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Going back to its roots, Pebble Technology announced that it was launching new Kickstarter campaigns for three new products. Two of them are smartwatches – namely the Pebble 2 and the Pebble Time 2 – while the third is a cellular-connected wearable device simply called the Pebble Core.
Powered by Google’s Android OS, the Pebble Core is a small device that clips on to the clothes of its wearer. Among its abilities is tracking location, distance, and pace via GPS, which has become standard for most fitness trackers out there.
Furthermore, users can also us the Pebble Core to send emergency messages to loved ones, stream music on Spotify, and record voice notes – all without having to be paired with a smartphone.
But none of these features are necessarily attention- and money-grabbers. The major draw to Pebble Core, however, is the fact that it’s the first standalone wearable device to have Alexa integration.
In a post on the official blog, the company revealed Amazon’s popular voice assistant technology will be incorporated into the Core – the same familiar voice that people have come to love in Amazon Echo.
According to Eric Migicovsky, the CEO of Pebble, “experiencing Amazon Alexa on-the-go right from Pebble Core is game-changing for wearable technology.”
After the Alexa integration was announced, the Pebble Core’s capabilities grew much longer. With Alexa’s help, the wearable device can become a news hub, briefing the user on news headlines from various media outlets.
Moreover, the Core can give a summary of the user’s Pebble Health information, shop for products on Amazon, order deliveries, control smart home devices – and the list can go on and on.
One hiccup that might draw the Pebble Core back is its lack of a microphone, which means owners will have to use headphones with a built-in mic in order to access the Alexa functions.
If you want to be among the first people to get the Pebble Core, you can still participate in the device’s Kickstarter campaign. The wearable device is available through a pledge of $79 or more with shipping estimated to begin by January 2017.
If you want to wait and read some reviews after the launch, the Core’s retail price will raise to $99.
Image Source: Trusted Reviews
