By Andrew Liszewski

It’s probably not a guaranteed way to reach Phelps-like levels of performance in the pool, but if you’re curious about your lap times or stroke count and don’t have the sponsorship dollars to pay for a swim coach, this wrist-worn monitor from Finis appears to be just as capable. Using accelerometers, magnetometers and proprietary algorithms the Swimsense is able to automagically distinguish between backstrokes, breaststrokes, butterfly and freestyle strokes, in addition to tracking distance, split times, laps, pace times, stroke rate and even calories burned.

The Swimsense also comes with a charging/syncing dock which replenishes its rechargeable battery for 24 hours of use after a 2 hour charge, and also allows the results of the last 14 workouts (the watch’s max capacity) to be uploaded to an online training log site where your stats and performance vitals can be further analyzed. $199.99 available directly from Finis.

[ Finis SwimSense Performance Monitor ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Kinetic-powered watches that harness the movement of the wearer to wind a spring and keep the mechanical movements running have been around for ages. But watchmaker Ventura has designed a new timepiece, the SPARC MGS set to be unveiled at BaselWorld 2011 in a few weeks, that uses the same mechanisms to power its LCD display and other digital bits.

According to Ventura, throughout an average day the wearer’s movements will turn an oscillating mass (which is visible above the display) about 4,000 times, and via a set of connecting gears these rotations are used to repeatedly tension a spring. Every time the spring is fully tensioned, it releases its force to a built-in micro-generator which generates electricity, keeping the electronic bits running. And while the details are a bit vague at this point, the SPARC MGS apparently also has a slick and improperly spelled EasySkroll system which allows the wearer to navigate the UI by simply moving their wrist. (Which also cleverly encourages them to keep the watch moving and of course powered.)

[ Ventura ] VIA [ I4U News ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Sometimes a product becomes incredibly popular for a reason not originally intended by the manufacturer. It’s often referred to as its ‘killer app’ and for the latest generation iPod Nano the inclusion of a simple analog clock on the lock screen meant that it could double as a fairly capable, albeit chunky, watch. And so from the day it was announced the race was on for third-party accessory makers to come up with the perfect watch band solution.

While the HEX definitely wasn’t the first Nano watch band to hit market, I still think it’s one of the best options you can buy right now. And that’s talking from experience, having tried and tested countless other Nano watch band alternatives at CES this year. And trust me, there were plenty to be tested. So if you want to know why the HEX is worth your $29.95 (plus the cost of the iPod Nano 6G) check out my full review after the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Andrew Liszewski

Jeremy Scott’s collaborations with Adidas, including his JS Wings 2.0 and Flame sneaks, made us instant fans of his designs. And you’ll soon be able to coordinate your footwear and your wristwear thanks to an upcoming collaboration he’s doing with Swatch. There’s no pricing or an official release date as of yet, nor do we know if this is the full extent of the collection. But if you’re a fan of fine art, arcing electricity or even his JS Wings 2.0 shoes, you’re sure to find something you’ll like amongst these.

[ Highsnobiety - Jeremy Scott x Swatch Watch Collection ] VIA [ ALBOTAS ]

By Andrew Liszewski

If you’re a fan of watches you’re probably already familiar with Nooka. Like Tokyo Flash their designs tend to be very original and unique, though unlike Tokyo Flash you don’t need a masters degree in Cryptography to read the time.

Their latest creation is a collaboration with Karim Rashid called the Yogurt. I have no idea why it’s called the Yogurt though. What I do know is that it features a circular design made from flexible polyurethane with a matching round display that shows the hour with a series of segmented hexagons, and the minutes with a series of dashes that encircle the outer edge of the watch’s face. And it’s available in 6 different colors starting in early February for $130.

[ Nooka Yogurt ] VIA [ Acquire ]

By Andrew Liszewski

It seems like there’s a new watch band accessory for the 6th generation iPod Nano popping up every week, and for the most part they rarely bring anything new or interesting to the table. However the new Sport Watch Band from HEX is the first one to accomodate the dongle required for the Nike Plus in-shoe pedometer.

I mean it’s not exactly the most ground-breaking innovation, but since the 6th gen Nano has become so popular for workouts, particularly when paired with a watch band, it’s a small improvement that’s sure to make the Sport Watch Band very popular among fitness types. And it will be available in April, probably comparably priced to their existing $29.95 Nano watch bands.

[ PR - HEX Announces Sport Watch Band Compatible with NIKE Plus ]

By Andrew Liszewski

While its current aesthetics leave something to be desired, Casio is definitely on to something with their prototype Bluetooth Low Energy watch designed to communicate with smartphones. It’s not the first watch on the market designed with such functionality, but its BLE technology means that on a single CR2032 cell button battery you’ll get about 2 years of life, assuming it’s communicating with your phone ~12 hours a day. Other wrist-worn devices, while sporting lovely full color LCD displays, require you to charge them on a weekly basis which is simply annoying.

Of course functionality is a bit limited as a result, but I think the watch strikes a good balance between battery life and capabilities. A scrolling dot-matrix LCD display provides information on who’s calling, who txt’d or who emailed, and the watch can control or silence alarms and notifications on a smartphone in your pocket by simply tapping its face. There’s even a locator and/or security function that can let you know if your phone has been left behind, or simply help you find it by sounding an alarm.

However, as you can see the prototype being demo’d at Casio’s booth was communicating with an Android-based phone since the current limitations with the iPhone and Bluetooth connectivity when it comes to third-party apps once again means that Apple’s offerings might not be able to play nice with these devices that Casio is hoping to get to the market sometime in 2011.

[ PR - Casio Develops Watch That Communicates with Smartphones VIA Bluetooth Low Energy Link ]

By Chris Scott Barr

If you’ve ever shared a bed with someone who has to get out of bed hours before you, then you probably hate the sound of an alarm more than most. Not only do you have to hear it when it’s time for you to get your day started, but you get to hear it when someone else is getting up as well. The best part is when the other person likes to hit the snooze button a few times. Not that I’ve experienced this and am bitter or anything.

Anywho, back to the matter at hand. One way you can wake yourself in the morning without disturbing the other person in bed is with a vibrating watch like this Analarm Watch. This timepiece is rather simple, with just a very basic face and no frills. The only thing out of the ordinary is the alarm feature, which instead of beeping, vibrates. Well, the $450 price tag is pretty out of the ordinary too. I think I’ll find a better way to quietly get myself up in the morning.

[ RetailFacility ] VIA [ CreativeGreed ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Striking while the iron’s hot, Romain Jerome’s latest timepiece embraces the steampunk trend at the height of its popularity. Cleverly named the ‘Steampunk’ the watch appears to be part of the company’s Titanic DNA line since the oxidized bezel is made from steel from the actual wreckage of the ship, and materials supplied by the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast where the Titanic was built.

Like with the company’s previous timepieces there are also details throughout the watch tying it back to the Titanic like the tiny ship’s propeller located on the left side of the face. And once again Romain Jerome hasn’t posted any pricing info, though like with their original Titanic model the Steampunk will only be available in a limited run of 2,012 pieces since 2012 marks the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the ocean liner.

[ Press - Romain Jerome ] VIA [ aBlogtoRead ]