Last time we
got a look at the Nutec WristFone -- a brainchild of Canadian company Neutrano -- the year was 2009, we were at
CTIA, and the prototypes were looking pretty rough and chunky. Sure, the common ancestor of these watchphones is the same typical China-sourced model that you're prone to see in SkyMall every month, but we admired Neutrano for putting some time, energy, and money into customizing the thing and making it just a little more desirable for the North American market. Anyhow, we just stumbled across what might be the final ID for the WristFone in the FCC today, and it's a heck of a lot slicker looking than anything we saw last year -- in fact, you might be able to get away with wearing this without passers-by wondering what the gigantic Dick Tracy-esque object on your arm is. The model rocks GSM 850 / 1900 with GPRS alone for data, which is just fine considering that you're not going to be doing much web (or Flash) browsing on it -- and naturally, you've got Bluetooth in there so that you don't need to talk to your own hand. We'll let you know when we've got a date and price.
posted April 19th 2010 3:46PM
That's the ugliest KIRF Rolex I have ever seen.
@One Love
NOt only that but these have been available on DealExtreme for quite some time now...
some even priced at under $100..
FAIL... I love how a company buys crap from Deal extreme and rebrands it in a different shell/firmware and calls it "new"
just give up.
iPhone 4g
@AppleDrank
Obvious Grapedrank alt is obvious.
@One Love
Tsk, they totally copied Apple design..
Now, everyone just take a sec before replying, this is just a joke, no love/hate intended..
@One Love Actually, they ripped off the styling of the Omega Seamaster Professional...
http://www.omegawatches.com/gents/seamaster/300-m-gmt/22345000
What, no Dick Tracy reference? C'mon Engadget!
D'oh! Never mind! Missed it on my first read! Good job Engadget! LOL!
a little fail there my friend..
Good thing it doesn't run Flash, I'd burn my wrist...
I think many people are going to laugh at this, but I seriously think it has potential.
That potential might not be realize for years to come and maybe not for quite a few generations of product, but I do think it's a neat idea. Many people wear a watch as it is, why not cram all the electronic things that they carry around in their pockets and shove it all into a watch. It really is a smart idea.
@Hazdaz I agree - if it can take calls and stream mp3s to some bluetooth stereo headphones I'd say you're onto a winner
@Hazdaz
20 years ago I was a product design student - as an aside, we were all coming up with design mock-ups for myriad consumer electronics devices we would soon see become reality in the decades that followed. I wish I still had my drawings of my all-metal(unibody) slider cell-phone and wrist/ring phone designs.
That said, one of the things one of my teachers said once stays with me to this day...
The minute you attach a device to your body it becomes a 'fashion item' and is subject to a whole different set of rules and expectations as to what the wearer will tolerate, in terms of aesthetics. In your pocket, our threshold for 'design' is much lower than if it is strapped to your wrist :)
@WaltJabsco
That's a real interesting quote about the "fashion item". Definitely agree with it, but you also have to realize that style changes, sometimes to make "geeky" stuff seem almost tolerable... for instance, take a look at those god awful bluetooth headsets.
I thought they were handcuffs at first glance.
Still waiting for my PIPboy3000!
I bet you can't BUBI this...
What? No 1 GHz processor, front camera, and at least 8 GB of memory? So fail!
:-p
@Electrofreak wait a few years, we'll get there... and it'll have AUGMENTED augmented reality... lol
Talking to your wrist or into a Bluetooth headset (unless actually driving) makes you look like a dick. Believe.
@andyroo77 No, only if you leave the headset in after the conversation is over, then you look like an idiot.(I like my choice of word better...)
It looks like the new iPhone. :)
Can I get one with a leather strap and calculator?
Is the pocket protector included?
What about battery life :-)
I genuinely want a watch that replaces my mobile. If it was more socially acceptable I would get one.
*BONUS* Higher sperm count!
@PCG
So society tells you what's acceptable? I see you're one of them...
I, on the other hand, would buy this and wear it proud. If anyone had a problem, I'd ask if they wanna fight about it!?
@Plazmic Flame
I bruise easily and my massive muscles are purely aesthetic.
Screen sure looks bad on the pic.
Only readable at midnight far from a city?
*ATTN* free idea just make it happen. What we need is a watch that is a mobile wifi hotspot
@Baron Ren
Without better battery tech, the battery would die in mere minutes.
As soon as they can make it solar powered, so I don't have to charge my watch overnight, I might be interested.
Why don't we just use Bluetooth the way it was intended?
MAKE A DAMN BLUETOOTH WATCH THAT WORKS SHOWS CALLER ID AND USES A2DP / AVRCP FOR MUSIC INFO.
The only thing like this are huge, proprietary, Sony watches. The Sony products only claim compatibility with Sony Ericsson phones and other compatibility information is scarce. What the hell is wrong w/ manufacturers? I only want to pull my phone out to handle email / web browsing. I want to answer / dial / control music through a watch and headset.
@Ichinisan
They do make these with caller ID and A2DP...just google china watch phones or check out ebay/youtube
@419man
You've got to be kidding me.
There's no shortage of those useless pieces of junk. How am I going to effectively manage email, browse the web, and use productivity apps with one of those? The battery life would be abysmal!
Seriously, Bluetooth was MADE for stuff like Bluetooth watches and headsets to interact with your phone at the same time, but no one actually DOES it!
Actually I own a couple of these, a silver one and a black one and I get compliments ALL the time from women, and every man that checks it out wants to buy it off of me or wants to know where I bought it. It is a bluetooth phone, organizer, mp3 player, video player, camera, video camera, voice recorder, fm radio and webcam. It says you can put up to a 4gb transflash card in it but I have an 8gb card that works no problem. I bought it from a website in China for $150 and it is my best purchase so far this year. I dont even carry my Blackberry anymore. They make many style and yes it is bulky but big watches are in right now...oh and trust me I am far from a geek! LOL
huh