The Core 2 Duo is a $149 PebbleOS smartwatch with a month of battery life

After nearly two months since Google made PebbleOS open source, the first new smartwatches based on the operating system that powered the now discontinued Pebble smartwatches have been announced. Dubbed the Core 2 Duo and the Core Time 2, the smartwatches are manufactured by Core Devices, a new company founded by Eric Migicovsky, the former founder of Pebble before it was sold to Fitbit.

First, it is important to note that these are not Pebble-branded watches as the Pebble brand most likely still belongs to Google. Nevertheless, it is expected that many will still refer to them as Pebble watches which should help make them popular.

The Core 2 Duo is the cheaper of the two watches (you can read about the Core Time 2), and it is based on the Pebble 2 released in 2016. It has a 1.26-inch (144 x 168) monochrome ePaper display housed inside a polycarbonate shell with plastic buttons on the side. The watch uses a 22mm strap but it is not stated what material it is.

Like the Pebble 2, it will have support for step and sleep tracking. It will also be compatible with the thousands of Pebble apps and watchfaces available. As an improvement over the Pebble 2, the Core 2 Duo has a speaker; a Nordic nRF52840 Bluetooth LE chip; a linear resonance actuator that is reportedly stronger but quieter than a vibrating motor; a barometer, and an electronic compass.

The Core 2 Duo will be available in Black and White with a price tag of $149. It is already available to pre-order and will begin shipping in July. Sadly, the watch will be available in limited quantities and will not be sold in stores, so the only way to get one is by pre-ordering.