Pebble has managed to raise $20 million on Kickstarter for its upcoming Pebble Time smartwatch. The company looked to raise $500,000 but has managed to garner 40 times more, with some hours still left for the campaign to end on the crowd funding site. Also Read - Pebble Twins TWS earbuds review: Hit or Miss?
Also Read - Pebble Twins Stereo EarPods with up to 25 hours of battery life launched: Price, FeaturesPebble Time already became the most funded project in Kickstarter’s history in the first week of March, by crossing the $13.3 million mark Coolest Cooler had set on the site. With this, Pebble Time becomes the first product to cross the $20 million mark. Also Read - Pebble Impulse Fitness Watch with blood pressure monitor launched in India: Price, features
With the first Pebble smartwatch, the company had managed to raise more than $10.2 million back in 2012. When it began its new campaign 30 days ago, Pebble Time garnered over $7.6 million in less than a day, creating another new Kickstarter record.
It hit its target of $500,000 in about half hour, and hit the $1 million mark in another 15 minutes. In less than five hours, Pebble Time managed to raise $5 million, which obliterated the previous Kickstarter record held by Coolest Cooler, which took seven days and six hours to reach this number.
At the time of press, the Pebble Time had 77,818 backers, and had raised $20,145,463 in funding. There are still 12 hours more to go with Pebble making it almost impossible for anyone else to break this huge record. After a week of launching the Pebble Time, the company also announced the Pebble Time Steel, essentially a metal variant of the Pebble Time.
The Pebble Time boasts a new 64-color e-paper display and a completely new Timeline UI. The wearable is 20 percent thinner, lighter and has a new curved design. It also features a microphone for voice commands and dictating quick notes. Like the original Pebble, the Pebble Time also guarantees up to seven days of battery life, and is water resistant.
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The Timeline UI is segregated into three parts Past, Present, and Future. Under the first category you can check emails, step counts for the day, or a match score from a game you missed last night, under future you can check what s coming up next like schedules, reminders, movie timings. As for the present by clicking a button you can keep a tab on the stock market, and what songs you re playing. The new UI is compatible with more than 6,500 existing Pebble apps and watchfaces.
Pebble Time is priced at $199 (Rs 12,350 approximately), while the Pebble Time Steel is priced at $299 (Rs 18,600 approximately).