CES 2013: Hands-On with the Pebble Smartwatch Featuring ePaper-LCD Technology

It’s well-known that ePaper’s primary use is for displaying books and magazines. However, there are alternative applications, and such displays could or already do appear more frequently in our daily lives. We’ve often highlighted this with various examples like different models of watches, school boards, digital music stands, or even electronic price tags in supermarkets. The main reasons for using the relatively inexpensive digital paper are its excellent readability and, above all, its very low power consumption.

Now, a new product featuring an ePaper-LCD screen was introduced at CES: the Pebble Smartwatch. This project, funded through Kickstarter with over 10 million US dollars, was supposed to hit the market a few months ago but was slightly delayed. It seems the time has come, and Engadget was able to preview the final model at CES.

The Pebble Smartwatch is a digital wristwatch designed to complement current Android and iOS smartphones. The compact and robustly built watch allows smartphone information to be displayed on the watch, or conversely, the smartphone to be controlled via the watch. Additionally, the Pebble Smartwatch offers numerous customization options, like installing custom apps from the Pebble Watch-Appstore, which already features several apps, and an open system thanks to the Pebble SDK that enables the community to expand the watch’s functions. It has both a built-in accelerometer and Bluetooth, and can also utilize smartphone features like GPS or the internet connection. However, this model doesn’t use an eInk display but an LCD with a resolution of 144×168 pixels on a 1.26-inch diagonal. The screen technology allows it to consume no power with a static display—similar to an eInk screen. The built-in backlight ensures good readability. The power-saving screen type also benefits battery life—the watch should not need recharging more than once a week under normal use.

The first pre-orders of the Pebble Smartwatch are set to ship at the end of January. Five color combinations are currently available: Arctic White with a white band, or black, red, orange, or gray with a black band. The waterproof watch will be priced at $149 plus taxes—Kickstarter backers were able to purchase it at a price of $99.

More information and videos can be found on their homepage, or in the CES report by Engadget.