This week’s Kickstarter darling, the Pebble Time smartwatch, has much to offer — if you use an iPhone or Android handset, that is. Pebble doesn’t officially support Windows Phone, and although a Microsoft employee was tinkering to fix that last year, it hasn’t happened yet. Based on an app in the Windows Phone store, however, that may be changing.
WMPowerUser noticed the app for Windows Phone 8.1 devices, which is an internal [company]Microsoft[/company] test build of something called Pebble Notifications. The app description spills the beans and even includes a link for notes:
Pebble application for Windows Phone. This is an internal test application to get feedback on Accessory Ecosystem Support feature in WP Blue GDR1. Fore mode details refer to https://www.yammer.com/microsoft.com/notes/1362520
I don’t have access to read the notes or to install the app. Yes, I tried.
Clearly, this is for Microsoft testing only at the moment, but based on the screen shots, the app looks as if it would be very handy if you wanted to use a Pebble smartwatch with a Windows Phone.
There’s no guarantee that Microsoft will ever publicly release the software, of course. But if it wants to make Windows Phone more attractive to potential buyers, it would make sense for the company to get its platform working with as many third-party devices and services as possible, even if it has to do the software work on its own.
While Microsoft could simply be using the Pebble to test Windows Phone notifications over Bluetooth, it strikes me as odd in one sense.
The Microsoft Band already supports notifications (and more) with Windows Phone. Why bother testing with the Pebble if you have your own hardware to work with? Even odder is that the test app for Pebble Notifications was updated within the past week. That suggests to me that Microsoft may release this app in the future, but of course, only Microsoft knows at this point.
