Internet of Things & Wearable Technology Insights

RIP Pebble… The wearable maker that pioneered wrist-based notifications before Apple and many others waded into the smartwatch space has confirmed it’s closing its doors as an independent entity.

Late last month rumors emerged that Fitbit was set to acquire Pebble — with our sources telling us the price-tag was between $34 million and $40M, a figure they said “barely” covered the startup’s debts. Although the company avoided an explicit confirmation of the rumor by tweeting a shrug emoji until now.

Today Pebble’s CEO Eric Migicovsky has published a blog with official confirmation of the acquisition and details of what will happen to Pebble products. The post does not confirm the acquisition price, however....

When times change, the time keepers must change too.

With its watch business facing sluggish growth and new buyers turning to connected wearables, the four-decade-old Titan Co. Ltd on Monday said it will launch a range of smart watches along with HP Inc.

The new watches will arrive in select domestic and international markets in the next couple of months.

The entry into the smartwatch category is the next step in Titan’s journey as a lifestyle company, said S. Ravi Kant, chief executive at the company’s watches and accessories division.

Traditional watchmakers across the globe are stepping up to the challenge as technology giants such as Apple Inc. and Samsung Group carve out a new category of smart watches. Watch manufacturer Fossil reportedly spent $260 million to acquire Misfit, maker of wearables and Internet-connected devices.

Breitling, maker of fine watches for people who fly airplanes (or would like to fly airplanes), has just released the Exospace B55, a smartwatch that can relay messages from your phone and includes a high-end quartz movement with advanced timing features. This isn’t a smart watch per se so I’m calling it a “notification” watch or notiwatch. Go ahead and laugh.

Anyway, the B55 is a “multifunction electronic chronograph also receives notifications of the smartphone’s incoming emails, messages (SMS, WhatsApp) or phone calls (with caller’s name or number) as well as reminders of upcoming appointments.” This means the small LCD screen will display names and info when you get a message.