Pebble Time review: the simple but effective answer to Apple Watch

Pebble's latest crowdfunding success story doesn't try too hard, reaping the benefits of a focus on functionality, notifications and battery life

Pebble Time is the latest smartwatch crowdfunding success story, having broken records by hitting $2m in 58 minutes and ultimately raising over $20m. But is the watch that works with both Android and iPhone - making it a direct Apple Watch competitor - worth the hype?

This is the second time on the merry-go-round for Pebble. Its first cross-platform smartwatch, simply called the Pebble, broke Kickstarter records in 2012 and reignited the smartwatch industry.

Pros: long battery life, always-on screen readable in direct light or in the dark, light, waterproof to 30m, simple to use, great music controls

Cons: no way to reply to messages, screen is smaller and doesn't look as good as some, ties into iOS not as good as Apple Watch