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Analog wrist watch can call emergency numbers even without a phone
There are some smartwatches out there like Will.i.am's Puls that can make voice calls without having to connect to a phone. But have you ever heard of an analog watch with the same capability? No? Well, now you will: the GPS-equipped Limmex emergency watch looks like a perfectly old-fashioned Swiss timepiece, except it has an emergency button you can press that calls preprogrammed contacts. You don't even need to wear an earpiece to use it, as it comes with built-in mic and loudspeaker. In case you've saved more than one number to call during emergency, the device rings 'em all up in sequence until someone picks up. Also, the watch automatically sends your contacts a text message with a link to a map that shows them where you are. The device is currently available in a handful of European countries with prices ranging from €449 to €749 (roughly $570 to $950), though it sounds like the company plans to release it in other locations in the future.
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.
Samsung reportedly working on a SIM-equipped watchphone
The Gear 2 isn't even out, but we're already seeing rumors about something else that's lurking in Samsung's R&D labs. The Korea Herald is reporting that the company is working on a SIM-enabled watchphone that'll make calls without the aid of a smartphone, just like LG's old Watch Phone and Samsung's own SPH-WP10. Of course, if a model does exist, it's likely to be an exclusive for Korean network SK Telecom in the same way that local users get first dibs on Samsung's Exynos-powered Galaxy phones. Considering the power needs of such hardware, however, it's likely going to gain a few pounds like the hefty Neptune Pine and chunky XS-3, so maybe we're better off waiting for version two... or three.
Motorola leaks Xoom 2 tablet, Tracy XL watchphone, and Slimline, Zaha, Targa, and Pearl handsets
So here's the story: Pocketnow was able to snatch some screengrabs from a Motorola Mobility site redesign. The image above (and two more after the break) is what they saw. In addition to the Tracy XL homage to the Dick Tracy watchphone, we can also see the back of the Slimline handset and the front of the Zaha. The grabs also show a bit of the "Xoom 2" tablet and Pearl handset along the bottom of the screen in addition to a fleeting glimpse of the previously rumored Verizon LTE handset known as Targa. And you know what makes this all truly compelling? The fact that Motorola made Pocketnow remove the images from its site.
Swap Rebel watch phone laughs at your wrist-mounted iPod nano
Apple's iPod nano and the Sony Ericsson LiveView may have disappointed as wrist computers, but our Dick Tracy dream soldiers on, to the point where we found ourselves taking another look at that most dubious of converged devices: the watch phone. There, we discovered the Rebel, the latest creation from UK manufacturer Swap, a quad-band GSM wrist unit with a 1.46-inch color touchscreen and a built-in camera for both video and stills. It may look like a sterile medical wristband, but that silicone strap actually hides a USB port on one end, the better to let you transfer your MP3s and MP4 video to its paltry 2GB of expandable microSD storage. The watch also does FM radio, beams audio to your Bluetooth headset and comes with the typical smattering of basic apps. Still, there's not a lot for the asking price of £189 (about $300) so you'd best be head over heels in love with the design. PR after the break, more images at our source link.
Entelligence: Putting a spotlight on the invisible
Entelligence is a column by technology strategist and author Michael Gartenberg, a man whose desire for a delicious cup of coffee and a quality New York bagel is dwarfed only by his passion for tech. In these articles, he'll explore where our industry is and where it's going -- on both micro and macro levels -- with the unique wit and insight only he can provide. When Apple refreshed the latest version of the iPod nano, the combination of the square form factor, touch display, clip and cool clock app made me think it would make a great watch. I was not alone. I've already seen a number of vendors scrambling to create straps and wrist cases for the nano. While Apple stopped well short of calling it a watch replacement, there's no doubt Cupertino will be looking carefully to see if there's an iWatch in your future. From Microsoft's Smart Personal Object Technology devices to watches that ran Palm OS, vendors have tried and failed to push high-tech watches every few years. I personally think the watch space and the larger invisible space hasn't been exploited properly beyond the core feature of telling time. Here's why.
Dual SIM watchphone gives us two reasons to be non-plussed
Oh, the humble watchphone... we've seen a few iterations, but very few that we'd wear for anything but a laugh. The gang at eSales China are offering a slight twist on the typical fare by throwing in dual SIM cards behind the 1.3-inch touchscreen, Bluetooth, 2 mp camera, microSD card, and GSM850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 support. Sold? We weren't either (not for $128 at least). Feel like a good laugh? Get a closer look after the break.
GPS 800G watch phone gets the job done (and little else)
Watch phones clearly haven't hit the mainstream yet, though a resurgence of Dick Tracy may very well turn that around. Given that we're probably years, if not centuries, away from that happening, it's up to niche import shops like Alibaba to bring us goods like these. The GPS 800G -- delivered by none other than Shanghai Zhiyuan Vacuum Electric Company, of course -- manages to handle time telling, texting, GPS routing and even emergency calling. Oh, and normal calling as well. Looks as if you'll need to ping the supplier in order to get a lock on pricing, but we can't say with a straight face that it'll be worth your while.
Neutrano's Nutec WristFone granted FCC approval
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.
Redesigned LG Watch Phone caught showing off shapely figure in Brazil
LG's £500 ($800) GD910 Watch Phone made quite an impression when we reviewed it late last year, but part of that impression was of a bulky, blocky thing that feels decidedly substantial on the wrist. A subtly redesigned version was spotted recently at the LG Digital Experience in Brazil, sporting a slightly more curvaceous shape and a new logo placement -- up top rather than below the screen. It's hard to tell what (if anything) else has changed, and apparently LG reps weren't forthcoming with information, but with any luck this new version will offer a more affordable price point than its stately but spendy predecessor.
LG GD910 Watch Phone review
You're not how much money you have in the bank, you're not the car you drive, you're not the contents of your wallet, you are not your freaking khakis – oh, who are we kidding, if you're reading a site such as this, you're all about your khakis. To sate that "look good, feel good" need in all of us, LG has brought out the ultimate in techie chic: a watchphone. This is not just any watchphone though, this is a £500 ($808) droplet of Orange-tinted exclusivity that straddles your wrist and demands onlookers' attention. Do the consumer in you a favor and come along past the break where we have the full scoop on the GD910. %Gallery-75733%
Kempler & Strauss' Billionair B6 and B7 pose alongside the W watchphone
Kempler & Strauss -- which pretty much came out of nowhere this week to announce a pair of 3G WinMo devices and a watchphone -- is pulling out all the stops here at CTIA to get its new products noticed, so everything they've got is on display and ready to use (or in some cases, wear). First up are the Billionair B6 and B7, full touch and portrait QWERTY WinMo devices respectively that currently run 6.1 -- but we're told that 6.5 upgrades will be available by the end of the year. Neither phone looks that awesome and feel generally cheap; the B6 borrows styling cues from the original HTC Touch, to boot, so there's an overall KIRFy feel to the thing. The skin they've dropped atop the operating system is pretty uninspiring, too -- though many WinMo skins look uninspiring when they're up against something thoroughly modern like a recent build of TouchFLO 3D. The phones' saving grace might be the fact that they're cheap -- sub-$300 -- and in the case of the B7, the combo portrait keyboard / QVGA touchscreen is still a nice, sadly too-rare combo. Turning our attention to the more interesting device of the trio, the W is a watchphone that employs a pretty standard GUI we've seen on similar models, but this one employs perhaps the most livable styling that we've seen this side of an LG GD910, and it all comes at a small fraction of the price. The touchscreen doesn't come with a traditional stylus, per se, but instead you get a "communicator" accessory that functions as a combination stylus / Bluetooth handsfree / remote control -- pretty cool, although we'd feel pretty silly (and sad) if we misplaced it. At $200, we could almost justify buying one of these just for the sheer novelty of it -- just don't expect desktop-class browsing on that display, and you should be a happy camper. %Gallery-75032%
Kempler & Strauss W PhoneWatch is everything we ever wanted in life
We're tired of wasting time waiting for LG's GD910 watchphone to mosey on over to these shores and rob us blind, and now we've found a new, cheaper bauble to love: the Kempler & Strauss W PhoneWatch. The W, which K&S calls the "world's smallest full-function GSM tri-band cellphone watch," has a touchscreen interface, camera, microSD slot and even comes with a Bluetooth headset in the $200 package. Better yet, it's available now -- if you can track one down. [Via Electronista]
LG GD910 watchphone unboxed, adored, smudged
If you've been drooling and pining and otherwise adoring LG's GD910 watchphone from afar, wanting to add one to your wrist, hopefully you found your way down to the Orange shop at Bond Street Station in London this morning, as that's where and when they went on sale -- and we wouldn't be surprised if that's where they promptly sold out. The folks at Electricpig managed to scoop one up and took a suite of pictures of the phone, its box, its UI, and even its gigantic (decidedly non-folding) AC adapter. Initial impressions are good, tempered only by a seemingly great amount of shame felt when wearing this in public. We suffer from no such misgivings.
LG GD910 gets UK pricing, arrives August 27
Orange, the exclusive UK carrier for the eagerly anticipated GD910 watch / wrist / just plain cool phone, has this morning announced the date, cost and location of availability. After plenty of talk of meteoric prices, it turns out the GD910 will be even cheaper than we thought, coming in at £500 ($825) on Orange's Pay As You Go service, meaning no contract tie-ins to worry about. Limited time availability and only one device per customer don't suggest an overwhelming amount of stock -- or that the price will hold -- so if you must jump on the cool train, the place to be is the Orange shop at Bond Street Station, London, 9am sharp. If you really can't make it, there will be another limited batch of handsets to be had via the Orange online shop at some point in September -- and we've snagged a video for you as well, just past the break. [Via Slashgear]
LG's GD910 watchphone cheaper than expected, still worth more than your Dick Tracy collection
We've been tracking LG's G910 pretty closely since it was announced late last year, because as you can clearly see it's a videophone in a watch and if that concept doesn't get your gadget senses tingling you're probably dead inside. But, we were somewhat afraid when early reports indicated that the couture-phone's exclusive partner in Europe, Orange, was going to be engaging in a bit of price gouging, selling the thing at a whopping £1,000 / €1,144 (about $1,500 at the time -- now well over $1,600 thanks to our flimsy currency). The official price has finally been confirmed, and it's an ever so slightly more palatable figure of €899 ($1,290) when signing up for a 12 or 24 month contract. That's still too rich for our blood, or wrists, but hopefully you fabulously wealthy commenters will give us some real-world impressions free of marketing inanity.
LG GD910 used for cringe-worthy demo video call
The LG wristphone has already experienced quite a bit of exposure ahead of its August UK release, but the diligent team at Orange just couldn't leave us without some extra titillation in the shape of a demo video. If you'll excuse the marketing inanity from the two reps, there's a pretty good exhibition of the GD910's video chat capabilities to be seen. Disappointingly, the audio sounds somewhat tinny, there was one glitch in the video stream, and a particularly uncharitable conclusion might be that LG is bringing 90s-era webcam technology to your 21st century wrist. Of course, this is still the phone to use for playing out latent James Bond fantasies, so we're willing to overlook a few foibles if LG is willing to price this device at a point somewhere south of "stratospheric." Mosey on past the break to see the long-awaited hand-mounted communicator in action.[Via Slashgear]
Oh, by the way: July 22, 2009
Here's some of the other stuff that happened in the wide world of mobile for Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009: For some reason known only to Samsung, it seems the S9110 watchphone won't be coming to the UK any time soon. Of course, if you've got unlocked GSM 900 / 1800 units floating around France this month, it should be a simple matter to get 'em anywhere in Europe. LG's second quarter report revealed an astounding 32 percent jump in phone shipments quarter-over-quarter, setting an all-time best 29.82 million units. The company specifically calls out the next Black Label phone -- presumably the BL40 -- as one of the phones it's pinning its hopes and dreams on toward the end of the year. [Via mocoNews] iPhones can now be used to generate RSA SecurID tokens, which should make a great many enterprise iPhone users happier than pigs in poo. Google Maps 3.2 has been released for Windows Mobile and S60. The big feature here is layered data, meaning you can add and remove different bits of information (Latitude, traffic, and so on) one layer at a time. A picture atop Samsung USA's mobile site suggests a new QWERTY slider is destined for MetroPCS. It's labeled Messager, but looks nothing like the Messager we're acquainted with -- instead, it looks suspiciously like Bell's Vice. [Via Phone Scoop]
Samsung's S9110 touchscreen watchphone syncs with Outlook, on sale this month
€450; that's what'll cost to take home the world's thinnest (11.98mm) touchscreen cellphone fashioned into an tempting wristwatch. Although details are few and we're relying upon machine translated text of the press release, we can tell you that Samsung's watchphone -- first seen as a prototype at CES -- brings a glass, scratch-proof touchscreen and stainless steel body that plays host to features such as Bluetooth 2.1, Outlook email sync, MP3 player, speakerphone, and voice recognition when it goes on sale this month in France. Hear that LG, Samsung just beat you to market by a calendar month.[Thanks, Young]
Samsung's S9110 touchscreen watchphone syncs with Outlook, on sale this month (updated)
€450; that's what'll cost to take home the world's thinnest (11.98mm) touchscreen cellphone fashioned into an tempting wristwatch. Although details are few and we're relying upon machine translated text of the press release, we can tell you that Samsung's watchphone -- first seen as a prototype at CES -- brings a 1.76-inch glass, scratch-proof touchscreen and stainless steel body that plays host to features such as Bluetooth 2.1, Outlook email sync, MP3 player, speakerphone, and voice recognition when it goes on sale this month in France. Hear that LG, Samsung just beat you to market by a calendar month.Update: English press release is out with the following new specs: 176 x 220 pixel, 262k color TFT TSP display, 40MB of internal memory, 630mAh battery, and 57.5 x 41.1 x 11.98mm / 91g footprint. Gallery updated with better quality images.[Thanks, Young]
