I really, really want a watch phone. I use my cellphone for two things: making phone calls, and checking the time, so if someone can stuff all that into a wrist-sized gadget and then actually produce and sell the thing, it would make me very happy. LG is working on one, and Epoq had something about a month ago (that is still not available, BTW), but this watchphone from Van Der Led has the distinction of being in physical existence and supposedly for sale right now (although their website isn’t working for me). The phone itself has average specs (quad band GSM, stereo Bluetooth, 260k color touchscreen display, 1gb storage, and 240 hours / 300 mins of standby / talk time), but I really like the numberpad on the wristband. Sure, it’s a little bit ugly and bulky, but not so much of either that I wouldn’t wear one.
The Van Der Led WM2 should be about $475 if you can find it somewhere.
It’s been a long time since I’ve worn a watch. Between my iPod and cellphone I always have something that can tell the time easily. I have considered getting a watch now and again, but I rarely see any that really suit me. If you’re the kind of person that’s perfectly fine with the idea of death, this watch is for you.
The only things that appear on the face of this watch are a simple second hand along with hour and minute hands that read “remember you will die.” Seriously, how morbid is that? I don’t think anyone is really going to forget the fact that they will die some day. If you need a constant reminder of that fact, you can pick one of these up for $145.
This isn’t the first watch from Diesel to feature an OLED display, but since the original model only used the technology for a thin strip of blue numbers, it might as well be. While the display on the DZ7086 isn’t exactly large compared to LCD standards, it’s no longer monochrome thanks to the introduction of green to complement the blue. But even with a ‘cutting-edge’ OLED display the watch is still styled after the LED watches from the 1970’s, so it will probably appeal mainly to the retro crowd.
The watch face has 4 different animations that can be triggered at random whenever you push one of the buttons on the side and features a genuine black leather strap that’s attached to the display via a set of stainless steel lugs. Oh and it of course sports the Diesel logo, since most people won’t be buying it for the OLED technology.
I’m particularly fond of watches with a busy face, but the Astrodea collection from Citizen is kind of pushing the limits. The watch face has a 35° view of the heavens (as seen from the Northern Hemisphere) that rotates in real time and shows 1,109 stars and 169 cluster galaxies. It also includes other measurements like equinox indications, constellation markers, location of the sun, solar position, sunrise and sunset times and the daily duration of sunshine.
The watch comes in either a blue or gold face version, has a stainless steel case and band and uses non-reflective sapphire glass. And because the face itself is so detailed the watch even includes a 10x magnifier for close-up viewing. Both versions are available from Japan Trend Shop for $585.
We wrote about this watch phone back in December when it was rumored to be a TAG Heuer design. Now, it looks like it’s possibly being produced outside of the TAG Heuer brand, by Epoq, as the Epoq EGP-WP88. Now, I’d love to have a cellphone that I can use for the internet and crap, I really would. But since I don’t want to shell out 60 bucks a month for the data connectivity privilege, I’ve resigned myself to using my cellphone to (gasp) make phone calls. Oh, and to tell me what time it is. So something like this would be just about perfect, if it’s the real thing.
The only reason I’m being cautious about this release (supposed to be March 1), is that so far I’ve only seen renderings, and the watch promises an awful lot, even considering its $529.95 price. It’s quad band GSM, has 128mb of memory, supports stereo bluetooth, and can play MP4 video on its face (which is an OLED screen). The face is also a touchscreen which can recognize handwriting. Most impressive of all is that it uses the kinetic motion of your arm to recharge its lithium ion batts, for 120 minutes of talk time and 70 hours of standby. Hey, did I mention it’s water resistant to 50m?
March 1st is only about a week away, and I’ll believe this watch when I see it.
The G-Shock series from Casio have always struck a nice balance between being both athletic looking but also geeky, in a high-tech kind of way. But to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the G-Shock brand (I could swear it’s been around longer than 25 years) Casio is releasing a limited edition ‘blinged-up’ model called the MRG-8000G. In addition to an 18 carat gold ring and gold accents on the watch face, it also has a titanium bezel and all black metal finish. It even features Casio’s ‘Tough Solar’ technology which uses a solar panel in the watch face to recharge the battery. (Just like Citizen’s Eco-Drive models do.)
However the MRG-8000G will probably only end up in the hands of collectors and Casio employees since only 200 are being made with a price tag of 525,000 YEN, or about $4,900 US dollars.
Even though a lot of people were convinced the world would come to an end after Gizmodo’s TV-B-Gone stunt at CES, it seems the only real fallout will be security guards at future trade shows specifically keeping an eye out for the little device. So if you were hoping to be completely unoriginal and pull the exact same stunt at another show, you’re going to need something a bit less obvious.
Enter the World Time Zone TV Remote Watch that looks like your typical Ironman-esque sports model, but also includes an IR emitter for controlling a wide range of TVs, VCRs and DVD players. (I think it tells time too.) The emitter only has a range of about 10 to 16 feet, so you’re going to have to be really subtle and preferably hide in a large crowd in order to use it. But on the plus side, if you’re successful you’ll get to star in one of thousands of me-too! videos on YouTube. (Please note: OhGizmo! does not endorse the use of this device for shutting off displays during presentations we happen to be attending.)
The watch is available from Vavolo for just $12.50.
In a secretive little area in the LG exhibit was a glass case guarded by two PR people, enthusiastically keeping people from taking pictures of what was inside. So what was inside? Working prototypes of an LG watch phone. I flashed my press badge and they let me take a few pics, making me feel all kinds of special:
It’s GSM based, with a high resolution touchscreen, Bluetooth, and 3 buttons plus a scroll wheel. The guys at Engadget got some brief hands-on time with one of the prototypes, which illustrates how easy it is to use despite its size:
While being marvels of electronic engineering, the first GPS equipped watches were ridiculously large units that were as good at being wrist weights as they were at pinpointing your location. But it was inevitable that the technology would eventually shrink to the point where a GPS watch looked no different than a regular one, and I believe the Forerunner 405 from Garmin has reached that point.
The watch is part of Garmin’s fitness line so it’s catered towards runners and other athletes who like to keep track of their performances while on the go. So instead of small hard to find buttons, the watch has a touch-sensitive bezel that can be used to scroll through menus and select options. The watch can also constantly monitor your time, distance, pace, burned calories and even heart rate when a coupled with a chest monitor. And that info can be wirelessly transferred to your PC or even another watch if you’re competing with a friend.
The Forerunner 405 should be available some time in the first quarter of 2008 and will retail for about $318.74. (That’s a pretty specific MSRP by the way. I think 74 cents was a good choice, since people would probably scoff if the price had gone up to 75 cents.)
Related Tags: Cellphones, Watches
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