Microsoft Moonraker is the Nokia smartwatch we almost got
If you were wondering what Nokia's take on a smartwatch would have been, take a look at the Microsoft Moonraker, a cancelled watch that attempted to bring in some of Windows Phone's style. Microsoft nixed it when it acquired Nokia's phone arm, The Verge reports, but now we've got an idea of what it looks like thanks to Microsoft designer Pei-Chi Hsieh, who posted it on their (now deleted) Tumblr blog. Noted leakhound (and former Engadget editor) Evan Blass first unearthed the image, which shows a multicolored smartwatch design with slightly rounded corners. From afar, it doesn't look that much different than the Apple Watch, funny enough. Sources say Microsoft dumped the Moonraker project because it was working on the ill-fated Band wearable.
While the Band was stuffed full of sensors, the Moonraker watch was all about doing more traditional smartwatch tasks. It had phone, email and messaging apps, and it could also remotely activate the camera on your Windows Phone. There was also a variety of other software integration, like Facebook and MixRadio. While Moonraker looks intriguing, at the end of the day it basically does what most other smartwatches do, so it was probably smarter for Microsoft to devote its energy to something truly different. We just wish we got something more than the clunky Band.
