Van Der Led's WM2 cellphone is Slayer approved
By Thomas Ricker 
posted Apr 9th 2008 7:47AM
posted Apr 9th 2008 7:47AM
[Thanks, Gydo W.]
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At first I was like :| but then I was like :)
At first Dick Tracy was like :| but then he was like sue the b*st*rds for patent infringement - especially if they release a magenta version...
KITT, meet me around back and get ready to use turbo boost!
hehe, horrible name but nice pics. Wonder if watch really looks as good as the photoshoped version.... they also have a tri-band DigitalRise D199i watch phone here: http://www.chinagrabber.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1547&HS=1 and a quad band here: http://www.chinagrabber.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1556&HS=1 - hehe, Dick Tracey watches....
actually, this is also called the DigitalRise D287i and is only $235 shipped here: http://www.chinagrabber.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1567
Both an ugly phone and a watch. Impressive.
I always wonder who wants to have a color display in their watch. Looks like those wonderful MP4 watch geek things. Besides that, charging your watch every few days... That must be great. Or when the battery runs out and you can't check the time anymore. Amazing.
It's not half bad for a Photch (Phone+Watch)(yea sue me for trying)
Could have turned out alot worse but its pretty good.
I'd wear it. I think.
I would wear this Whone too..
You should have went to "wane", which would either make a great or horrible name based on which definition you use.
1) to decrease in size, extent, or degree
or
2)to fall gradually from power, prosperity, or influence
so then how long till theres an iPhotch??
lol @ it using a S60v3 screenshot for the mockup, even with a 3rd party theme from babinokia (you can still read it under "TIM") http://www.babinokia.com/index.php
Wow, I like how the computer rendered version looks, then the real thing is just some cheap re-badged product sold from a china sourced re-seller or something... Yuck! at least my old Casio wrist watch had more taste that this... For shame
Thats not too bad looking, Although I don't like the numbers on the strap.
I happen to have some similar stuff for sale on my website that are actually kind of similar, and already available.... for less. I'm no spammer though, so just email me if you'd like more info.
That is pretty bad ass I have to admit. You guys above me can rag on it all you want but you try turning a watch into a cell phone.
I'm not a watch wearer myself but if I was this would be something to consider. You wouldn't ever accidentally drop your cell phone into the toilet.
No kidding. At first i wasn't sure but it's growing on me for sure. Thank gawd it has blue tooth. Now just incorperate one of those mini-projectors in it!
I so want to sneer but just can’t bring myself to do it.
Given that a good looking watch can be £200, and a phone in excess of £250 the price point seems right and the design, while not likely to threaten TAG or Jaeger LeCoultre, is OK, then this seems to be the first time anyone delivered something that people might buy.
Now can I have one that answers my push e-mail?
Completely off topic. But this needs saying. Is that picture you? it's a really nice drawing :).
@ Ellianth (Yes off topic)
Yes it's me; in the style of Julian Opie;
http://www.family-portrait-artists.com/
Nice idea, but scrap the camera and colour display. If only it was HSDPA, it would be almost perfect for pairing with my Nokia n800
I was thinking the EXACT same thing!
"No EDGE? no UMTS? No HSPA? if it had those things and Bluetooth DUN, I could use it with my N810!!"
Alas, it only mentions GPRS. No bueno.
They're engineers, not magicians.
You know, stuffing things into tiny packages isn't nearly as easy as you think. With all the things you want it's more like "nearly impossible" (as of now).
Having a whole phone with color screen and camera and rechargeable battery and bluetooth in such a small package should already be impressing enough, if you've ever worked with electronics.
I, for one, welcome this... if it looks as nice in real life, that is. I'd just like to see some cheaper prices there... (there are similar whones on DX for $150, the only difference is that they're fugly)
First, I pretty much agree with all of these comments. But what I (personally) think would be the better compromise is to scrap the touchscreen and keep the display very basic (just *basic* phone functions). However, still add in the EDGE (minimum) or UMTS or HSPA...not for the whone other gadgets via Bluetooth.
how very clever - the us dollar is worthless LOL
No, it is worth 1.57 Euros if Mr. Ricker's math is correct.
Schadenfreude is never pretty, but it does say much about the one engaging in it.
Sorry, make that 0.637 Euros.
Not enough coffee this morn.
"Rubbles?"
Best one yet!
I just hope these sell, so they develop the tech further :)
You know when you're a geek when the first thing you think of from the title is "This doesn't look like something Buffy would wear!"
Dollar-Store crap! It looks like it might break 3 seconds after you put it on. Anyone can import stuff from China and re-brand it. These are NOT the Dutch people i'd like to assosiate with. Disappointed!
Haha, who would want to associate with dutch people? ;)
And it's a marketing name anyway, no dutch person is actually called led I don't think, they just took the word LED and tagged it after 'van der'.
The domain is registered to a dutch person though.
owner-fname: J
owner-lname: Marfo
owner-city: Rotterdam
But here's a chinese? link to the outfit shining through:
admin-organization: DT Interlink
admin-fname: K.H.
admin-lname: Cheung
(located in another city holland so still dutch?)
In case you forget it is a watch and you can take it with you, "Watch" and "Mobile" are stamped right on the face!
I could be wrong but they look like buttons for switching between the modes... pretty handy actually (pardon the pun).
Concept art looks nice, but the thing itself is ugly, and too big...
they are selling the similar cellphone watches 1 year ago and which cost only around 60€
forgot to mention it was in China
iPhone rip off.
;)
hehe :)
This is a new class of phone.
Welcome to the ephone (ear phone).
Puleeze. Kerry King uses nails in his gauntlet. This thing is for pussies.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loongson
How do you talk using these phones/watches?
Is the only way you can talk using a handsfree? How loud is its ringer, when I get a call? If its anything like the alarm on wrist watches, I know I am not going to know when I get a call!
Perhaps you can extend the wristband and wear it around your neck as a collar.
Bluetooth headset.
Vibrating alert?
Is this really Slayer approved? I won't use any gadgets that aren't approved by Slayer.
^m^_
(that's my best try at the devil horns with ASCII)
Does it come with a calculator? fazny zavahir
If I can swim with that... it's a winner for summer time already
Star Trek fans might like the design...
...or not.
And by commenting, I can win one...that's how these things work, right?
Well, at least we know that it displays photos of dandelion spreading seeds. Maybe the image was selected to represent the spreading of noxious tacky watches? Let us see photos of the UI. I like the concept of a wrist phone and I agree that if it could be waterproof it'd be a nice summer watch.
Can't we just get a nice watch that will show the names of incoming callers, show if i got a message, and let me hit silence if I want to ignore a call in my pocket?
@jake
\m/
What the hell's a US Rubble? Were we recently taken over by Russia? Or was it the other way around? Did I miss something the past few days? Is that why Curious George is in Europe this week? Please elaborate Mr. Ricker as you seem to know something that I don't.
More importantly, WTF is a "Rubble" in the first place?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruble
True kevjohn. WTF is a "Rubble"? If Ricker means a Rouble (as found in Yahoo's Exchange Rate calculator), then why use that? Let's see:
11,149.29 Roubles (or as Ricker calls them Rubbles)
or
$474.29 (US Dollars, for those of you in Rio Linda)
gets you the €300 wrist-watch phone on this article. Mighty big difference between a Dollar and Rouble I would think. But, whatever!
Duh, people: Fred F.'s best friend
ZOMGPHONEINWATCHITSTHEFUTURE!!!! quickly Jane to the flying car....or not, think about it, this phones gonna be a piece of crap. Memorys gonna be none, capability is gonna be non, and the one thing that most people have a cell phone for in the first place.....Texting, please tell me whos gonna buy a phone that u cant text one, and if u can, How? that phone and stuff is so small that there would be no way of putting little letters on the dumb buttons on the band, and how do those buttons work? how is it wired to work without making it to bulky...please someone explain this concept to me, for i am to small and puny to understand it myself.
I thought people buy phones to talk?
Please tell you who? Me, thanks very much.
Small and puny though you be, yet you are not beyond reach of enlightenment:
A mobile phone is good for two things, even if it cannot text.
You can use it to send and receive telephone calls. This is sometimes useful.
You can also use it to establish a data connection for a more useful portable device, such as an N800. You could then satisfy your texting urges with Google Talk, SIP, MSN, Skype, Joopz, IRC, or a few other protocols. You could even, if you needed (for whatever reason) to contact someone so small and puny they can only be reached by text message, and did not wish to use Joopz, you could use the N800 to send SMS messages via the phone.
I bet it would burn the crap out of your wrist.
Did anyone else notice a "Camera" button in one of the photos?
Just needs a little laser beam thingy;
No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die...
Interestingly the box it comes in is the exact same packaging as Tissot watches use. The mockups look cool, the actual watch looks pretty tacky and horrible.
A return to the ole stinky wrist when you leave the watch on too long. No thanks.
it plays mp3s but in the future their called mp48s (red vs Blue)
Can we get this with TV (OTA of course and perhaps cable, fiber, sat access as well via breakout box), and some video games. I also need a camera or two so i can video chat. And is this water proof so i can swim with it?
As long as it leaves a cool looking imprint, then perhaps burning your arm could be counted as a feature.
Actually a pretty cool device. Where can we pick them up? I don't see them on eBay yet.
--------------
http://www.terminalobservations.com/
Call me old fashioned, but I really don't like this watch phone, and I don't see it taking off.
People need mobile internet.
I actually want a cellwatch, since I don't really use my phone much (but still need to carry one); I think it would work out well for me. However, due to my matchstick sized nerdwrist, I'm going to have to keep waiting for a more girly-sized one to come along. So far, they're as wide as my wrist.
nope...its just now "there" yet.
Hopefully a few years from now I will own a watch phone. (I'm waiting for better tech in it...Like a camera more then 1gb, and the main thing, a flexible color touchscreen......THAT, is what it would take for me to buy it.)
OK,
i've seen so many watch phone made by some chinese company.
but, this one is different, this one looks beautiful.
now if only the price was a little lower...
ya, this DigitalRise D287i is only $235 here... http://www.chinagrabber.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1567
I WOULD TO BUY VAN DER LED WM2, BUT WHERE CAN I GET FROM?
Dont buy, I did and this is what they came up with after some mail traffic why they don´t deliver.
Good day,
Thank you for your interest in Van Der Led and its products.
For the past few weeks we have been working very hard on our new mobile
watch phones (MW1, MW2), and the introduction around it, But at the same
time more technical problems came with it.
Because our server crashed, we lost every paypal order that we received by
email (and thus makes us unable to check out the order) and because of
this the delivery has been delayed for an unknown time.
We are an young company that is trying to introduce new and innovative
products to the world, we are also at this moment very understaffed as we
receive numerous emails. But because of bad luck we have received some
negative feedback from some of our customers.
We want to show our customers that we intend to do good business, so we
will give everyone the following options:
1. if you still want your ordered product, send an e-mail with information
about your order to Payment@vanderled.com. (we do not have the exact date
of delivery, but we are working hard on it.) . As a thank you gift, you
will receive an 2 GB Micro SD Card.
or
2. if you want your money back, you can send an e-mail with your
information and money back as subject to payment@vanderled.com.
We hope that this letter will give us both a chance to understand one
another better. We are very sorry for the inconvenience it has caused.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us.
Kind Regards,
Van Der Led
The´ve got the money and now the´re postponing deliveries. Dont´t buy!!!!
What a joke! Venderled claims this is an original watch by them, and not a Chinese V2 knock-off! Being a sucker, I bought one from Van Der Led.
6 weeks, and a ton of either unanswered or severely later replies, I got the watch last Saturday. IT'S A CHINESE V2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes, the same watch you can buy from a ton of chinese knockoff sites for around 100 dollars US! The same watch Van Der Led "cautioned" me from buying because (as they put it) "low price means low quality".
Let's not talk about the poor signal reception this thing has. I can be within 1/4 mile from a GSM cell tower, and the thing may or may not see service. When it does see service, it's typically ONE BAR, and it thinks it's roaming.
If you really want this watch, do yourself a favor and save a few hundred bucks. Buy the V2 from somewhere else.
Buyer beware, Van Der Led is a ripoff.