Pebble Smartwatch Gets iOS 7 Integration, SDK 2.0 Now Available
The Pebble smartwatch is getting better, but it’s not the hardware that’s getting a bump, it’s the software. Pebble announced that the smartwatch is now fully integrated with iOS 7, and the second iteration of its SDK, the Pebble SDK 2.0, is coming as well.
The iOS 7 integration provides a more seamless experience with the Notification Center. Any notification you get on your iPhone will pop up on your Pebble. That includes usual suspects such as calls, texts, and emails but also calendar items, social media, LinkedIn, Flickr, Dropbox, and more. The new capabilities will come via a new Pebble iOS app that the company says will be in the iTunes Store soon. (It’s still technically under review by Apple.)
Perhaps more importantly, the Pebble SDK 2.0 is now available, and it opens up more options for developers with new Javascript, Accelerometer, Data Logging, and Persistent Storage APIs.
There was a brief window where it seemed like the Pebble smartwatch was ahead of the whole industry, and its Kickstarter campaign raked in millions in support. In short order, much of the industry caught up, and now there are Kickstarted smartwatches a plenty as well as offerings from industry bigs like Sony (still, or should we say again) and Samsung, with smartwatches from Google, Apple, and others likely launching soon.
It remains to be seen if an independent outfit like Pebble, even with its smartwatch stocked at major retailers such as Best Buy, can stay afloat in a flooded market.
The iOS 7 integration provides a more seamless experience with the Notification Center. Any notification you get on your iPhone will pop up on your Pebble. That includes usual suspects such as calls, texts, and emails but also calendar items, social media, LinkedIn, Flickr, Dropbox, and more. The new capabilities will come via a new Pebble iOS app that the company says will be in the iTunes Store soon. (It’s still technically under review by Apple.)
Perhaps more importantly, the Pebble SDK 2.0 is now available, and it opens up more options for developers with new Javascript, Accelerometer, Data Logging, and Persistent Storage APIs.
There was a brief window where it seemed like the Pebble smartwatch was ahead of the whole industry, and its Kickstarter campaign raked in millions in support. In short order, much of the industry caught up, and now there are Kickstarted smartwatches a plenty as well as offerings from industry bigs like Sony (still, or should we say again) and Samsung, with smartwatches from Google, Apple, and others likely launching soon.
It remains to be seen if an independent outfit like Pebble, even with its smartwatch stocked at major retailers such as Best Buy, can stay afloat in a flooded market.
