Smartwatch company Pebble turned to crowd-funding site Kickstarter last Saturday (February 28th) to raise money for its new Time Smartwatch. It needed $100,000 to develop the watch.
In the few days since, the watch has become the most funded project ever on Kickstarter, raising more than $16 million.
Speaking at Mobile World Congress Pebble chief executive Eric Migicovsky said: "Pebble is no longer just an accessory to your phone, it is its own unique computing device."
He said the new hardware platform is open, meaning developers can build on top of it, and make accessories equipped with functions such as GPS tracking.
“We believe that in the future sensor manufacturers will not have to create their own smartwatches just to bring their sensors to market. They can integrate them into a thriving and active community of people that want to see their smartwatch do more,” he said.
He also unveiled a high-end version of Pebble Time, called Pebble Time Steel, which has 10 days battery life.
Mr Migicovsky said he believed smartwatches would dominate the future, but that this was unlikely to happen overnight.
