I did not back Pebble Smartwatch when it first launched on Kickstarter. This was not because I didn't want to but because by the time their campaign came to my notice, they were already 1000% funded or something ridiculous like that and I knew they were not going to be able to deliver their pledges on time. However, the Pebble cemented my growing interest in the personal wearable space and I quickly bought a bright red E-paper Pebble at the end of 2013.

It was also around the potential of the Pebble that I wrote my AWEAR project, which unfortunately failed to get funded. Around about the same time I was trying to get AWEAR off the ground, Pebble launched its second Kickstarter and this time, I did back them. I got my Pebble and was still enamour by its potential. But sadly, Pebble never got the chance to realise its potential. It did launch a third Kickstarter, which was successful. However, it has now been revealed that despite the series of successful kickstarts, things were not rosy back at Pebble HQ.

I think for too many people, smartwatches remain a solution in search of a problem. Too many people thought of Pebble as a watch first and wondered why they needed to replace their perfectly functional dumb watch that was still functioning. Others, many of whom had stopped wearing watches because they got their time from their smartwatches, didn't see the need for a second notification device. I cannot blame them because the average consumer doesn't care about the potential of a platform. They care about the solutions said platform provides them here and now. Pebble's true potential was yet to be realised and would need years of research on the software side.

This is why Fitbit was successful. It's a straightforward product that makes clear what it is offering. Not to mention, since weight loss is a goal of many people, Fitbits are a bit like gym memberships. You get them because you think you'll use it, even when you know you most likely won't. But since Fitbit already has established its identity. I think Pebble's IP in future Fitibt products could yield good things in the near future.

As for me, I still have my Pebbles. Also, I am still experimenting with my Metawear sensors. I will certainly looking to combine Pebble with Metawear and see where it goes.