There aren’t many options for smartwatches available locally, but the e-ink based Pebble might get its premium edition on more wrists in Australia if retailer Dick Smith has its way.
The news comes by way of the retailer, which started selling the original Pebble smart watch much to the surprise of customers and journalists alike, providing the first edition in stores for $179, the same version of the watch that so many crowd funded on Kickstarter in 2012.
Now, with Pebble prepping the “Steel” edition of its smartwatch, Dick Smith wants to be the only place Aussies can find the premium edition of the watch, at least for the moment.
“Pebble came to our attention as the most successful Kickstarter project in history raising $4.7 million with 30 days left in the campaign,” said a representative for Dick Smith.
“We knew with interest like this that Pebble was going to be a hot product and a must have item for those who love gadgets and perfectly suited to the Dick Smith customer.”
Pebble’s Steel takes advantage of most of the same tech seen in the original Pebble, such as the 1.26 inch monochromatic LCD based on electronic ink (e-ink) technology, vibration motor, and replaceable watch faces and apps, but pairs it with a fresh design, along with metal and leather bands, and Corning’s scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass.
June is the expected time for Dick Smith to get the Pebble Steel, though pricing isn’t yet known. Currently, anyone — Australians included — can order the Pebble Steel online for $249 USD, so here’s hoping Dick Smith doesn’t raise the price too much when it arrives locally.
mine just arrived from pebble online, picked it up for $225 US ($25 discount due to the wait) and i wouldn’t rely on dick getting stock anytime soon.