In early December of 2016, Pebble was shut down after being acquired by Fitbit. Fitbit originally said that it'd continue to support the Pebble ecosystem until 2018, but the company has now extended that support for six more months.
The announcement came via Fitbit's developer blog, and now Pebblers will be able to keep using their wearables like as they've been through June 30, 2018. However, after June 30, voice recognition features, SMS and email replies, timeline pins with third-party apps, the Pebble app store, forum, and CloudPebble development tool will all stop working.
As a former Pebbler, the Fitbit Ionic is a great smartwatch that's worthy of your attention.
Although it's sad to think that Pebble will actually be laid to rest this year, Fitbit really is going out of its way with this extension seeing as how it didn't acquire any of Pebble's hardware with the acquisition.
If you're still rocking your Pebble but want to be sensible and admit that the end is nigh, Fitbit's offering all current Pebble owners a $50 discount on the Fitbit Ionic. Anyone that purchased a Pebble prior to December 7, 2016, and chose to receive promotional info from Fitbit will receive an email about how to redeem this offer, but you can also fill out the form here.
As a former owner of the Pebble, Pebble Steel, Pebble Time, and Pebble Time Round, I sympathize with those of you that are still rocking a Pebble in early 2018. With that said, the Fitbit Ionic is a darn good smartwatch and absolutely worth checking out. Developer support for apps and watch faces is already quite strong, and the fitness tracking package is one of the best you'll find on a wearable right now. Also, unlike most other smartwatches, the 4-5 days of battery life will make you feel right at home.
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