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Quad-band watch phone rolls on Windows CE 5.0
Ready for some honesty? We can think of a good handful of timepieces that we'd buy before we dropped $629.95 on this catastrophe, but for folks with pants too slim and hands too full to carry around a separate cellphone, we suppose it's a so-so alternative. The EGP-WP98 claims to be the first quad-band GSM watch phone to come with Windows CE 5.0 installed, and while it's supposed to tout a SIM card slot, water-resistance, a 266MHz CPU and a 1.45-inch display with handwriting recognition (for real?), that little line informing us that specifications are "subject to change without notice" makes us a touch leery. Nevertheless, you can also expect (though you may not get) a 1.3-megapixel camera, WiFi, a T-Flash expansion slot, multimedia player and built-in Bluetooth. According to one particular e-tailer, it'll be ready to ship on April 25th -- whether or not anyone's fat-fingered enough to push an order through, however, remains to be seen. [Via UnwiredView]
Conceptual Crystal LED wristwatch is all kinds of gorgeous
For as many patently awful watch designs as we see, this here device has given us a newfound appreciation for timepieces. Yes, the Ilya Yakovlev-designed Real Crystal LED Watch is merely a concept at the moment, but creating such a device with crystals and LEDs is entirely plausible. If ripped into the realm of reality (pretty please?), wearers would be allowed to "increase the luminosity and change colors to suit [their] mood." We're just going to hope the question isn't if we'll see this one day, but when.
Cool G108 watch phone is Maxwell Smart-approved
For the half dozen or so folks actively seeking a run-of-the-mill watch phone to completely destroy any chance of landing new pals (let alone a SO) while out on the town, you've got a surprising amount of choices. Still, you'd be hard-pressed to find one as gaudy, yet curiously sleek as the Cool G108. Boasting what appears to be an electroluminescent keypad (is that a rotary dial design we see?) and a convenient flip-up screen, this watch / cellphone mishmash also features quad-band GSM / GPRS support, a 1.5-inch (160 x 128) internal display, 1.3-megapixel camera, multimedia player, Bluetooth, 0.5MB (generous, we know) of built-in memory and a MMS expansion slot in case you need more than a single Duran Duran track on your wrist. You'll also find USB connectivity and a smallish external display, and while pricing remains a mystery, there's loads more pics waiting in the read link below.
Diesel looses two more OLED wristwatches
Late last year, Diesel popped out a pair of timepieces that featured a smallish OLED and lots of shine. This year, it's the OLED sitting front and center. The DZ7076 and DZ7086 both ditch the heavy chrome look and head back to the basics, and there's even four animations that do the OLED proud with the push of a button. Each watch also touts a genuine leather strap and the all-important Diesel logo, and while the DZ7076 can be yours for just $120, the slightly more retro DZ7086 will demand an extra $30.[Via OhGizmo]Read - Diesel DZ7086Read - Diesel DZ7076
Voz Sports unveils Bluetooth Frequency watch, Multy LYNK helmet
Bluetooth watches and Bluetooth helmets -- been there, done that on both points. Still, Voz Sports is keeping our attention with its attention to detail on the Multy LYNK helmet and Sports Frequency wristwatch (shown after the jump). As for the latter, you can expect a black (2GB) or red (1GB) face, Bluetooth v1.2, a waterproof casing, included earbuds and USB 2.0 connectivity. Checking out the headgear, you'll likely appreciate the "voice-activated, wireless two-way radio communication via 14 FRS channels with 38 privacy codes," Bluetooth v1.2, its NOAA weather receiver, noise-canceling microphone, waterproof stereo speakers and AA battery operation. Each device is set to ship on April 1 (no joke!) for $249.95 to $299.95 and $299.95, respectively.Read - Sports Frequency watch [Via Be Sportier]Read - Multy LYNK helmet [Via Be Sportier]
Matrix M6001 watch uses bars, not hands
Yeah, we've seen wristwatches that did their duty with nary a hand in sight, but few have looked as striking (or peculiar, we can't decide) as this one. Truthfully, the Matrix M6001 is arriving to the oversized watch face party a tick too late, but we're almost willing to forgive the tardiness thanks to its clever method of telling time. Atop the face sits the hours, while minutes (in increments of five and a single 1-4 slot) are listed beneath; put simply, bars on the LCD are lit above the corresponding number(s) as the day whisks away, leaving those freaked out by perpetually moving sticks with nothing to fear. 'Course, you won't find this thing for sale on US soil just yet, but it can be had in South Korea for ???69,000 ($74). Now, if only it played Pong...[Via UberReview]
Citizen unveils Bluetooth-enabled i:Virt watches
Truthfully, we've no idea whether Citizen really did replace its VIRT design team or if they all just had an epiphany, but whatever the case, the outfit's latest lineup of Bluetooth-enabled wristwatches actually look... marginally wearable. The i:Virt collection, which comes in four colors along with a metal-banded sibling, is capable of playing nice with your Bluetooth mobile, and moreover, they all boast a battery life of up to five days with BT turned on. Furthermore, the units are water-resistant and feature a color LCD, phone battery meter, caller ID, signal display, call history list and email viewer. Unfortunately, it seems as though the watches all sport the elusive "open price" for now, but feel free to take a closer look at the gang after the jump.[Via WristWatch]
Polar offers up RS800G3 multisport training system
Polar's RS800, which was originally introduced last September, is getting one-upped this fall by the RS800G3 multisport training system. Essentially, this acts as a GPS upgrade to the wristwatch, which "enables athletes to measure speed and distance for a variety of outdoor sports." The entire system now consists of the RS800 wrist unit, Wearlink W.I.N.D. heart rate transmitter, ProTrainer 5 software and the G3 GPS Sensor, and those who already plunked down for the watch last year can purchase the G3 GPS sensor separately. The sensor itself packs a SiRFstarIII chipset, is water resistant and can last around 15-hours on just a single AA battery. Price wise, athletes (or athletes to-be) can pick up the entire RS800G3 bundle for $499.95, while the standalone G3 will run you $139.95.[Thanks, SK]
Diesel offers up duo of OLED-packin' watches
It's not that we've never seen a watch with an OLED display, but considering that so few of them are even mildly attractive, we have to take notice when one pops up that could actually be worn (shamelessly) in public. Diesel's DZ7080 and DZ7079 timepieces both sport integrated OLED displays, fairly appealing designs and water-resistance to boot. Not a whole lot of extra features or anything, but both models look to be available right now for around $150.50 and $136.50, respectively.[Via Technabob]
Brando offers up feature-packed MP4 Watch II
Though we've definitely seen a few "MP4 watches" in our day, none of them do it up quite like Brando's MP4 Watch II. This (admittedly unattractive) timepiece plays nice with MP3 / WMA / MP4 formats and includes an FM tuner, voice recorder, photo viewer, "eBook reader," a 1.8-inch 160 x 128 resolution display, five preset equalizer modes, USB 2.0 connectivity, and yes, even a built-in speaker if you're not down with headphones. Of course, we aren't responsible for your social life grinding to a halt if caught wearing this whilst out on the town, but those who aren't concerned with image can snag the 2GB flavor for $92 or double their capacity for $26 more.
Timex's iPod-controlling i-Control watch hits the FCC
Chalk another one up to the rumor mill, as it looks like the leaked PowerPoint slide we saw just last month was indeed referring to an actual product. Thanks to an FCC filing, we now know that Timex is actually cranking out a Made for iPod timepiece in its Ironman series. The i-Control isn't the most handsome of watches, but it will be available in a water-resistant casing, sport Indiglo backlighting, and play nice with your dock connecting iPod. According to the documentation, users will clip an included RF transmitter into their Pod, which will allow the watch to control the volume, track, and play / pause function so long as the it's within "about ten feet" of your wrist. Of course, it still sports the same alarm, chrono, recall, and interval timer modes as the rest of its siblings, but unfortunately, it doesn't look like you'll see any scrolling track tags on this one. As expected, there's no word on price just yet, but click on through for a more detailed shot of it all sprawled out.
Tokyoflash's BPM watch: for DJs and runners alike
Cramming a heart rate monitor into a wristwatch isn't all that difficult, but Tokyoflash's BPM watch does the trick in style. This multipurpose timepiece dons a stainless steel face, spits out the time in digital fashion, keeps track of the date, and includes a "mini-torch" backlight to find your way to an empty seat when entering a theater seven minutes late. The standout feature, however, is the built-in beats-per-minute mode, which allows you to "tap the button to the rhythm of the beat" or monitor your current heart rate. Additionally, BPM mode brings out textual inspiration in the form of random DJ phrases that are presumably meant to get you even more amped up. Not too shabby for ¥7,900 ($65), eh? Check the closeups after the jump.[Via PlasticBamboo]
Garanti Bank issues PayPass-enabled wristwatch in Turkey
Apparently, even swipeless credit cards are too much of an inconvenience to carry around in Turkey, or else Garanti Bank and MasterCard are just doing a fine job of whispering PayPass into those ears that are now tuned in. Gimmick or not, the two firms have partnered up to dole out a few limited edition timepieces that not only sport embedded PayPass modules to skip the painful John Hancock procedure altogether on basic, low-dollar purchases, but also feature a flashy and surprisingly tawdry motif. The bright orange watch rocks a few soccer balls, er, footballs on the face, and also includes a handy date feature to keep you on track. No word on exactly how one would go about procuring one of these contactless payment watches, but if your Garanti account is pushing six or seven figures, we'd say you've got some leverage.[Via TechDigest]
"Widescreen" video watch touts 1.8-inch LCD
The video watch craze seems to be catching on, as what was once an oddity has now started to grow us just a bit, and while we can't deny the arguably appalling nature of rocking an LCD screen on your wrist, the latest option most definitely goes for broke. Hey, if you're going to go, you might as well go all out, and by slapping a wristwatch on your arm with a prominent 1.8-inch "widescreen" display front and center, you'll certainly be catching a few eyes for better or worse. This Chinavision timepiece boasts 2GB of internal memory, supports MP3, WMA, and WAV music formats, handles MTV video files care of a software conversion, a JPEG photo / text viewer, internal speaker, USB 2.0 connectivity, FM radio, voice recorder, six equalizer settings, and a 3.5-millimeter headphone jack to boot. Of course, glancing back at the less-than-sexy design can quickly wipe away the pros that this thing surely has going for it, but for just over $56, the CVESG-S818-2 still looks mighty tempting.[Via CNET]
Dancing On The Water clock levitates time
True clock aficionados fully understand that their timepieces do more than tell them just how many grueling hours are left in the work day, and YUnoBI's Dancing On The Water design invites time tellers to gaze at its mirror-image rather than just glancing and looking away. The lacquered enclosure comes in black, red, and gray finishes, and shoots the current time up against a reflective back that purportedly gives off a "floating illusion." Furthermore, the red digits are displayed care of built-in LEDs, and while you may be eager to snap this presumed dust-magnet up as a crafty conversation piece, the ¥68,250 ($573) asking price just might stop you in your tracks.[Via TechDigest]
Thanko's FMP3 Watch touts an FM transmitter
It's no secret that FM transmitters are dodgy at times, but if you were wading through the endless supply of MP3 watches on the market in an effort to find one a notch below hideous, having that feature built-in certainly wouldn't hurt. The king of all things USB has upped the collective ante once more, as its FMP3 Watch not only musters a bearable design scheme, but it also offers up a nice laundry list of specifications to boot. Aside from telling you the time and day of the week, it also boasts 512MB, 1GB, or 2GB of internal memory for MP3 / WMA playback, headphone out, an integrated voice recorder, USB connectivity, volume controls, eight-hours of battery life (three if beaming over FM), and the obligatory FM transmitter to stream your tunes to one of several FM options. If you're anxious to get your wrist into one of these suckas, all three flavors are available right now, and can be had for ¥12,800 ($108), ¥16,800 ($142), and ¥19,800 ($167) from least capacious to most.[Via EverythingUSB]
Citizen's VIRT W700 gets a facelift, remains ugly as sin
We applaud the effort, we truly do, but the masterminds behind Citizen's VIRT W700 Bluetooth watch should seriously consider a sabbatical to think about just how ugly their creations really are. Sure, we've seen worse in terms of brutal fashion miscues, but for a watch that sports such an elegant feature list, the unsightliness is almost unforgivable. Nevertheless, for those who aren't out to garner new friends with their wrist attire, the revamped W700 does smooth a few of the awkward lines found in the original rendition, and aside from syncing with your Bluetooth handset, it offers up on-screen caller ID, an OLED display, a vibration feature to alert you of an incoming call, lockable contact list, and a privacy feature to set your outgoing information to unavailable. The backlit display also flips out if you wander too far from your mobile, essentially doubling as a nifty cellphone finder after a long night of partying, and considering that a full charge will last you around five days, you can survive a week off without your AC adapter. Slated to hit the Japanese market next month for a currently undisclosed price, Citizen's latest VIRTs will be landing in blue, black, and the female favorite, pink.[Via MinistryOfTech]
Citizen's VIRT W700 Bluetooth watch gets a facelift, remains ugly as sin
We applaud the effort, we truly do, but the masterminds behind Citizen's VIRT W700 Bluetooth watch should seriously consider a sabbatical to think about just how ugly their creations really are. Sure, we've seen worse in terms of brutal fashion miscues, but for a watch that sports such an elegant feature list, the unsightliness is almost unforgivable. Nevertheless, for those who aren't out to garner new friends with their wrist attire, the revamped W700 does smooth a few of the awkward lines found in the original rendition, and aside from syncing with your Bluetooth handset, it offers up on-screen caller ID, an OLED display, a vibration feature to alert you of an incoming call, lockable contact list, and a privacy feature to set your outgoing information to unavailable. The backlit display also flips out if you wander too far from your mobile, essentially doubling as a nifty cellphone finder after a long night of partying, and considering that a full charge will last you around five days, you can survive a week off without your AC adapter. Slated to hit the Japanese market next month for a currently undisclosed price, Citizen's latest VIRTs will be landing in blue, black, and the female favorite, pink.[Via MinistryOfTech]
Shenzhen Adragon Digitek's MP4 watch gets reviewed
Shenzhen Adragon Digitek's MP4 watch was met with quite a bit of fanfare from folks who fell suddenly in love with the idea of having movies on their wrist to pass the time during class or on subways trips, and considering that Thanko brought this intriguing piece of kit to market, it's only right that we show you a hands-on review to help you with your potential purchasing decision. The folks at GearDiary landed a black rendition of the video-playing timepiece, and noted that although video files have to be converted from their current format to .NVX, software (in English, too) was included to "remove the guesswork" and make the process painless. Judging by the photos, it looks like the rubberized band provided for a comfortable fit, and although the 1.5- x 1.5-inch face doesn't look nearly as gaudy as some watch faces we've seen, it still screams geek whilst resting on your arm. Sadly, a proprietary USB cable coupled with an always-discouraging 2.5-millimeter headphone jack do warrant a few understandable digs, but the "all day" battery life, intuitive menu system, and respectable display all go in the watch's favor. On the musical front, it was said that playback was "on par" with other DAPs they tested, and while watching a movie back on such a diminutive screen wasn't apt to replace his PVP anytime soon, it was deemed a nifty feature that will "definitely garner geek points among those that are impressed by such things." So if you're interested in seeing just how long your retinas can stand to watch (ahem) a major motion picture on a 128 x 128 display, be sure and hit the read link for up close snapshots before coughing up the required dough.
EleeNo's Art 8 Elite watch boasts resin inlays
Although it may be perceived that folks purchase watches in order to simply tell the time, we've learned that this misconception is often proved wrong by the watchmaker itself. The Art 8 Elite by EleeNo follows the company's tradition of busting out slick looking timepieces that aren't exactly user-friendly when it comes to quickly portraying the current time, and while we certainly appreciate the handsfree approach and futuristic appeal, telling time based on resin inlays could take some getting used to. Regardless, this stainless steel wristwatch boasts a butterfly clasp, Super 2035 movement from Citizen Japan, four years of battery life, water resistance, and is available with "coffee" or "marble" colored faces. So if you've always desired a moving dartboard on your wrist, and just weren't satisfied with all the other options unveiled this week, you can snag this piece right now for $138.84.[Via Uber-Review]
