Newly open-sourced PebbleOS is already running on real hardware
Summary
- Pebble creator Eric Migicovsky showed off PebbleOS running on new hardware.
- A new Pebble smartwatch is in the works, with Migicovsky planning to visit factories next week.
- The new Pebble watch team has many veterans that help build the original Pebble.
Well, that didn’t take all that long at all, as Pebble creator Eric Migicovsky has now posted that he and his small team have got PebbleOS running on new hardware. If you haven’t heard, Google recently made PebbleOS open source, making it possible for those interested to create new hardware based on the old operating system.
Related
Are you excited about the return of Pebble?
Smartwatches are becoming ubiquitous in our daily lives, and there seems to be a smartwatch for every occasion. Still, you may not be able to find a smartwatch that meets your needs. Well, that may change. It seems that a new Pebble smartwatch is in the works. Google recently released the source code for a new Pebble watch. The source code hints that the watch will retain its old features like e-paper and physical buttons.
While the Pebble watch had a rough start and was purchased by Fitbit, watch technology has improved since then, giving the Pebble a good chance of succeeding in the current market. Would you be interested in a Pebble watch that retains its old features but is smaller and has a better battery life?
Because of this, Migicovsky has committed to reviving Pebble and releasing a new product. It’s unclear just what kind of smartwatch we’ll see, but Migicovsky would ideally like to see a device that has an e-paper display, long battery life, physical buttons, and have it be “hackable” and easy to use.
Things are moving fast
As far as progress goes, Migicovsky shared the work being done by his team, and revealed that PebbleOS is now running on a nRF52840 chipset (via 9to5Google). This chipset is quite a bit more advanced than what was found on the Pebble or Pebble 2.
While there’s a long way to go, progress seems to be moving at a very quick pace, with Migicovsky sharing that he will be meeting with factories and suppliers in China next week. Migicovsky does try to downplay the new watch, sharing that the new wearable will be a Pebble, “almost exactly as you remember it.”
So, for better or worse, eager users should expect something simple, which may be just what some people are looking for. Of course, with all this said, the smartwatch landscape has changed dramatically over the past decade since the release of the original Pebble watch.
The market is more crowded and integration from top brands like Apple, Samsung, and Google is relatively tight when it comes to its own devices. So one has to wonder whether the Pebble watch has a place within wearables in 2025.
I guess the big change here is that the OS is open to modification from anyone, so with a strong enough community, there’s a good chance that this new Pebble will gain a strong following. Hopefully, it won’t be long to find out this answer.
