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The Pebble smartwatch is skimming across the ocean to the UK. Both the original Pebble and stylish Pebble Steel go on sale from UK retailers for the first time today.
Online cool-stuff-shop Firebox is the first UK retailer to confirm it will sell the pair, while O2 will become the only mobile phone network to sell the Pebbles at some point this month — and with the watches on sale in O2 shops, it’ll also be the first place on the high street you can potentially try and/or buy one.
Pebble Steel, inside and out (pictures)
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The Pebble will cost £100 and the Steel £180. Although they’ve been available up to now from importers, these are the first official British shops to sell the watches, and that price is substantially lower than you would have paid to get one shipped over from the US.
Pebble to the metal
- Why the 6-month-old Pebble Steel is still the best smartwatch
- How to change the band on your Pebble smartwatch
- Pebble watch partners with Misfit for new fitness tracking app
- Four apps to turn a Pebble watch into a fitness tracker
- The best Pebble smartwatch apps
The Pebble began life on crowdfunding site Kickstarter, where it became the second most funded project ever. The original Pebble was then followed by the Pebble Steel, a more stylish mix of stainless steel and leather. Each watch pairs with your iPhone or Android smartphone via Bluetooth to show you texts, tweets, emails and other notifications on your wrist, saving you from fishing your phone from your pocket.
They also work as a remote control and fitness tracker so you can change songs and keep an eye on your pace as you slog around your morning jog. The strap is a standard size so you can choose any strap you like, the 3.2mm screen is e-paper so it doesn’t eat up the battery — lasting up to a week before it needs charging — and the whole shebang is waterproof too.
The Pebble and Pebble Steel work with iOS and Android, and there’s a thriving open source app store to customise the features of your watch.
