Filed under: Wearables

While we’ve got no qualms with implausibly priced gizmos, nor with timepieces sporting integrated Bluetooth, drum machines, GPS, or breathalyzer functionalities, Quadtec seems to be asking a bit much for a watch that does little besides alternate the way you tell the time. For those who might actually enjoy learning a new way to read time, Quadtec’s digital watch can be “set to show the number of minutes to the full hour,” so you can have the presumable pleasure of “reading the time on a digital display as you would on an analog one.” Aside from also displaying the current day / date, it only sports a simple backlight and alarm, while coming in a stealthy briefcase that packs orange, black, and stainless steel bands. Although it bears striking resemblance to a top-notch gumball toy, this uninspiring wristwatch demands a whopping 1,960 quarters (or $490, whichever you prefer).

[Via I4U]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Filed under: Portable Video, Wearables

If you’re more interested in keeping a certain amount of full motion video strapped on your wrist than an actual clock (or breathalyzer, even), Shenzhen Adragon Digitek’s MP4 watch provides the diversion you’ve been looking for. Similar in utility to Aigo’s F209, Shenzhen’s rendition provides a slightly less repulsive color scheme, and promises a very respectable nine hours of playback time. Reportedly sporting a snazzy color display, MP4 support, line-in capabilities, five EQ settings, and USB 2.0 connectivity, the timepiece can presumably provide a bit of underwater entertainment as well as it touts a “water / shockproof” enclosure. While details concerning the storage capacity, screen resolution, and pricing are MIA, the company is currently seeking firms to OEM the watch (any VCs in attendance?), so you might want to look elsewhere if you don’t have time (ahem) to wait around.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time.

Filed under: Wearables

While there’s definitely no shortage of watches that serve a greater purpose than merely telling time, Jeonjun Cho, a sophomore at Kyungki University in Korea, has developed a timepiece that does nothing more than display the current time to the blind. His braille clock collection has both aesthetes and utilitiarians covered, as the sleek silver finish makes for a snazzy piece of 2001-esque jewelry, and the solar-powered braille ticker allows the blind to check the time without consulting their RFID-enabled robot tagalong. The necklace and watch each share the same readout, which is composed of simple “dots, lines, and planes,” all basic factors of creating braille numbers. So if you’ve got a visually impaired pal who hasn’t picked up a talking cellphone to keep him / her on schedule, these fashionable timepieces could be just the thing to keep things on track.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time.

Filed under: Wearables

Ever since we saw Seiko’s CPC TR-006 prototype watch with built-in Bluetooth, we’ve been anxiously waiting for a piece of stylish wristwear that also makes a fuss when we get a phone call, and displays Caller ID info so our smartphone never has to leave its belt holster. Well our long wait will finally be over on July 7th, but in a cruel twist of fate, instead of that not-unfashionable Seiko, the first Bluetooth watch to market will be a rather hideous looking model from Citizen with a tiny screen and gaudy blue buttons marring the face. Besides sporting that disaster of a design, though, the W700 VIRT Bluetooth watch doesn’t sound like it’s all that uncomfortable to wear, with its sub-two-ounce weight paling in comparison to the those G-Shock shackles some people weigh down their arms with. Plus, you get a pretty decent five-day battery life, SPOT-like charging dock, and best of all– at least for cellphone addicts — an optional alert for notifying you if your phone ever travels a potentially-traumatizing distance from your person. Only 5,000 of these pieces will be sold during the initial rollout, but even if they’re offered at a very reasonable price (which we highly doubt), sales will probably be limited to only the geekiest most hardcore early-adopters.

[Via Wrist Dreams]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Peripherals

Ever since we saw Seiko’s CPC TR-006 prototype watch with built-in Bluetooth, we’ve been anxiously waiting for a piece of stylish wristwear that also makes a fuss when we get a phone call, and displays Caller ID info so our smartphone never has to leave its belt holster. Well our long wait will finally be over on July 7th, but in a cruel twist of fate, instead of that not-unfashionable Seiko, the first Bluetooth watch to market will be a rather hideous looking model from Citizen with a tiny screen and gaudy blue buttons marring the face. Besides sporting that disaster of a design, though, the W700 VIRT Bluetooth watch doesn’t sound like it’s all that uncomfortable to wear, with its sub-two-ounce weight paling in comparison to the those G-Shock shackles some people weigh down their arms with. Plus, you get a pretty decent five-day battery life, SPOT-like charging dock, and best of all– at least for cellphone addicts — an optional alert for notifying you if your phone ever travels a potentially-traumatizing distance from your person. Only 5,000 of these pieces will be sold during the initial rollout, but even if they’re offered at a very reasonable price (which we highly doubt), sales will probably be limited to only the geekiest most hardcore early-adopters.

[Via Wrist Dreams]

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Peripherals

Anyone can own both an unattractive watch and an equally homely Bluetooth accessory, but when they come together as one, it’s something very special. That’s exactly what Chronotech has done with their Bluevoice device, offering digital and analog models whose faces double as detachable headsets. When a call comes in, you just pop the face off the wrist strap and put ‘er on — a creative way to stow your headset that you’d otherwise have to put around your neck, in your pocket, or simply wear all day — but this is a case where we’d have liked to see Chronotech put a bit more effort into the industrial design side of their operation. For what it’s worth, the Bluevoice can be yours in colors like “white sparkle” for $119.95 in digital and $127.95 in analog configurations; a little steep for an average headset plus a wristwatch you might find in a box of Crackerjack, we think, but the ability to offer the current time to passers-by who happen to be looking at your head is admittedly priceless.

[Via BlueTomorrow]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments