It looks like a knockoff iPod Shuffle from several years back. And it very well could be. Except, the Pebble Core brings a whole load of other features beyond just playing music, giving it the potential to be so much more than an ultra-portable music player.
Designed as a music player for use during exercise, it’s designed to clip to your clothing or hook on to a keychain, so you can enjoy music without having to bring your 6-inch phone along. Whether you’re running, cycling, or hitting the iron at the gym, this thing lets you rock out while you workout without getting in the way.
The Pebble Core comes with 4GB of internal storage for housing a decent stash of music and podcasts, which you can listen to over Bluetooth or via the 3.5mm port. Doing the Mighty Spotify player one better, it also has integrated 3G for streaming music from Spotify while you’re on the go, along with built-in GPS for keeping track of your running location, distance, and pace. Onboard WiFi allows it to sync wirelessly with your favorite fitness apps as soon as you have the phone nearby, so you can get data on your runs without any other gadget in tow. It comes with a rechargeable battery rated at 9 hours of playback.
Beyond those, the Core is designed as a hackable Android 5 computer, with GPS, 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth, and an onboard mic. As such, you can program it to serve as a cog in your personal internet-of-things network, if you’re so inclined.
A Kickstarter campaign is currently running for the Pebble Core. Pledges to reserve a unit starts at $69.