By Andrew Liszewski
The new I:Virt M Series from Citizen, including the TM84-0351V and TM84-0352V models pictured above, are far from being the first Bluetooth equipped cellphone friendly watches on the market, but I suspect they’ll be just as ignored by the average consumer as their predecessors have been. I’m not entirely sure why Bluetooth watches like these haven’t caught on, but I’m sure it’s partly due to the fact that cellphones have become so compact, yet so capable, that it’s not that much of a chore to dig it out of your pocket to see who’s calling.
However, Citizen does make a strong case as to why a watch like this would be handy. Besides being able to see who’s calling, answer or reject incoming calls and read txt messages or emails while your phone is elsewhere, it also allows you to remotely control the phone’s camera shutter (that’s a good thing, right?) monitor your phone’s battery or signal strength and even receive breaking news updates, kind of like Microsoft’s MSN Direct service used to. But, those living outside of Japan probably shouldn’t even bother thinking about importing the watches, which only differ by the inclusion of a leather or metal band, since they’re only compatible with select SoftBank or Disney Mobile handsets.
[ Citizen I:Virt M Series ] VIA [ Akihabara News ]
I would buy this IF the watch is not bulky. Some of them are so big its embarrassing.
I would buy this IF the watch is not bulky. Some of them are so big its embarrassing.