Pebble isn’t content with almost destroying Kickstarter with the Pebble Time, and now giving it a second kicking with the Pebble Time Steel. The wearable company just announced its new Smart Straps project, which allows anyone to develop their own modular add-on for the Pebble Time and Pebble Time Steel.
The idea behind Smart Straps is very similar to Blocks, the modular smartwatch that’s due to hit stores later this year, or Google’s Project Ara modular smartphone. You will be able to replace Pebble’s standard straps with ‘smart straps’, which add extra functionality to the Pebble Time or Pebble Time Steel – for instance, you could extend the battery to a full two to three weeks, or maybe add a heart rate sensor before you go for a run.
The new smart straps will attach as normal, via the standard 22mm pins, then connect to the watch via the new port on the rear of the device. Best of all, Pebble is throwing open the Smart Straps architecture to any developer who’s interested, so we should hopefully see a boom in compatible add-ons.
Pebble hasn’t planned any Smart Straps of its own just yet, but expect to see the tech emerge later this year. And when it does, we reckon it will further elevate Pebble’s smart devices as the best wearables you can buy. The combination of long-lasting battery life, smart interface and expandability will give it a serious advantage over other wearables and make the Pebble Time and Pebble Time Steel a very enticing prospect indeed.
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