Having open-source software hasn’t become a commercial success yet, but some companies promote such devices. They are targeting the users who are willing to give up some features in return for the freedom of the software used. PineTime is Pine64’s attempt on bringing open-source software to the smartwatch market. The watch is known for its ARM Single-board Computers.
The company has only recently ventured into other devices. It had been a Raspberry Pi competitor for a long time. The company’s expertise in building ARM-powered boards and making use of the open-source software in them is utilized to make new products. It had launched Pinebook, PinePhone, and PineTab earlier. The PineTime smartwatch caught the attention of many after the company started it as a side project in 2019. Now it has been developed further to go on public sale.
The features of PineTime include a 1.3-inch square display with 240×240 pixel resolution and support only 65k colours. It is powered by a 64MHz Cortex-M4F from NORDIC with only 64KB of RAM and has a 170-180mAh battery. It has no Wi-Fi connectivity option, but has a PPG Heart Rate Sensor and supports Bluetooth 5 LE.
PineTime brings out a basic smartwatch with the open-source operating system, Infinitime RTOS. It can also make use of any other OS that is designed for it and comes at a price of just $26.99.
