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ZDNET's key takeaways
- Watch brand Pebble is launching a smart ring.
- It's available for pre-order for $75 and ships in March.
- The Pebble Index 01 reminds and note takes for you.
Pebble is launching the Pebble Index 01, a thin smart ring fitted with a microphone for recording thoughts and reminders, and I got a first look at CES 2026.
Also: Smart jewelry is getting smarter at CES 2026
The world of mobile accessories is catching on to people's poor memories and lack of focus. Its solution? Help people quickly store and remember the stray thoughts and ideas they would've forgotten otherwise in a new, discreet form factor.
‘An external memory for your brain'
That's the idea behind Pebble's latest product, the Pebble Index 01. Think of the Pebble Index 01 as an easy way to record the fleeting thoughts you forgot to write down, or, in Pebble CEO Eric Migicovsky's words, an “external memory for your brain.”
Also: Wearing this smart ring reminded me of my Oura – then it started mimicking my voice
The ring fits around the index finger, is as small as a wedding band, and is built with a button and a microphone, Migicovsky writes in the product's blog post. Users press the button to activate the microphone (Pebble stresses that the device is not always listening and the microphone is only on once the button is pressed) and then the ring initiates a task or takes a note.
The ring is compatible with both Android and iOS devices, and thoughts and reminders captured on the Index 01 are sent to these devices, whether that's a notes app or other functionality.
What Pebble Index 01 can do
Migicovsky outlines some of the ways he's used the Pebble Index 01 already, including setting timers, creating reminders for phone calls during specific times of the day, adding events to a calendar, adding a book recommendation to a list of must-read novels, and more.
When I visited the Pebble booth at CES, I used the ring tester to determine my size. Then I told Migicovsky, who created a note in the Pebble app of my and other booth visitors' sizes. Later, I told him about the book I was reading, and he added that as a note as well.
Also: I compared this subscription-free smart ring to my Oura and here's how it fared
The Index 01 is especially useful when users are away from their phones but still need to jot down an idea or set a reminder. The recording captured on the ring is sent to the Pebble app, then converted to text locally to complete the action.
I got to see Migicovsky add a reminder to the Pebble app in real time. On his first try, the note he wanted to add took around ten seconds to load onto the app, but, with the app open and loaded, following notes and reminders were easy to add and see in Pebble's timeline. The note-taking ring is also compatible with other apps, like Google Calendar, Notion, Apple's Reminders and Notes apps, and more.
“Index 01 is designed to become muscle memory, since it's always with you. It never needs to be charged. It's private by design (no recording until you press the button) and requires no internet connection or subscription,” Migicovsky writes.
Competition
AI-powered smart rings are catching fire this year. The Pebble Index 01 faces some competition in this arena. Earlier this month, Sandbar announced the launch of its Stream Ring, a smart ring with a similar concept of recording thoughts and sorting them in an accompanying app.
Also: These are the 3 smart rings readers bought most this year (and the top pick is on sale)
Unlike its competition, the Pebble Index 01 has a near-unlimited battery life, built with non-rechargeable silver-oxide hearing aid batteries. Migicovsky encourages users to send the ring back to Pebble once its battery is dead.
Preorders
Preorders are open here for $75. The ring ships in March 2026, and then the price increases to $99. The ring comes in three colors and eight sizes.
