- Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky just demoed an early Core 2 Duo watch on his new podcast
- The watch runs Pebble OS, although it’s very obviously a prototype and is currently missing key features
- It’s on track to ship in July, but Migicovsky warned that US customers will be impacted by tariffs
Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky just unveiled his latest smartwatch, the Core 2 Duo, on the first episode of his new podcast.
At the moment it’s still an in-development prototype, and Migicovsky showcased some of its functionality, as well as providing an update on its development, and sharing some disappointing news for US smartwatch fans regarding pricing.
You can see Migicovsky demonstrate the smartwatch prototype, currently being held together with tape at the back, in the video below.
Its low-power e-paper screen and use of buttons to move through menus is reminiscent of some of the best Garmin watches, like the solar Garmin Instinct 3 with a similar black-and-white, memory-in-pixel display reminiscent of old Game Boys.
The use of such a low-power screen reportedly allows the smartwatch to last much longer than its rivals, up to 30 days, which is impressive compared to even the best Apple Watch models’ paltry 36 hours.
Watch the podcast here:
While features such as the real-time clock haven’t yet been enabled, Pebble OS seems to work well, as Migicovsky uses the four-button system to navigate the device. He also shows off different community-made watch faces, many of them from Pebble’s glory days.
“I have a watch face on right now which is just ridiculous, it’s an octopus holding an ice cream, ” he says. “Whenever I look down at my wrist, I just smile, that’s something I really enjoy. I love having a device in my life that makes me feel happy.”
Migicovsky also shows how Pebble OS works on-camera, guiding the viewer through how to access features like the smart alarm.
As well as software, he shows off or mentions hardware elements including the silicon strap, which seems very basic, and the charger, which is the same as the old Pebble chargers, except this version is a dongle adapter attached to a keychain, rather than a cable.
Pebble’s tariff woes
In the video, Migicovsky also goes into detail about shipping, stating that despite the watch’s part-finished state, his company Core Devices is on track to ship in July.
However, there will be a squeeze for US customers, as the devices will be made (like most consumer tech goods) in China, meaning Donald Trump’s tariffs will impact the final price. Fortunately, Migicovsky has a plan.
“For all non-US orders… we’re going to ship directly from Asia, so your shipment won’t be subject to the US tariffs.
“The US tariffs on China-made smartwatches are 27.5%. Our plan is for Core Devices to bulk-import all the shipments going to the US so we pay a tariff only on the cost to our factory. This means the additional cost for each shipment will be between $10-$25 more.”
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matt.evans@futurenet.com (Matt Evans)
