Crowdfunded Powerstrap launches GPS, extended battery strap for Pebble

Smartwatch pioneer Pebble, which launched its series of smartwatches in the country recently, got a power and GPS upgrade from crowdfunded firm Powerstrap.

Powerstrap, powered by Kickstarter campaign, introduced Pal - the GPS and Extended Battery smartstrap For Pebble Time and Pebble Time Steel Watches. Pal is powered is by Qualcomm SiRF GPS to Track consumers' speed, distance, elevation and route without the need for a smartphone.

According to Powerstrap, Pal's GPS functioning DNA doesn't drain the battery of the smartwatch while using GPS and hence users can enjoy a longer usage duration. Pebble smartwatches are anyways known for their long battery life of seven days on a single charge.

Read more: Smartwatch pioneer Pebble watches now available on Amazon for ₹5,999

The announcement assumes significance as most smartwatches have GPS and Pal will up the ante on Pebble's behalf. The startup has a funding goal of $80,000 and features a limited early bird special price of $65.00 USD (40% off retail) among other rewards for backers.

"Pal provides quick signal pick up (within three minutes) and tracks all aspects of the journey, recording data that can later be accessed on the companion app for iOS and Android. After GPS signal is picked up, Pal continues to work even if the wearer goes indoors for a while and then comes back out," the company said.

In-app, Pal utilises location log records from the GPS to display the route and provides information of the user's pace, speed, lap time, altitude among other metrics. In turn, the app displays GPS traces on Google Maps and exercise performance charts that allow users to preset targets, measure performance against targets and share records of their performance on social channels.