Exactly a week after revealing the new generation of Pebble smartwatches, called the Pebble Time, Pebble today announced an additional tier to its Kickstarter fundraiser called the Pebble Time Steel.
Touted as having every feature of the Pebble Time - including the new color display and Timeline features - but featuring more classy, decorative casings, so it's "dressed up and ready to go." The Steel comes in two band options, stainless steel or premium leather, and the watchface itself is coated in a CNC-finished 316L stainless steel casing. Differing slightly from its original counterpart, the Time Steel's battery will last for up to 10 days versus the Time's 7 days.
The Time Steel starts at a $250 tier on Pebble's Kickstarter page, but will retail for $300 when it officially launches later this year. The company also promises that those who have backed the Pebble Time can upgrade to the Time Steel by clicking on the "Manage" button next to their existing rewards tier.
The Time Steel comes in color options similar to the Time: silver with a stone leather band, gunmetal black with a black leather band, and gold with a red leather band. The company promises that all Time Steels will include both a leather and matching metal band in each order. The gold and red leather band Pebble Time Steel shares a striking resemblance to Apple's own 18-Karat Yellow Gold Apple Watch Edition with Red Modern Buckle option.
The company also introduced a "Smartstrap" system that will allow any developer to create various third-party applications using sensors and electronics built into swappable bands. As pointed out by TechCrunch, there are numerous options developers could capitalize on by working with the new smartstrap system.
You could add a heart rate monitor, for instance, or a GPS chip for improved run tracking and fitness powers; a spare battery to bump up the life of the Pebble to multiple weeks; or environmental sensors to tell you about air quality and temperature.
In the 7 days since the Pebble Time Kickstarter campaign began, it's raked in just over $12 million as of writing, with some 54,000 backers and still about 24 days to go. Those interested in the newly introduced Pebble Time Steel rewards tier can head over to the Kickstarter page now to check out more information on the smart wearable.
