Pebble Smartwatch Appstore Release Date Approaches: Newly Designed Smart Watch App Store Launching On iOS Monday, Android To Follow

In one fell swoop, Pebble will be launching their Appstore with an update to the company’s smartwatch for iOS users on Monday, February 3rd. The Appstore will organize apps made for the Pebble, much like the Apple App Store does for iOS devices, and Google Play for Android.

While the Pebble Appstore will launch at 10 a.m. PST (1 p.m. EST) for iPhone users, it will not be launching on Android until later in the year. Pebble originally said that the Appstore would launch by the end of January, missing that self-imposed deadline by only a few days.

The Pebble Appstore will limit the amount of downloads to eight apps, and include an offline storage locker feature for saving favorites not in use on a user’s mobile device. Pebble says that the app limit keeps the menu manageable, and within the smartwatch's 1,024 kilobytes of flash memory.

Pebble is not offering a release date for the Android version of its Appstore, but says it is in the pipeline. Former Engadget editor Myriam Joire, now Pebble Product Evangelist, said in a company blog post that the Appstore for Android would be launching imminently.

“The Pebble appstore, which we also announced at CES 2014, is coming very, very soon. We’re excited to let you explore and discover the thousands of awesome SDK 2.0 apps and watchfaces developers have already submitted — including partner apps from Foursquare, GoPro, Yelp and ESPN,” Joire said in the post.

Since the release of SDK 2.0 last year, several developers have created apps and watchfaces for the Pebble, without an organized marketplace to deliver them. With the Pebble Appstore, users will be able to organize their smartwatch add-ons, and download and delete them directly from Pebble.

The company also announced that the newly revamped Pebble Steel Smartwatch has begun shipping. The Steel series offers a premium design, with stainless steel and Corning Gorilla Glass instead of the plastic found in its predecessor. The Pebble Steel does not upgrade the processor or otherwise revise the smartwatch’s specs, instead offering a redesigned look and tricolor LED notification.

Follow Thomas Halleck on Twitter @tommylikey