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Omate has a smartwatch that runs Lollipop and makes phone calls
Let's face it: deep down we probably all have wanted a smartwatch made by wearables company Omate that runs Android 5.1. Okay, that's an overstatement. But there are at least a few folks out there that fit this bill and they'll likely be pretty pleased about the news that the new call-capable TrueSmart+ is Lollipop flavored. The company took to Facebook to announce that both the TS+ and its slightly cheaper sibling will hit sometime either late October or in November for $169 and $149, respectively. Oddly enough, the pricier model doesn't have a built-in camera like its predecessor but Omate says it has a TSi model with one.
Omate TrueSmart smartwatch is also a phone, incorporates Fleksy keyboard (hands-on)
While most smartwatches like the Pebble and the Galaxy Gear can't live up to their true potential without the assistance of a smartphone, the Omate TrueSmart is a full-fledged calling and texting machine right out of the box. We've seen a couple of other such smartwatches of course, but the TrueSmart sets itself apart with a design that's both water- and scratch-resistant, a unique UI that runs full-on Android 4.2 and most intriguing to us, a partnership with Syntellia's Fleksy keyboard so that you can actually type coherently on such a tiny screen. We had a brief hands-on with the TrueSmart at the Glazed conference in San Francisco, and we'll admit to a bit of skepticism that we'd be able to do much with a 1.54-inch screen. However, we did manage to flip through the four-icon menu without too much trouble. The icons were large enough for us to tap, and we simply had to slide our finger to the left to go to the previous screen. It refused to recognize our swipes on occasion, but hopefully that's just due to it being a pre-production unit.
Omate TrueSmart watch launches on Kickstarter, works with or without your smartphone
Yes, it's another crowdfunding campaign for a smartwatch. The latest competing for your backing dollars comes from upstart Omate, which has today launched its TrueSmart watch on Kickstarter. The hook here is that the watch will work as standalone device without a smartphone, letting you make calls, send texts or, as the company suggests, even pair it with Google Glass for some fully-wearable computing. As with other smartwatches, though, it can also act as a smartphone companion to serve up notifications and the like, and the company is hoping that developers will tailor their apps and create new ones specifically for the device; it's simply running Android 4.2.2 underneath Omate's custom launcher, which the company notes is rootable for those so inclined. As far as the hardware goes, you'll get a 1.54-inch color display (240 x 240 resolution), a 1.3GHz dual-core Cortex A7, a built-in 5-megapixel camera, 4GB of memory (with up to 32GB supported via microSD), a micro SIM card slot for 3G connectivity, and an IP67-rated water-resistant design (available in black only). Those on board will have to pony up at least $179 to back the device, which is expected to ship in October or November.
