Pebble Is Releasing a $75 Ring, but It Won’t Compete With Oura.
When I hear that a smartwatch company is releasing a ring, I assume it’s a smart ring. But Pebble has gone in a different direction, creating what’s essentially a remote microphone compatible with phones and other devices. The ring is available for pre-order for $75 and will retail for $99 after launch.
The new Pebble ring is called Index 01. It features a press-and-hold button and a microphone that listens to your voice while you hold it down. The recording is then sent to your phone, where it’s processed on the device. That’s it—no heart rate sensor or charging station.
Index 01 Features and Functionality
Eric Migicovsky, founder of Pebble, describes how the Index lets you record short messages and send instructions to your Pebble watch via your phone. The idea is that you wear the Index on your index finger (get it?) and press a button with your thumb. The ring is available in three colors: matte black with a black button, polished gold with a blue button, and silver with a white button.
The battery doesn’t need charging; it’s built-in and lasts for 12-15 hours. Migicovsky writes: “On average, I use it 10-20 times a day to jot down 3-6 second thoughts. That’s enough for two years of use.”
The ring doesn’t have a speaker or vibrate when receiving notifications; it’s designed for data entry only. Communication between the ring and your phone is encrypted, and voice recordings are converted to text on the phone itself, without an internet connection. The ring doesn’t communicate directly with the Pebble watch, but it can communicate with your phone, which can then display any data on the watch, such as the text of a reminder you set.
Who should buy the Index 01 ring?
So far, Pebble users don’t seem as excited about the product as Migicovsky. A Reddit thread dedicated to the announcement features comments like, “Cool idea, weird product,” and “Why would I need this when I already have a Pebble with voice memos?”
On the company’s blog, Migicovsky explains that his goal was to make the button easy to operate with one hand, and that gestures on the Pebble proved unreliable. He also emphasizes that the device doesn’t need to be charged, though some users seem more concerned that a device that can’t be charged is essentially disposable—”generated electronic waste.”
After about two years of use (or less if you keep longer notes), the app will ask if you want to order a new ring. The ring will cost $75 to pre-order and $99 at regular price. There were no discounts for replacements; it seems you have to buy a new ring for $99 every two years.
The ring’s functionality could be expanded in the future. Double-tapping and holding could signal the Pebble app to process data in a different way (perhaps sending it to ChatGPT, Migicovsky suggests), and developers could integrate the app’s voice processing with other services, such as calendar and weather apps.