstore will also include a section in which users can manage the apps that are installed on their Pebble smartwatches. Pebble Steel only holds eight apps at a time, so space is limited. Pebble realized that allowing users to manage their smartwatch apps via the appstore on their smartphone or tablet would make deleting old apps and installing new apps much easier.
After you delete an app from your smartwatch, Pebble stores the app in a sort of locker, so that when you want to download it back onto your smartwatch, you can without any hassle. Pebble recognizes your favorite apps and makes them even easier to access when you need to.
Several journalists who attended CES 2014 in Las Vegas had a chance to test out the Pebble appstore when it was still in beta. Aside from the small kinks and minor errors that are always expected during a beta test, reviewers were very pleased with the appstore and view it as a big step forward for the smartwatch maker.
Once you download the appstore, you must first log in with your Pebble credentials. You will be prompted to delete the old Pebble app, unpair your smartwatch from your iPhone and download a firmware update to your Pebble smartwatch. From there, you will be able to browse through the new appstore, download the apps of your choosing and test them out.
Although Smartwatch+ is a paid app, it's worth checking out because it is a fully-fledged iPhone companion app. Using the Smartwatch+ app, you can set alarms, control your iPhone's camera and even find your iPhone when you've lost it.
Owners of both the original Pebble smartwatch and the brand-new Pebble Steel will be able to use the appstore. The Pebble appstore will be available as an iOS app first, but the company plans to follow up with an Android release in the very near future. Pebble will release the appstore at 10 p.m. PST on Feb. 3.
