The Pebble smartwatch will be hitting retail for the first time this weekend, allowing potential owners to pick up the device without waiting months for a pre-order to be fulfilled. The Kickstarter-funded watch will be appearing at Best Buy through an “exclusive retail launch partnership” with the retailer, with stores receiving stock of the watches for sale on Sunday, July 7th.
Only the Jet Black version of the Pebble will be on sale at Best Buy stores, and through its website tomorrow, for $150. The option for a Cherry Red Pebble through the store will be available in August, while the Orange, Grey, and Arctic White versions continue to be sold just through the Pebble website. The extra alternative color options will be fulfilled for Kickstarter backers first before the company starts offering them through Best Buy.
While initial Kickstarter backers that ordered the Jet Black Pebble have received their orders, later backers ordering after the watch got funded are being given the option of canceling the pre-order if they have yet to finalize payment. Paid pre-orders will still continue to be fulfilled, with the addition of Best Buy sales expected to “relieve some demand” from the pre-order queue.
The smartwatch received over $10.2 million in funding from more than 68,000 backers on the crowdfunding site, and gained an extra $15 million in investment in May. Using an e-ink display, the Pebble connects to iOS and Android devices over Bluetooth, and is able to run a number of applications created using its development kit, as well as providing notifications and acting as a remote control for various on-smartphone apps.
