Pebble's really hyped on Pebble Core. A little Android-based widget with GPS, 3G, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and a headphone jack sounds like the IoT dream device. But without software it's just an expensive iPod shuffle. So now Pebble has announced Alexa integration which sounds, frankly, amazing.

Alexa's popping up everywhere these days, as Amazon makes a wild land grab before Google and Apple start embodying their own competitive voice assistants. It rarely works as well on third-party devices as it does on the Echo, but it'll be hard to resent something as adorable as Pebble Core for any failures to live up to the jumbo speaker's example.

Sadly, only Pebble Core is getting Alexa, not the Pebble watches — probably thanks to Core's built-in connectivity. The smartwatches still rely on a phone for much of their smarts, and any Apple Watch user can attest to how frustrating a mediated Siri experience can be. So Pebble's bringing us Star Trek, but not Dick Tracy with robots. Pebble is still mid-Kickstarter right now, and Core is supposed to ship early next year.

Update: Just to clarify, Pebble Core doesn't have a microphone. You'll need to use wired or Bluetooth headphones with a built-in mic to enjoy Alexa's calmly spoken weather reports.

Hands On with the Pebble Core