Skip to main content

Pebble acquisition could help Fitbit build a successful smartwatch

Fitbit is officially acquiring smartwatch maker Pebble, and because of the acquisition, it’s looking more and more like Fitbit will place a much heavier emphasis on the smartwatch — even despite the fact that the smartwatch market in general has been seriously struggling of late.

Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean that Fitbit can’t make waves in the industry — the company wants to take a “different approach” to making a smartwatch, according to CEO James Park in a report from The Verge.

Recommended Videos

It’s important to note that Fitbit hasn’t exactly said that it’s interested in making more “real” smartwatches — but if we were to guess, we would say that it is. The Pebble acquisition goes a long way in doing so, even if Fitbit claims that it bought Pebble for its software rather than its hardware. On top of Pebble, Fitbit also recently acquired Coin, a startup aimed at creating new payment technology. That acquisition was reportedly part of an effort to develop a new “active NFC payment solution.”

Smartwatch makers in general are having a tough time right now. Basic fitness trackers are by far the most popular segment in the wearables market, and that’s unlikely to change anytime soon. Part of that is likely to do with the fact that they’re so much cheaper.

Having access to a new operating system, however, could put Fitbit in an excellent position, and means it doesn’t have to instead go for Google’s Android Wear, or build a new operating system all by itself. Pebble has been around for a good five years now, and has built up a pretty decent selection of apps.

So when will we see a new smartwatch from Pebble? It will likely be at least a few months, but keep an eye out for one in 2017.

Christian de Looper
Christian de Looper is a long-time freelance writer who has covered every facet of the consumer tech and electric vehicle…
The Fitbit app needs work — here’s how Google could fix it
A demonstration of the new running features for the Google Pixel Watch 3 in the Fitbit app.

It’s been 14 years since Fitbit launched to market and kickstarted a journey that would lead to over 120 million users. That journey hit new heights four years ago when Google acquired the company for $2.1 billion, but it took almost three years for the Fitbit magic to spread to Google’s hardware lineup.

The result is the Pixel Watch 3, launched alongside the Pixel 9 series last year. It’s one of my favorite health devices from last year and it deserves its position on the best smartwatch list as it has the best heart rate monitoring of any smartwatch made by a phone maker.

Read more
Your Wear OS smartwatch could soon get RCS texting
The Google Pixel Watch 3 next to the Pixel Watch.

Your Wear OS smartwatch brings a lot to the table. Fitness tracking, Google Pay, and so many other features live on your wrist, but the watch doesn't have an independent connection from your phone. If you don't have your phone nearby, you can't respond to text messages. New code discovered in the most recent Google Messages app update suggests that could be about to change.

In an APK teardown, Android Authority's Aamir Siddiqui found several lines of code that indicate Google is bringing standalone RCS to Wear OS smartwatches. The flags were found in the Google Messages v20240926 beta and point to not only on-device RCS messaging, but also voice messaging.

Read more
Fitbit just launched a new smartwatch unlike any it’s made before
Official product render of the Fitbit Ace LTE.

It's been nearly two years since Fitbit launched its last smartwatch models: the Fitbit Sense 2 and Fitbit Versa 4. Although we're still waiting on successors to those, Fitbit has just announced another smartwatch joining its wearable lineup — and it's unlike any watch we've seen from Fitbit before.

The new watch is called the Fitbit Ace LTE, and it marks a couple of "firsts" for Fitbit. Not only is it the first kid-focused smartwatch from Fitbit, but it's also the first Wear OS Fitbit smartwatch.
Fitbit's new approach to activity tracking
A Fitbit Ace LTE with its Noodle activity ring on the home screen Fitbit

Read more