Square smartwatches are well and truly on their way out, and even Pebble, known for being one of the earliest examples of a popular smartwatch, realizes this. In fact, today, it launched an all-new Pebble watch, called the Pebble Time Round.
The Pebble Time Round is not only the first round smartwatch from Pebble, but it is also one of the thinnest smartwatches available to date, standing at only 7.5 mm thick and making the vast majority of other smartwatches seem very chunky.
The Pebble Time Round is made entirely out of metal (except for the strap, of course), making it similar to the classy Pebble Time Steel. The face of the device is 38.5 mm, however, the display itself is surrounded by a large bezel. Normally, the words "large" and "bezel" wouldn't work well together, however, in this case, it looks great despite the fact that it makes the problems associated with a smaller screen even more pronounced.
One of the main problems with the Pebble Time Round is the battery life, which is an issue that has plagued smartwatch manufacturers since smartwatches first emerged on the market. Despite this, the two-day battery life offered by the Time Round is a lot better than that of many other smartwatches available. Not only that, but the device charges extremely quickly — charging for 15 minutes can juice up the watch for a full 24 hours of use.
The Time Round includes a microphone for voice commands, and while it is splash-resistant, it is not water-resistant, so don't go swimming with it. The backlit display is 64-color, and the device is compatible with Android smartphones, with iOS compatibility on the way.
Pebble is also releasing two versions of the device, one geared toward males and the other toward females, although the only real difference is strap width, so men with smaller wrists or women with larger wrists might consider the offering for the opposite gender. The men's version includes a 20 mm strap, with the women's including a 14 mm strap.
Offering a round-displayed smartwatch isn't just about the hardware, however. Pebble also had to revamp its software to work well on a different-shaped screen. Not only that, but Pebble's Timeline also now refreshes by an entire page at a time, essentially meaning that users scroll by page rather than by line. This will help text wrap better on a round display.
The Pebble Time Round is arguably the best-looking smartwatch Pebble has ever made, and it looks just like other non-smartwatch on the market. The only initial criticism could be the large bezel, however, as mentioned, that bezel doesn't look bad, it just minimizes screen size.
Those interested in the Pebble Time can head to the Pebble website to preorder. Preorders are also available from Best Buy, Target and Amazon. General availability will start on Nov. 8. You can check out a video detailing the new watch below.
Via: The Verge
