Pebble is leading the smartwatch race with the announcement of its latest device yesterday at the CES 2014. The smartwatch called the Pebble Steel is upgraded from plastic to CNC-machined stainless steel.

The new smartwatch from one of the most popular makers of affordable smartwatches in the market today, ditched the plastic screen and plastic band which are susceptible to scratches. The smartwatch looks pretty impressive with the Gorilla Glass display and steel band.

This improved Pebble Steel which is available in matte black and shiny brushed steel finish retails for $249, which is $100 more than the Pebble available at Best Buy and Amazon last year. The bezel of this new Pebble smartwatch matches the colour of the band but the watch bands can be changed to either metal or leather because the smartwatch includes both.

The Pebble Steel is lighter, thinner and it includes a RGB indicator which initially shows the charging status of the device but Pebble is exploring other options. Also, the Pebble Steel offers 5 to 7 days of battery life with Android and iPhone connectivity, not to mention that it is waterproof.

Thus far, the Pebble Steel is only available on the Pebble Web site for $249 and it will hit the shelves in January 28.

Meanwhile, the Pebble App Store will be made available this 2014 with Pebble smartwatch optimised apps in a spot for Pebble users to search and install. Apps in the store will be from FourSquare, Go Pro and Yelp among others.

According to Eric Migicovsky, Pebble CEO, in addition to the Pebble Steel, there are approximately 300, 000 Pebble smartwatch owners as of the moment and the company is looking forward to carving out market share in the smartwatches, smart bands and other wearable devices which are coming at the CES 2014 and throughout the year.

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