Baselworld
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Google rebrands Android Wear as Wear OS
Android Wear, Google's big attempt to get into the wearables space, hasn't been the runaway blockbuster hit the company had banked on. In order to give the platform a much-needed shot in the arm, the company has sought to rebrand the software as Wear OS by Google.
Complete your steampunk cosplay with a Samsung pocket watch
As the world's biggest watch show continues to pump out smartwatch variants from nearly everyone, at Baselworld, established player Samsung apparently wanted to pay lip-service to the horological items that came before watches got smart. It unveiled a handful of concept devices, including one Gear S3-esque device that houses a mechanical Swiss-made movement -- apparently instead of your smartwatch touchscreen. It also had three more typical Gear S3 watches with upgraded build materials -- classier Gear S3 smartwatches. However, my attention was drawn to the device on the far left: a hybrid pocket watch version of the Gear S3 that appears to pair two smaller watch faces with a compass, for bonus ... "innovation" points.
Fossil will give you 300 new smartwatch options in 2017
Fossil swore that it would introduce smartwatches across all its brands, and it's definitely making good on that promise... although the result is a tad overwhelming. The company has announced that it's launching 300 (!) hybrid and touchscreen styles in 2017, and that includes brands that are both introducing their very first wearables as well as veterans jumping into the Android Wear arena. When all is said and done, most of Fossil's labels will have at least some kind of smartwatch on store shelves. We won't go into every single model (do you have a few hours?), but there are some definite highlights.
Swatch's first proper smartwatch is a Tissot
Swatch technically released smartwatches last year in the form of the Bellamy and Touch Zero One, but their narrow focuses (payments and volleyball) made them niche tools that you're unlikely to buy. Flash forward to 2016, however, and it's a different story: Swatch has introduced the Tissot Smart-Touch, its first broader-purpose smartwatch. It's not a full-on computing device like TAG Heuer's offering, but it's still useful when you're out and about. You can pair it with your phone to navigate using the watch hands and screen, including devices you've tagged with a special fob. Also, there's a solar-powered weather station that delivers local conditions to the Smart-Touch's display.
Samsung's de Grisogono Gear S2 isn't made for peasant wrists
Baselworld is going down in Switzerland this week, which means you can expect a ton of smartwatch news. We've already seen a few announcements, and today Samsung revealed a super fancy version of its Gear S2. The company teamed up with jewelry and watchmaker de Grisogono for a "fashion collaboration" limited-edition smartwatch covered in gold and jewels. More specifically, the 41mm device features rose gold, over 100 black and white diamonds and a black galuchat band.
Nixon's Android Wear smartwatch is water resistant up to 100 meters
A number of smartwatches tout activity tracking and sporty looks, but Nixon is looking to offer more for folks who like to take the action outdoors. The watchmaker is jumping on the wearable tech bandwagon with the $400 Mission: an Android Wear device that touts a 10-ATM water resistance rating, which means it'll hold up in depths of up to 100 meters. Nixon says this is the highest rating for any smartwatch. To put that designation to the test, the Mission offers both surfers and snowboarders/skiers up-to-date info on conditions around the world through a pair of pre-loaded apps.
Slighty smarter watches: Casio reveals two new G-Shock concepts
G-Shocks are back -- again. Ready for Swiss timepiece showcase BaselWorld, Casio has announced two new analog concept watches with a little extra soupçon of tech crammed in. The designs still lean towards those looking for a classically-styled (at least, in G-Shock terms) analog watch. Both are expected to last plenty without any regular USB life-support, with the company's latest solar cells there to keep the mechanism and electronics going. First up, the Edifice EQB-500 connects to smartphones using Bluetooth 4.0 Low Power (Casio's first analog watch to do so). It's a loose allegiance though, covering time information and alarm settings which can also be programmed through the phone -- it's still very much a watch, not a Pebble rival. Casio's second model is the more technically accomplished one: the first watch to pair together both GPS and Radio Wave tech, all without any unwieldy lumps in the design.
Concord C1 QuantumGravity with liquid green energy indicator looks great with your power ring
You're looking at the latest render of the Titanium Concord C1 QuantumGravity timepiece first spotted in January. A wristwatch due to be unveiled in a 10-unit, limited production run at the big Baselworld 2009 watch and jewelry show kicking off in 6 days. There's a ton of extraneous, nonsensical verbiage in the press release making the watch all but unknowable. Still, as far as we can tell, this mechanical watch features a novel tourbillon escapement that spins on two axis points... and liquid. Yes, liquid, containing "green phosphorescent nanoparticles" held in a vertical column as an indicator of the life remaining in the 3-day power reserve. As Concord describes it, the C1 QuantumGravity, "creates its own rules: emptiness is its core material, engineering its constancy; chemistry a dare and transparency a must." Whatevs word-hippie, just tell us where and when.[Via Watch Luxus]
