Weeks after Pebble gave iPhone users access to its smartwatch app store, the company has finally opened it up to Android users as well. At the announcement, Pebble also revealed a new set of app partners, one of whom now offers an intriguing new use for the smartwatch: the ability to control smart homes from your wrist.
Pebble had previously announced a partnership with iControl, whose technology powers smart home services from companies like Comcast Cable, ADT and Time Warner Cable. TWC has now released a Pebble app for its Intelligent Home subscribers. Using the watch, they can change the control modes for their connected-home gadgets—from “home” to “away,” for instance, which might turn off lights and lower the thermostat. They can also monitor their thermostats and even change the ambient temperature before they arrive home, among other things.
Pebble’s previously announced Mercedes-Benz partnership also materialized this week with its new DriveStyle Pebble app. The killer features include vibration alerts for road hazards, accidents and speed limits, as well as control over navigation, music and social networks. The app, however, only works with a Mercedes vehicle (not included) and an iPhone. You’ll also need Drive Kit Plus, an iPhone integration setup for the Mercedes.
Apps from the two other new Pebble partners, eBay and Evernote, are a bit more universal. The former lets users find products on the online auction site, tap into eBay Feeds and add items to Watch Lists. The latter puts Evernote checklists, reminders and notebooks on your wrist.
These join other smartwatch apps—including Yelp, ESPN, Foursquare and GoPro, among others—which are all available in the Pebble Appstore. Android users can get access by updating their Pebble mobile app to version 2.0 in Google Play.
Though some of these apps have a limited audience, they speak to the expanding features and usability of Pebble, in particular, and perhaps smartwatches in general—suggesting that the next great mobile revolution really might be within arm’s reach.
Feature image by Adriana Lee for ReadWrite; all others courtesy of Pebble
