Core Devices Unveils the Pebble Index 01, a Disposable Smart Ring Microphone
Gadget should last for "up to years of average use," founder Eric Migicovsky claims — then needs to be returned for recycling.
Reborn smartwatch specialist Core Devices, of Pebble fame, has announced it is branching out into other wearables, opening orders for the Index 01 — a disposable ring-mounted microphone for quickly making voice notes without having to pull your phone out of your pocket.
"Do you ever have flashes of insight or an idea worth remembering? This happens to me 5-10 times every day," Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky explains of the problem his new gadget aims to solve. "If I don’t write down the thought immediately, it slips out of my mind. Worst of all, I remember that I’ve forgotten something and spend the next 10 minutes trying to remember what it is. So I invented external memory for my brain."
Pebble is best known for its smartwatches, both the original range launched via crowdfunding and its newer models — launched after the original Pebble was sold to Fitbit in 2016 and shuttered, before original founder Migicovsky recovered the trademark and launched new devices under his company Core Devices.
The Pebble Index 01, though, isn't a watch; it's a smart ring, but considerably simpler than most on the market. There's no display, no heart rate monitor, no sensors at all bar a single microphone — activated, Migicovsky explains, when you push a button. There's enough storage for five minutes of recording on-device, though it's primarily designed to stream the microphone to a nearby phone over Bluetooth.
"Index 01 is designed to become muscle memory, since it’s always with you, Migicovsky claims. "It's private by design (no recording until you press the button) and requires no internet connection or paid subscription. It's as small as a wedding band and comes in three colors. It's made from durable stainless steel and is water-resistant. Like all Pebble products, it's extremely customizable and built with open source software."
Unlike most Pebble products, though, the Index 01 is also disposable. The ring is powered by an internal battery that can neither be replaced nor recharged, though Migicovsky claims it should last "for up to years of average use." Once the battery's dead, rings can be returned to Core Devices for recycling — though there's no mention of any kind of trade-in program for discounts on replacements.
In addition to raw audio, the recordings are processed on-device using an open-source speech-to-text model for transcription and by an artificial intelligence (AI) model for actions like requesting weather reports or searching the web — with the results sent to your Pebble watch for display. There's also an optional cloud-based transcription option, which Migicovsky says delivers improved results.
Migicovsky has opened pre-orders for the Pebble Index 01 at $75 on the RePebble website, which will increase to $99 in March next year; the wearable is claimed to be in the design validation testing (DVT) stage, with an alpha test planned for January.