When the Pebble Time Steel was announced Pebble also announced smartstraps - an open hardware accessory platform. Since then there has been a lot of buzz in the developer community about smartstraps, which allow sensors to be added right into the bands. To help these ideas grow into actual products Pebble has just announced that they are putting 1 million dollars into funding the development and support of smartstraps.
We monitor Kickstarter and other crowdfunding platforms for Pebble smartstrap-related projects, and we'll back the best of them. We truly understand the value of backing projects in their early state, having started that way ourselves. From there, we expect many projects to evolve into products fit for wider release.
Pebble will not be able to fund every single project that comes out, but they will be using their best judgement to distribute the available funds. A few companies have already caught the eye of Pebble with their ideas, the first being Spark.io. The concept presented here would allow you to be able to untether your Pebble and connect directly to a cellular network, allowing for your watch to remain connected at all times. Next up is SeeedStudio who looks to create a connector for their arduino-compatible Xadow modules which include GPS, NFC and Heart Rate Sensors.
The process of qualifying for funding from Pebble is outlined very simply. Get your team together and build a prototype, then put your idea on a crowdfunding platform, and finally get in touch with the Pebble team through Twitter or email. If you had any interest in building a smartstrap for the Pebble Time, this is definitely great motivation to get in gear and see if Pebble will support your ideas.
Press release:
Announcing our $1mm Pebble smartstrap fund
Earlier this month we announced Pebble smartstraps, our open hardware accessory platform. Since then, hundreds of developers, hackers and established brands have approached Pebble to take part.
Today we are pledging 1 million US dollars towards development and support of smartstrap projects.
If you have an idea and want to be part of the smartstrap revolution, this is your chance! Get a team together, build a prototype and then put your project up on a crowdfunding platform. Our team will work to help bring your ideas to life.
We monitor Kickstarter and other crowdfunding platforms for Pebble smartstrap-related projects, and we'll back the best of them. We truly understand the value of backing projects in their early state, having started that way ourselves. From there, we expect many projects to evolve into products fit for wider release. To make sure we get see your project you can tweet your projects @Pebble or get in touch with our developer experience team by emailing devsupport@getpebble.com.
Not every single project will get funding from Pebble, we'll use our best judgment to distribute funds. No specific terms are being published right now. Along with cash, we'll also promote some smartstrap projects through Kickstarter updates, on our website getpebble.com, and elsewhere.
