The last couple of months of 2013 have already been pretty big for smartwatch maker Pebble thanks to its integration with iOS 7 and the recent v1.14 PebbleOS firmware update, but it looks like the company's not done quite yet.
Pebble today announced that it plans to launch a dedicated appstore in early 2014, giving Pebble wearers one easy-to-find spot to search for and download new apps and watch faces. The appstore will be a part of the official Pebble smartphone app and will debut alongside version 2.0 of the Pebble SDK next year.
Included with the appstore will be both watch faces and six different app categories: Daily, Remotes, Sports & Fitness, Notifications, Tools & Utilities and Games. Pebble says that paid apps won't be supported in its appstore, but developers will have the option of linking to a companion app in Google Play or the iOS App Store that they can charge for there.
There are already some third-party resources for discovering and downloading apps and watch faces for the Pebble, but it's good to see that an official appstore for the smartwatch is finally going to launch. Because it'll be integrated into the Pebble smartphone app, the official storefront will make it easier for Pebble users to browse for new goodies for their wristwear. The good news is that Pebble won't prevent users from installing apps from third-party app stores, so those folks that prefer to use something like MyPebbleFaces.com to get their smartwatch software can continue to do so.
Pebble says that app developers can now begin to submit their apps for entry into the new appstore ahead of its launch next year. The company notes that apps must conform to the Pebble Developer Agreement and that, while it doesn't plan to pre-validate apps before they're placed into the appstore, it does have the right to yank any software that doesn't follow the aforementioned agreement.
Via Pebble
