Two new PebbleOS watches

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

A revived Pebble project is launching two new PebbleOS smartwatches — the monochrome Core 2 Duo and color Core Time 2 — aimed at fans of long battery life, physical buttons, and hackable, open-source hardware rather than feature-packed Apple or Wear OS devices. Commenters weigh the tradeoffs of the deliberately limited feature set (no GPS or NFC, split sensors between models) and retro styling against modern competitors that are cheaper or more capable, while also debating pricing, warranty expectations, trademark risks around the “Core 2 Duo” name, and the impact of tariffs and small-batch economics.

Positioning & Purpose

  • New watches are framed as “Pebble reborn”: simple, long‑battery smartwatches focused on notifications, time, light health tracking, and hackability, not on competing head‑on with Apple/Garmin as full sports watches.
  • Target audience is explicitly niche: enthusiasts, developers, people who liked the original Pebble “ethos” (purpose‑built, low‑friction, always‑on display).

Hardware Features & Omissions

  • Core 2 Duo: monochrome memory‑LCD, plastic case, compass + barometer, no heart‑rate, no NFC, no GPS, “standard Pebble” pogo‑pin charger, 30fps screen, July ship.
  • Core Time 2: larger 64‑color reflective LCD, metal case, heart‑rate sensor, speaker/mic, but no compass/barometer, December ship.
  • Lack of NFC and GPS is a recurring complaint, especially from runners and people used to watch payments; others point out that phones can provide GPS and payments for many use cases.
  • No LTE, no wireless charging; proprietary magnetic cable but very long battery life is expected to reduce cable pain.
  • Some concern about comfort and sleep tracking with the HR sensor “bump”.

Openness, Hacking & Ecosystem

  • Firmware will be open; same BLE protocol as legacy Pebbles, so Gadgetbridge and existing tools should “just work”.
  • Existing open companion app (Cobble); new open library planned for others to build apps.
  • Old Pebble SDK, docs and appstore (Rebble) remain relevant; updated SDK and better docs are promised.
  • Thread/Zigbee/802.15.4 support is theoretically possible via the nRF52840 but not planned; community is encouraged to experiment.
  • Clarification that the current GitHub firmware repo description is outdated; aim is to make it actually buildable.

Design, Naming & Form Factors

  • Strong split on aesthetics: some love the retro/Casio‑like, “fun” look; others find Core Time 2 bulky or “step back” versus Pebble Time Steel/Round and want slimmer, round or more “timeless” cases.
  • Many requests for a future Pebble Time Round‑style model; hints that it’s plausible but not this year.
  • The “Core 2 Duo” name is widely debated: some find it funny and nostalgic, others see trademark risk with Intel and poor searchability.

Price, Warranty & Business Risk

  • Prices ($149 / $225) are seen by some as high relative to cheap Amazfit/BangleJS‑type devices, and by others as reasonable given low volumes and inflation vs 2015 Pebbles.
  • One‑year warranty and explicit refusal to promise cheap “at‑cost” replacements spur concern from users wary of hardware failing just after coverage.
  • Tariff clause (customer may owe more if import duties spike) deters some international buyers; others appreciate the transparency but prefer to wait.

Comparisons & Use Cases

  • Compared against Apple Watch, Garmin, Amazfit, BangleJS, etc.:
    • Pebble‑style strengths: battery life, always‑on reflective display, physical buttons, hackability, open ecosystem.
    • Weaknesses: no GPS, no NFC, no advanced fitness metrics, iOS limitations due to Apple’s APIs.
  • Use‑case split:
    • Fans: notifications triage, media control, simple fitness (steps, sleep, HR), open experimentation, diabetic CGM display, minimalist/less‑phone lifestyles.
    • Skeptics: for serious sports or rich health analytics they still prefer Garmin/Apple; some feel 2025 alternatives are more capable for less money.

Health, Data & Privacy

  • Strong interest in open access to health data (steps, HR, sleep) and bulk export; frustration with other vendors’ lock‑in (e.g., processed “sleep phase” data).
  • Questions about HR accuracy and suitability for HRV; earlier Pebble HR API only exposed ~1 Hz data.
  • Some want fully offline or de‑Googled/GrapheneOS‑friendly setups, ideally with no cloud dependency; consensus is that openness plus Android makes this feasible, but iOS remains constrained.

Community Sentiment & Nostalgia

  • Many long‑time Pebble users are enthusiastic, pre‑ordering to “support the cause” and keep the ecosystem alive.
  • A minority is openly distrustful due to how the original company shut down, and others are simply nostalgic but conclude they don’t truly need a smartwatch anymore.