wristwatch
Latest
The iWatch mockups from yesteryear
Old smartwatches don't die, they just need new batteries. I was going through some old bookmarks last night and I ran across a site called Wrist Dreams, which had a sad but funny list of smartwatches from 7 or more years ago. Listed among the fish finder watch and "thinking" watches, there's a link to a bunch of crazy Apple concept devices. On that list: some Apple watches, before THE Apple Watch was announced. Look at the watches on Wrist Dreams, however. They remind me of those clunky tablets before the iPad, or even more of the slide Steve Jobs put up showing what state-of-the-art smartphones from 2007 looked like. Full of buttons, a real hot mess. Then again, we didn't have 7 years of iPhone design language, so it's not surprising how dorky these old things look.
A watch expert's take on the Apple Watch: the benefits and failures of digital
Despite Benjamin Clymer's many accolades across the past several years -- the New York Times calls him the "High Priest of Horology" -- it's possible you've never heard of his website Hodinkee. The name might not bring watches to mind, but it's actually a Czech word for "wristwatch" (technically it's "hodinky" in Czech). The site's established itself as a go-to source for wristwatch obsessives, and Clymer's its executive editor, which is exactly why we were so interested to read his thorough dissection and impressions of Apple's first ever watch: Apple Watch. In a lengthy piece (that we suggest you read in full), Clymer begins by setting expectations: "I'm not even sure we can call it a watch." That isn't to say he doesn't like Apple's effort, but comparing it directly to a traditional, mechanical wristwatch is near impossible.
Samsung expected to unveil a call-making smartwatch in June
Unlike cellphone-tethered models like the Pebble or Galaxy Gear 2, "Dick Tracy" watches that make calls haven't set the world on fire -- probably because they're still clunky as hell. The WSJ, though, has added fuel to a previous rumor that Samsung will try to crack that market soon with its own watchphone. The Tizen-based device will reportedly make calls, send messages and take photos, while packing a GPS, heart-rate monitor and other whiz-bang tech. The Korean company is said to have spoken to US and Asian carriers about such a device, and may announce it in June or July. We're quite sure Samsung has the technical chops to pull it off, but such a device would need a very appealing design -- and its savvy there is questionable.
Martian Passport Watch mixes Bluetooth and class, ships by March for $299 (hands-on)
The world of Bluetooth watches is getting immensely crowded. After years of trying, it seems as if Bluetooth watch makers finally have a captive audience. The Pebble smartwatch seems to be leading the charge in the here and now, but for those looking for something a bit less Jetsons and a bit more Dick Tracy, there's the Martian Passport. At a glance, the unit itself looks very much like a classic wristwatch, replete with analog hand dials, a knob to change the time, and a metallic casing. Look a little closer, however, and you'll spot a 96 x 16 pixel OLED display, capable of displaying contact names for incoming calls and scrolling new text messages. It's a bit thick (0.52 inches), but it houses a battery that can survive a full two hours of yapping, or seven days in standby. Those needing to juice it back up can do so in a couple of hours via the side-mounted micro-USB port. Internally, there's a Bluetooth 4.0 chip (which supports classic Bluetooth and Bluetooth low energy), a vibrating motor for notifications, a three-axis accelerometer, magnetometer, noise-cancellation microphone, and a couple of menu / select buttons on the left. The whole thing is shockingly well built, oozing quality from every possible pore. It'll play nice with iOS and Android devices, and there's an incoming iOS app that'll add even more functionality in the near future. In our testing here at CES 2013, we found the watch to pick up calls and notifications from an iPhone 4S immediately, and the OLED panel was remarkably easy to see even from a few feet away. Chatting into the watch was predictably awkward, but undercover agents should feel right at home. In all seriousness, audio quality was crisp, and folks on the other end had no issues hearing us. And, of course, there's the ability to control the thing via voice. Is it worth the $299 asking price? That's hard to say. The famed Pebble will begin shipping in just over a week for a measly $149, so you'd have to really prefer the look of this guy to pay double. If that's you, you can get your order in through the source link below. %Gallery-175796%
Casio's iPhone-friendly G-Shock finally out, will adorn wrists for $180
It seems Casio's G-Shock GB6900 hasn't been mindful of its own raison d'être, turning up much later than expected. After making its first appearance way back in March 2011, rolling through FCC in July the same year, and then reportedly getting stalled by floods in Thailand, the Bluetooth 4.0-packing smart watch is finally available stateside for $180. Tardiness notwithstanding, the wearable gizmo is typically defiant of shock and water. However, its hero feature is hooking up with your iPhone (4S or newer) to sync time, throw up call / email alerts and letting you locate your misplaced smartphone. And while the timekeeper can't let you be mayor, reveal objects' secrets or serve up apps, at least it doesn't hurt your wallet as much as some of its rivals.
Tokyoflash Kisai Zone watch tells time in hexagons
Tokyoflash omits function-based bells and whistles on its timepieces in favor of style, and if none of its previous designs have left you smitten, maybe the Kisai Zone will. The hook on this particular model is its hexagonal number display, which is surprisingly easy to read, given some of the company's other offerings. The stainless steel strap and body comes in silver and black, with blue, green, purple or black options for the always-on LCD face completing the custom look. The watch is available now for a two-day introductory price of $99, which then jumps to $139. If your bare wrist is in need of further persuasion, then check out the video walkthrough below.%Gallery-164179%
Garmin Forerunner 10 is a GPS watch designed for outdoor fitness, we go hands-on
Having a svelte design is paramount to the success of any fitness accessory -- a desire to avoid hassle often prompts those of us who opt for purging calories without the convenience of a climate-controlled gym to leave smartphones, and even watches at home. That means nifty contraptions like Garmin's new Fenix all-in-one wearable don't make it to the jogging path, making a compact dedicated running watch a more desirable pick instead. That's the idea behind the Forerunner 10, which Garmin is pushing as a dead-simple GPS-equipped wristwatch for runners, joggers and walkers. Water resistant to 50 meters (for ocean-floor sprints?), the gadget tracks essentials like pace and calories burned, while also keeping tabs on your coordinates, letting you download stats like distance and speed through a USB adapter and Garmin Connect. We weren't able to go for a jog, sadly, though we did spend some time with the Forerunner 10 in an office setting. The watch seemed very straightforward, which you'll find to be quite helpful as you push to match a pre-set pace, without worrying about distractions. It comes in black, green or pink, and while the company suggests that you can wear the watch for non-exercise purposes as well, both colored designs seemed a bit too bright and flashy for regular use. The Forerunner 10 is rated for up to five hours of battery life in training mode, or five weeks in power-save mode (for regular time-keeping purposes), and is available to purchase for $130. You can check one out for yourself at Garmin's Chicago retail location, or you can take a peek in our hands-on photos just below.%Gallery-163499%
Pebble team posts UI preview, provides an early look at how you'll interact with the E-Paper Watch
Sadly, Pebble won't be making its way to backers by its original September estimate, but the design team wants you to know that it's hard at work, traveling the world to source components, running shipping tests and spending time refining the user interface in order to provide a top-notch experience once you do receive your device in the mail. To that end, Martijn, the UI designer, has dropped by Vimeo to provide us with a "sneak peek" at the device's operation, including some demos on iOS and a connected prototyping board, using a custom tool that sends designs to the Pebble screen from any graphics program in real-time (a feature that will reportedly also be available in the SDK). From what we've seen, there appears to be plenty of space on the screen to show incoming calls, read emails with eight lines of text at a time, view appointment details, select songs and control volume, and, of course, see the current time. Commenters seem to be quite pleased with the design so far, and we have to agree -- it's a pretty slick UI. Jump past the break to see it in action.
Garmin unveils Fenix, its first GPS watch for deep-pocketed outdoorsy types (hands-on)
There may be a few more years remaining before a forced retirement, but there's no question that dedicated automotive GPS units are on the way out. Integrated products, apps and the aviation sector will keep companies like Garmin afloat, but now's as good a time as any to focus on other markets -- and where better to slap that global positioning goodness than on our wrists. Watches seems to be a growing focus for the guidance giant, following last month's GPS-less Garmin Swim introduction. That device has a relatively narrow target (namely, swimmers willing to invest $150 in the sport), but the company is back with a more versatile wearable, complete with an altimeter, barometer, compass, an optional external ANT temperature sensor and Bluetooth connectivity. There's also a GPS receiver, which can be used not only to calibrate the time and sensors, but also to track a route, direct you towards waypoints and guide you back to your starting point with TracBack. The Fenix, as the full-featured watch is being called, is expected to retail for $400 when it hits stores at the end of August. Four bills hardly qualifies it for the luxury wristwatch category, but as digital wearables go, that's certainly approaching the top end. We had an opportunity to try out the device in an office setting (not exactly an ideal environment for a rugged GPS watch, but that's the best we could do in the middle of NYC), and the Fenix had quite a bit of heft to it -- it'll surely look out of place on smaller wrists, and probably won't score you any points among fashion-conscious friends. Inner geeks should be appeased, however -- the enclosure definitely seems an adequate size for housing all of those instruments. It also functions quite nicely as a watch -- in default mode, it displays the time and date in large characters on the backlit LCD, with a nifty ring around the digits to indicate seconds. The Garmin Fenix is on track for a late-August ship date, but you can scroll through the gallery below or dive into the PR after the break to get your fix in the meantime.%Gallery-159616%
Sony SmartWatch torn down and dissected, wishes it were a Pebble
Wondering how the innards of Sony's SmartWatch compared to the Motorola's MotoACTV? Wonder no more. One cmw has dissected the aforesaid timepiece, noting that most of what's inside doesn't live up to the superior hardware found in Moto's unit. Aside from finding a 110mAh battery (compared to 258mAh in the MotoACTV), there's also a Micrium uC/OS-II. For those just here for the eye candy, there's a bit of that down in the source link, too. When asked for comment, Pebble simply quipped: "Everyday I'm Shufflin'." [Thanks, John]
Biegert & Funk bring the literal time to your wristwatch with QLOCKTWO W
It's a common desire among everyday folk: we often say we'd like to read more, if only we had the time. While it's unlikely to fill your noggin with the prose of Hemingway or the poetry of Whitman, a new wristwatch from Biegert & Funk promises to quench your thirst for words and literally provide you with the time. Known as the QLOCKTWO W, the timepiece is a portable revision of the company's original wall clock, both of which display the current time in everyday language. Priced at €550, the watch is scheduled for arrival this autumn and will be available in black or stainless steel variations, with either rubber or leather bands. As another option, those who find English far too mundane may spring for the Deutsch version. Curious shoppers will find the full PR after the break.
Hands-on with Smart Monitor's SmartWatch, the seizure sensing wristwatch
Millions of people suffer from epileptic seizures, and the threat of such episodes is a constant concern for those with the condition, their families and caretakers. Smart Monitor knows that the freedom of folks with epilepsy is curtailed by trepidation caused by the unpredictability of seizures, so it's created the SmartWatch. The device is a wristwatch, roughly the size of a WIMM One, that has a GPS module and a proprietary accelerometer/gyroscopic sensor inside to detect the excessive and repeated motions that occur during grand mal seizures. It then records the time, duration and location of the occurrences and sends that information via Bluetooth to the accompanying app on your Android smartphone (an iOS version is in the works). The app tracks and stores the info and automatically calls your designated caretakers to alert them of the seizure, thusly ensuring the safety of the watch wearer. The watch also has physical buttons on the side that allow users to cancel a false alert or manually send one out with a single press.Aside from the real-time safety net that comes with wearing the watch, it also provides valuable information to neurologists over the long term. When and where seizures take place is data that those who study and treat epilepsy find useful, and it can be quite difficult for folks to recall such info after a seizure. SmartWatch can give doctors an accurate long term look at a patient's episodic history that they wouldn't be able to obtain otherwise. Because it's a motion detection unit, the device is only for those who suffer from tonic clonic, or grand mal seizures, so it's not a universal seizure detector. However, the company's clinical trials with the device are ongoing, and Smart Monitor will submit it for FDA approval as a tonic clonic seizure sensor later this year.
Ziiiro Celeste watches tick off the hours in multi-hued fashion
Despite our fascination with all things high-tech and the fact that we've got a smartphone in our pocket at all times, we've got a serious soft spot for stylish and inventive timepieces. Ziiiro is one of those companies that consistently finds its way on to our wish lists with watches like the Orbit and Gravity. Celeste is its latest offering, which represents your linear travel through the fourth dimension as a pair of overlapping colored disks. As the partially transparent bands circle about, they blend together to create dynamic hues of blue and gray, on the Mono models, or green and blue, on the Colored editions. The watches are housed in matte-finished stainless steel in chrome, gunmetal or black. You can pre-order the Celeste Mono and Celeste Colored now for €149 ($205), and they'll start shipping on November 18th. Check out the video after the break to see it in action.
Garmin's Forerunner 910XT sport watch begs to become your new swimming buddy
After introducing the Forerunner 610 alongside its lineup of runner-friendly watches, Garmin has introduced a new high tech gadget that's targeted to hardcore swimmers and triathletes: enter the Forerunner 910XT. With a price tag of $400, it's certainly intended for the most dedicated (or affluent) jocks, but for the outlay of cash, you'll find it provides detailed metrics such as swim distance, pool lengths, along with stroke identification and count. It even goes so far as to report one's SWOLF score, which is a measure of a swimmer's efficiency (calculated as the number of strokes to swim a lap, plus the time to travel said distance). The Forerunner 910XT is water resistant to 50 meters, but it's certainly apt for use on dry land, too. For instance, it provides stats about one's elevation, heart rate and speed, and offers built-in GPS. The battery life is limited to 20 hours, although we'd imagine your endurance will give out long before that time. If you've found your new obsession, you'll find the full PR after the break.
Swatch Touch watch reacts to your, well, you know
Admit it, you've either owned or lusted after some sort of quirky Swatch in your lifetime. If not, its new Touch watch may be the one to finally give you a case of GAS. According to T3, the timepiece sports a convex LCD touchscreen, used for swiping or tapping through settings. Aside from displaying the time and date in an eye-caching (nearly unreadable) manner, it features an alarm, a timer, chronograph functionality and keeps track of two timezones. The Swatch Touch is said to hit the UK scene on October 1st, in a choice of six colors for £100 (roughly $157). Looks like Tokyoflash just got itself a worthy foe.
TAG Heuer concept watch beats 3.6 million times per hour, $89,000 price tag gives heart palpitations
TAG Heuer's high-end concept chronograph is so precise, blink and you'll miss it -- literally. The Mikrotimer Flying 1000's watch movement runs at 500Hz. Compare that to other high-end chronos plodding along at 5Hz, and you start to see the sort of power and precision Team TAG are working with -- this mesmerizing piece of wrist jewelry is capable of banging out 3.6 million beats per hour. Initially planned as a one-off, the concept watch will now go on sale for a lucky few timepiece obsessives. Be prepared to reach for your severely over-burdened money clip, though; the price is set at €65,000 ($88,580), with a limited run of ten arriving before the end of the year. Gawp in awe at the brief video after the break. You may have to sell the Batmobile.
Kisai's Rogue Touch watch displays dual timezones, is mildly confusing to read (video)
Need to keep track of time for two locations at once? Fret not, because the Tokyoflash-designed Kisai Rogue Touch's dual timezone watch has got your back (if you can read it, that is). Being a Rogue variant, you'll notice a backlit-LED/LCD dial with a familiar multi-circle layout, but with more layers for the additional time. Aside from hours and minutes, it displays the current date and progression of seconds and notably, features an animation mode for showing it off to your buddies. Of course as the name implies, the readout is adjustable using four touch-sensitive hotspots for the alarm, date and time, or to simply light up the display. If you're up to the task of using it, the Kisai Rogue Touch is available from Tokyoflash in a choice of four dial colors for $200. While you're still here, peek the gallery, along with the video demo past the break below to get a better idea for how it works (Pro tip: if you order in the next 48 hours, it'll be 20 bucks less for that Starship Enterprise feel you'll get with every glance). %Gallery-134941%
Tokyoflash reveals Kisai Night Vision wristwatch, makes telling time fun again
Tokyoflash is on the loose once more, and this time it's introducing a concept that has been in the works for months on end. The Kisai Night Vision -- which was made official moments ago, first appeared on the company's blog as a mockup in August of 2010 -- and as they say, "what a difference a year makes." As of today, the LED wristwatch is up for grabs, constructed with black stainless steel, sub-surface LEDs, a hexagonal form factor and support for USB recharging. Despite your initial assumptions, it's actually capable of displaying both time and date, and there's even a built-in alarm with a "light-up animation." Fancy! It's available in black with blue, green or red LEDs, and if you order soon, you'll be able to snag one for $129 / £79 / €89; procrastinators will face a sticker of $149 / £91 / €103. Take a shufti in the gallery below. %Gallery-133304%
Fossil's Meta Watch passes the FCC, your magic wristwatch fantasies are about to come true
Fossil's Meta Watch has been beset with delays and defective parts but finally there's good news -- the watches have passed the FCC. The two models (analog and digital) can sync with your Android smartphone or tablet via a Texas Instruments CC2560 Bluetooth controller and are being sold as a "development platform" until enough apps are built to take advantage of the technology. T.I.'s website lists the watches as being available since August 22nd, although we're not entirely sure what to make of that -- it still looks like a pre-order situation to us. In any case, the devices should hopefully start reaching app developers pretty soon. Hey, how about using the internal gyroscopes to bring some genuine wrist-flapping action to Angry Birds? Update: TI's website is now listing the watch with a September 29th availability date. [Thanks, Imdad]
Fossil's Meta Watch delayed once again, clearly has trouble keeping time
If you were planning on outfitting your arm with a new Meta Watch this month, you're out of luck, because Fossil has just announced that the wristpieces won't start shipping until September. The watches, which use Texas Instruments' CC2560 Bluetooth controller to sync with smartphones, tablets or desktops, were originally scheduled for a July launch, but that timeline was eventually pushed back to August, due to part delays. Now, manufacturers have discovered a new batch of issues with the devices' programming clips (used for micro USB connections) and the analog-digital version's steel case, meaning that the pair won't reach Hong Kong distributors until the beginning of next month, after which they may take another one to two weeks before shipping to consumers. The countdown clock continues to tick away, but you can still pre-order a Meta Watch for $200, at the links below. [Thanks, Glen]
