STMicroelectronics chip controls Pebble Smartwatch
Pebble uses ST's STM32 microcontroller and the firm's LIS3DH MEMS digital-output motion sensor
STMicroelectronics has announced that its STM32 microcontroller is the brain controlling the innovative Pebble Smartwatch for iPhone and Android.
The Pebble Smartwatch seamlessly connects to iPhone and Android smartphones using Bluetooth to alert users with a silent vibration to incoming calls, emails and text messages.
ST says the outstanding real-time performance and power efficiency of the embedded STM32 F2 microcontroller gives Pebble users a perfect balance of functionality and battery life as well as full customisability - complete with beautiful downloadable watch faces and useful Internet-connected apps.
"Pebble wearers want a watch that connects seamlessly to their devices and can run for days so they can enjoy all the benefits of their smart watch without worrying about performance or battery life. The STM32 F2 makes that possible," says Eric Migicovsky, Pebble's founder and CEO.
In addition to providing the 32-bit performance and processing capacity required for advanced signal processing, the STM32 microcontroller architecture delivers real-time responsiveness, exceptional power efficiency, and highly integrated peripherals and memory required for the most demanding embedded applications.
When dealing with wearable technology, the packaging size is also extremely important. At just 4mm x 4mm, the STM32 F205 chip uses a minimal amount of space while delivering unprecedented performance and battery life.
In addition to the STM32 microcontroller, Pebble also uses ST's LIS3DH MEMS digital-output motion sensor. The LIS3DH senses acceleration along all three axes and contributes to the watch's usefulness via ultra low-power operational modes that allow advanced power saving and smart embedded functions.
"The initial interest from consumers for this category-creating device shows that people are looking for an interactive experience in a fashionable and exceptionally functional product," Tony Keirouz, Vice President Marketing and Applications at STMicroelectronics' Americas Region explains. "Pebble's choice of our STM32 microcontroller technology demonstrates how effectively our microcontroller "brains" have revolutionised electronic product design by redefining familiar design tradeoffs such as performance, cost, power consumption, ease of use and scalability."
The watch is now available to order at http://getpebble.com. At this time, the following smartphones are compatible with Pebble: iPhone 3GS, 4, 4S, 5 or any iPod Touch with iOS 5 or iOS 6 and Android devices running OS 2.3 and above.
