Rebble: Pebble Reborn
The Pebble smartwatch has meant a lot of things to a lot of people. From a strong leadership position at the forefront of what seemed like a smartwatch revolution, Pebble emphasized simplicity, and complementing the computer you already carry in your pocket instead of replicating it. Eschewing touchscreens for tactility, power-hungry OLEDs for power-sipping always-on LCDs, and embracing multiple platforms while others targeted just Android or iOS, Pebble has always focused on what matters most to users, and as a result, a vibrant community of fans quickly formed around them. A well-fostered subset of that community were developers, attracted by Pebble’s fantastic documentation, delightful SDK, and general amazing treatment of developers. Realizing as I type this that some of the preceding links may soon stop working following Pebble’s shutdown is incredibly disconcerting. Yet these feelings of unease and uncertainty have been harnessed by the developer community to create our own next chapter in the Pebble story - a chapter that we have decided to title Rebble. (shout out to @Northeastpaw on the officially unofficial Pebble Dev Discord server for advocating this name!)
Since the rumours began, and only increasing with their confirmation, a groundswell of support from developers and the community at large has resulted in countless suggestions, ideas, and projects to extend the Pebble legacy beyond its fateful denouement. The aim of Rebble is to bring the many disparate efforts under a single banner, concentrating energy and enthusiasm to maximize the likelihood of continuance and resurgence of Pebble as a platform. There are a vast quantity of extremely talented individuals ready to commit their time and expertise to extending the longevity of our wrist-based companion, from app distribution to hardware reverse-engineering, from archival to revival, from community to companion apps. Browse this site to find out more about our current projects, our ever-growing team, and the knowledge we’ve amassed so far. Peruse the FAQ, then please, sign up for our newsletter, join the #rebirth channel on the officially unofficial Pebble Dev Discord server, or just send us your ideas and words of encouragement via Twitter. Pebble’s tangible assets may have been liquidated, but its greatest asset of all, its amazing user and developer communities, endure, rebelling against our assumed fate, and seeing our wonderful little wearables reborn! 