Citizen/IBM To Make A Linux Watch

backtick writes: " Yup, they're making the Watchpad. 'Besides telling time, the WatchPad comes with a calendar-scheduling application, a pager-like application for sending and receiving short messages, and a Bluetooth chip for wireless communication with notebooks, handheld computers and cell phones'" If they'll make a watch that runs Linux and takes pictures like Casio's camera watch, I might just switch back to a digital. Gerdts points out that the watch's battery life is either up to six hours, or only six hours, depending on how you look at it.

Comments

I knew it was only a matter of time

[rjamestaylor]

(sorry)

Oh hell, why not.

[UberOogie]

- How long until someone roots your wrist?

- Does it have a picture of Tux on the watchface?

- Imagine a beowulf cluster of these.

- [Insert "If MS made watches joke here]

Re:6 hours?

[sacherjj]

So put a charger at the urinal! What is the problem. :)

You can have your geeky watch

[KingAzzy]

I'll keep my Rolex and enjoy a considerable amount of more female attention while you are showing your little toy off to all the other nerdboys.

I imagine this will match your Linux t-shirt and Apple bumper sticker well.

To Do list

[ellem]

12:00 Charge watch
18:00 Charge Watch
24:00 Charge watch
06:00 Charge watch

Six hours

[r_j_prahad]

Don't fret the short battery life, folks. Any self-respecting geek is just going to strap an APC power supply to his ass and snake cabling down his shirtsleeve to run this.

The linux watch...

[StikyPad]

when a "Kick Me" sign is just too subtle.

Re:6 hours and deja-vu

[TheMidget]

...if you had the muscles to wear them for long you could probably get tennis arm...

Or, more to the point, if you had the muscles to wear them, you probably weren't the type of person to wear them...

Reminds me of an old joke

[Anonymous Coward]

http://www.geocities.com/SouthBeach/Palms/2547/Bas ic_Humor.html

Re:Reminds me of an old joke

[sacherjj]

Mod this up, it is pretty funny and on-topic!

Good geeks and bad geeks...

[sdo1]

OK, there's good geeks... those are the ones who can fix their mom's computer over the phone in two easy steps, who can help their sister's fiance' shop for a new TV, who have their homes networked so they can watch their hacked TiVo in any room of the house...

And then there's the bad geeks. The ones that give the rest of us a bad name. They don't bathe often enough, they wear thick glasses (when thin ones would do), they have pocket protectors, and they wear big honkin' Dick Tracy watches on their wrist.

Egads!

-S

switch to digital?

[Anonymous Coward]

You wouldn't need to 'switch to digital'... as far as I know, one of the only applications they have on the watch is Xclock in analog mode.

ViaVoice

[BubbaFett]

If IBM has a hand in this, why not rig this thing up with ViaVoice? Imagine the possibilities!

Me: KITT! Get me outta here!
KITT: Yes Michael *wooh-wooh*.

KITT Turbo-boosts into room and slides up beside me.

Me: Thanks buddy.

Re:Yes, it does have a picture of Tux

[Russ Steffen]

Then they would run backwards at times, you would have to pay more money each year for the same watch with the bug fixes, and sometimes it would just stop and you'd have to replace the battery to start it again.

Let's not forget:

• You need extra licenses if you want someone besides yourself to read the watch.
• Every time you look at the watch a little animated figure pops up and says "Hi. It looks like you're trying to read the time. How can I help?".
• EULA prevents you from telling anyone else the time you read off the display. It also prevents you for using the time to disparage Microsoft or MSN.
• The watch comes complete with T-1 speed wireless access from anywhere on the planet. However, it only allowed to be used for license compliance tracking.
• The watch tells time in decimal and uses the Julian calander. Converting it to anything else violates the DMCA.

.

The rewinding thread

[WillSeattle]

Can you make one that's self-rewinding?

I can just picture the next time you go to a bar. You'll be able to tell all the Linux Geeks - they'll be the ones shaking their wrists all the time ...

Re:You're kidding, right?

[_aa_]

THERE IS NOTHING FUNNY ABOUT MASTURBATION PRODUCED ENERGY. I am appauled that you would poke fun at a renewable and non-pollutant energy source. I myself have since childhood spent countless hours researching and experimenting with this technology. I have found it to be a rewarding and enjoyable process.

I am currently researching the use of ejaculate as a paste for magazine paper.

Re:You're kidding, right?

[Bud Dwyer]

ok, i guess all the wankers out there would love this watch then

Good point. The type of person who would buy this "watch" wouldn't have much trouble recharging it through kinetic means.

Re:6 hours and deja-vu

[The Larch]

The Predator's watch probably didn't include a tactical nuke. If you look at the video evidence of the detonation of his device, you can clearly see a distortion across the field of view, very much like a gravitational lensing effect. It is more likely that the Predator's self-defense device was based on a technology able to create and manipulate extreme gravitational fields, in effect creating a tiny, temporary neutron star that sucked in surrounding matter, thus releasing a vast amount energy from the implosion. This was also a very efficient way of disposing of all physical evidence of his visit, and if it weren't for the incredibly brave camera crew that happened to be present and whom the Predator fortunately failed to notice, the very fact he was here would still be unknown to us to this date.

To get back to the topic: while putting a tactical nuke inside a Linux-powered wristwatch is beyond IBM's current technical capability, it will certainly be possible in the hopefully not too distant future. One can only hope that the unfortunate events of 9/11 will not cause unconstitutional legislation to be passed that would keep these devices away from the reach of the common man, making it impossible for him to protect his home and family.

Remember, when tactical nukes in wristwatches are outlawed, only Predator will have a tactical nuke in his wristwatch!

Didn't you read the GPL?

[Unknown Bovine Group]

It's now:

GNU/Citizen and GNU/IBM to make a GNU/Linux GNU/Watch

Nice but...

[mini me]

...all I wanted was the time!

Login: user
Password:

Linux Watch 2.4.11.
watch~$ date
Thu Oct 11 17:40:32 EDT 2001
watch~$ exit

New way to measure time.

[Axe]

Just replace your battery every 6 hours and count the old ones in your pocket.

Re:Baterylife = 6 Hours

[drsoran]

I can see it now:
"Hey Steve.. I see you down at the gym an awful lot these days running on the treadmill. Trying to get in shape?"

"No, just charging up my $^@#@!* watch again."

What's next?

[Dirtside]

Geez, what's next? The SaniPad, a Linux-powered tampon/personal organizer that monitors your menstrual blood flow and tells you when it's time for your next pill?

OS/2 Pacemaker

[os2fan]

They have OS/2 pace-makers. I imagine they run longer than "only" six hours.

dialogue

[Catmando]

Chick: Hey hot stuff what time is it?
./'er: (shaking) uhh, the time is eleven o'kernel panic...
(chick leaves)