

The smartwatch is equipped with a 1.26-inch backlit e-paper display (144 x 168 pixels, black and white) that's easy to read despite its low resolution. Under the hood there's a Bluetooth 4.0 radio, vibration motor, accelerometer and compass which enable some interesting new functionality. For example, just tapping the bezel above the armband lights up the screen. We found Pebble's UI simple and intuitive -- the up and down buttons enable menu navigation, the select button lets you chose items and the back button takes you up one level (and initially brings up the main menu). Allerta's done a great job at fine tuning the software -- scrolling is extremely fluid and the UI is pleasantly responsive.

In the main menu you'll find three built-in watch faces, a music app, an alarm clock, the settings menu and a "get started" guide. Up to eight additional watch faces / apps can be pushed to the smartwatch over Bluetooth from a paired iOS or Android device running Allerta's companion app. Pebble can also receive SMS, email and other notifications (iMessage, Google Talk and popular social networks are also supported). The music app turns the smartwatch into an AVRCP-compatible remote and the settings menu handles Bluetooth, time and display settings, natch.

Once the initial orders are fulfilled, you'll be able to pick up Pebble for $149 in your choice of black, grey, red or orange (all with black bands) as well as white (with a white band). The smartwatch ships in a simple black and brown box with a zip tab reminiscent of the Kindle's packaging. Enjoy the gallery and be sure to peek at our hands-on video above.