Pebble goes round
Pebble is on a tear. Since coming back from the dead just six months ago, the company launched a (somewhat) smart ring last month and has now added a round-faced smartwatch. The new Pebble Round 2, launched at CES, is the successor to the original Pebble Time Round. The original didn’t do so well as the thin, svelte-like watch came at a significant cost to both battery life and durability – not to mention a relatively high price tag back in the day (yes, the original $249 price was considered expensive in the days before Apple and Samsung). This time around, the battery life is vastly improved (two weeks on a single charge) while retaining the original thinness (8.1 mm) and there are dual microphones for interacting with AI agents and dictation. Even the price is improved, at $199.
The Circana Take:
- Pebble is definitely pulling out all the stops with its comeback. The company unveiled the Core Duo 2 and Core Time 2 earlier this year and a ring (primarily for note-taking – in December. The Round completes the picture so there is an option for all people… assuming they are looking for fairly basic features.
- Despite all the fanfare from the tech community, Pebble is going to face an uphill battle. The vast majority of smartwatch-toting consumers have already settled on Apple (59% of the market) or Samsung (20% of the market). Pulling consumers away from these brands – particularly for a more basic array of features – will prove almost impossible. Nostalgia for the old Pebble probably won’t stretch quite as far as reaching for one’s wallet.
Plaud launches an AI pin
Plaud has launched am AI notetaker pin – the Plaud NotePin S – aimed at taking notes for your meetings. This is the second notetaker pin that the company has launched (the first in 2024) and the new version includes a physical button that lets you start and stop the recordings. The device has 64 GB of storage and a battery capable of recording for ip to 20 hours. The two microphones are designed to capture audio with nearly 10 feet of range.
The Circana Take:
- What’s old is new again. People used to use a tape-based dictaphone for this purpose… and then upgraded to recording on their smartphones. Is there really a need for a device built specifically for note taking?
- This is Plaud’s fourth device and the company claims to have sold 1.5 million devices. While not a massive amount, it does show there is a niche need at least.
- The pin market has failed to deliver to-date. Let’s not forget the Humane AI Pin which launched to huge fanfare before crashing and burning, despite claiming AI capabilities which usually help buoy a company along for a little longer.
Lenovo showcases smart glasses concept
Lenovo came to CES 2026 with a concept design for smart glasses. The aptly-named Lenovo AI Glasses Concept look like pretty standard glasses (akin to Meta’s), weigh 45 grams and have a battery that promised eight hours of use. Most of the heavy lift processing is done via a smart device (smartphone, computer, etc.) that is wirelessly tethered to the glasses. As such, the concept is clearly about using the glasses in harmony with existing tech, rather than replacing it. And, if course, the concept glasses include Lenovo’s AI platform, Qira, to deliver “sub-millisecond live translation and intelligent image recognition.”
The Circana Take:
- These glasses are, as of now, just a concept and there is no guarantee that they will ever reach the market. But we can expect 2026 to be the year that there is an influx of new smart glasses, bringing competition to a market that is currently dominated by Meta.
- The big challenge for any smart glasses company is the consumer ecosystem. Consumers want their devices to work seamlessly together, particularly from an AI/smart agent perspective. If the phone uses Siri, for example, ideally the consumer wants the smart glasses to use the same. Is poses a challenge when targeting Apple’s consumer base.