Excited about the new Core 2 Duo and Core Time 2, the official names given to the new Pebble smartwatches? Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky has sent out a lengthy update on the response to the new models, and provided a few additional details for those who have already pre-ordered one. If you haven’t pre-ordered yet, some of the information may push you over the edge, and a few small snippets shared may also make you excited for the future.
Migicovsky said the team received more than 500 emails and thousands of comments following the announcement, and aimed to address many of the questions in his latest blog post. It was confirmed those who have ordered the Core Time 2 will be able to choose the color of the smartwatch closer to its release. The team is considering three different colors, with an undecided third option joining black and silver.
The question of iPhone support was also raised and clarified. The full feature set will be available — calendar, music control, apps, and alternative watch faces — for watches connected to iOS and an iPhone, but although notifications will appear on the smartwatch, you won’t be able to interact with them. This is a restriction in Apple’s software, and applies to any smartwatch not made by Apple. Deep integration with iOS is one of the top reasons we recommend the Apple Watch Series 10 to anyone with an iPhone.
Several of the questions helped us learn more about what the team is looking at for the future too. For example, a request for one of the smartwatches to include a compass and a barometer has resulted in research into providing the features in the Core Time 2. Migicovsky even teased that if the team “gets a-round to it,” it may look into reimagining the Pebble Time Round. No promises were made on either of these points though.
Other facts from the blog post include original Pebble smartwatches being compatible with the app being developed for the new smartwatches, and the chance original models can be hacked to run the new operating system. Anyone who chooses the Core 2 Duo was reminded the plastic buttons may degrade after around two years, just like on the original, but also that repairability for the watch matches the old version, indicating it’ll be possible to swap them out.
If you haven’t pre-ordered one of the new Core Devices smartwatches yet, then you may want to make your decision soon, as the Core 2 Duo in black has apparently already sold out.
Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…
iPhone now lets you make WhatsApp your default for messages and calls, here’s how
iPhone users can now get setup so that WhatsApp is their default messaging and calling app.
If your iPhone is updated to iOS 18.2 then the functionality is already available for you right now.
Read more
You can now press fast-forward on Instagram Reels
Instagram now has another way of making the platform look more like TikTok each passing day. The Meta-owned social media site has added the ability for user to play Instagram Reels at 2x speed.
Meta announced in an email on Thursday that Instagram users can now watch Reels at twice the rate they normally would, especially if the videos are long. The company said that the 2x speed feature is a highly requested feature, so now they can play their videos just as fast as they would on TikTok.
Read more
Facebook goes back to the glory days with Friends tab
Tired of seeing Facebook posts from people you don’t follow taking precedence over posts from people in your friends list on your home feed? Facebook is making it easier to see what your friends and family are up to with the new Friends tab on the Facebook app.
Meta announced in a blog post Thursday that Facebook users in the U.S. and Canada can experience a feed comprising only of content from their friends in the Friends tab. The company said the new tab is part of a series of “OG” Facebook features that it will be adding to the social media platform throughout the year, taking Facebook back to the 2000s.
Read more
