RunKeeper and Pebble have announced that the watch will finally get integration with the popular fitness app, allowing Pebble users to track their workouts from their wrists.
Today's news comes as more of a sigh of relief than an exciting surprise. Pebble announced RunKeeper as its first official app partner nearly a year ago, days before its record-setting, $10 million-plus Kickstarter campaign ended, and before the epic manufacturing delays pushed its original September 2012 ship date to January. The black watches have been trickling out since, but we had to wait until this month for the red ones.
Manufacturing bumps aside, Pebble's success now rests on its ability to gain traction with app developers. So far, the company has released only a basic Pebble Watchface SDK that allows developers to make downloadable watch faces. Less than a month after releasing the SDK, developers have contributed more than 500 watch face apps, including ones with giant classic numbers and, of course, adorable cats. Some have built simple games, like Arkanoid clone Pebbloid and Tetris clone Pebblis. It also recently announced integration with the Freecaddie Android golfing app. Considering these developments, Pebble still looks incredibly promising.
But the watch definitely needs more SDK capabilities to get the apps it needs to become more than a fad. The company has already said it will release two-way communication in its next SDK update within the next month, making it possible for apps to receive and send data back and forth between an Android or iOS app. And a Pebble Sports SDK, currently listed as "coming soon" on the company's developer page, is also expected within a month.
RunKeeper's launch is just a taste of what a potential Sports SDK could bring to Pebble. RunKeeper on Pebble lets you see the pace and mileage of your run or ride on the Pebble's display. And you can start and stop a workout by pressing the Pebble's buttons.
“Pebble integrates tech into people’s daily lives in a fashionable and unobtrusive way. We’re excited that RunKeeper will be among the first apps to showcase our smart watch’s capabilities and how we support your day-to-day interests and activities, ” Pebble CEO Eric Migicovsky said in a statement. “With the RunKeeper app, fitness enthusiasts can benefit from Pebble to track their workouts, get motivated and meet their goals.”
Though the company partnered with RunKeeper to release the app, it's not hard to imagine that once a more capable SDK is available, independent and third-party developers will jump on board to create Pebble-connected apps.
The kicker: Pebble actually needs to deliver. Much like Windows Phone and BlackBerry, Pebble could face lack of interest and demand with an anemic app ecosystem.
The company has certainly faced its share of ups and downs over the course of the last year. Now that Pebble watches have shipped, the pressure is on for the company to bring as compelling an experience as it conveyed in its Kickstarter campaign.
