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Omate adds two new circular smartwatches to its affordable collection
Omate's well known for bringing stylish smartwatches to the mass market, as we've seen with last year's $129 X (pictured left) and $169 Lutetia (second from left). To kick off 2015, the company is leveraging the same MediaTek Aster chipset (MT2502) plus the Lutetia's near-circular, always-on color transflective touchscreen to bring out two new designs: the Panerai-inspired Roma (second from right), and the Racer which is the "sport-oriented alter ego" of its round siblings. As before, the two new models will function mainly as notification watches with basic activity tracking plus customizable watch face, so they should offer the same week-long battery life. For those who want to give the rugged Racer a spin (we have a 360-degree view of it after the break), Omate's website will be taking pre-orders for just $99 per unit between January 5th and 15th, and after that it'll be bumped up to $129 until January 31st, with shipments expected in as early as end of February. There's no info regarding the metallic Roma just yet, but Omate's new partnership with the Richline Group will be offering these watches in US and UK retailers -- including jewelry stores -- this March.
Omate's Lutetia is a smartwatch that women may actually like
Samsung, Pebble, LG and others may have already released a good handful of smartwatches, but most are too bulky or masculine, and we've yet to come across one that's dedicated to the ladies. That's about to change thanks to Omate, whose team of women led the designing and engineering efforts on the upcoming Lutetia. Most notably, we're looking at a near-circular, always-on transflective LCD that's similar to the one featured on the Alcatel Wave, and it's covered with a curved, sapphire-coated glass piece. The body -- available in silver, rose gold and gold -- comes in shiny stainless steel with matching beaded wristband for a premium feminine look.
Omate's next smartwatch is all about fashion without the premium (update: touchscreen confirmed)
As Omate's TrueSmart cellular watch approaches its first anniversary, the startup decided to let its previous Kickstarter backers in on its next project. According to the teaser update, September 1st will see the launch of a fashion-oriented wearable dubbed the Omate X, which features a sleeker metallic design and a removable 22mm genuine leather strap. The catch is that unlike the Android-powered TrueSmart, the Omate X functions as a notification companion à la Pebble, which in return offers a battery life of up to a week. And as you'd expect, the new watch will work alongside your Android and iOS devices. The rest remains a mystery, but hopefully tomorrow's official announcement will show off the watch's UI, as well as confirming whether the touchscreen is here to stay.
