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Return of the TV Wristwatch
An anonymous reader writes "20 years after the Seiko TV watch, another Asian firm has given it another go. The Globe and Mail in Canada got their hands on the NHJ TV Watch and have posted a review. The writer thinks it's still just way too huge to be a watch but is still impressed."
The Seiko Wristwatch TV wasn't a watch and it wasn't just a "thing" on your wrist. It had a breakout box that carried audio and power that fit on your belt. The actual wrist part of the device was MUCH smaller than this device (at least as it appears in the picture)
I got one of the Seiko's off eBay as a novelty item not too long ago. I actually would like it if someone did the same with the breakout box also being an iPod like MP3 player. I'd rather have as small a device as possible on my wrist and have it tell time, if I want higher functions - connect the breakout box.
Yell & scream & rant & rave... it's no use... you need a shaaaave ~ Bugs Bunny
haha 20years later and that is the best you can do ?
shame on you
not to mention that a lot of countries are switching off analog TV transmitters (for digital), so its going to be a great paperweight
I want a watch that tells the time and just tells the time. A cell phone that only makes calls. A keyboard without Internet Keys. Why do I end up paying a premium for these simple devices? :(
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WHY?
Fabienne: Whose watch is this?
Butch: It's a TV, baby.
Fabienne: Whose TV is this?
Butch: It's Zed's.
Fabienne: Who's Zed?
Butch: Zed's dead, baby. Zed's dead.
I haven't used it for a while though. I moved to an area where we don't get cable, so there wasn't really anything to watch.
it's not like those of us who are actually trying to walk anywhere aren't already constantly dodging distracted pedestrians who's eyes are glued to the adverts on the bus shelters, instead of looking where they're going
this is the sort of handy contraption that makes daily life for the rest of us that much more exciting!
I really don't understand what it is with geeks and these big ugly plastic watches! Personally I just like a very simple analog wristwatch.
"Madness is something rare in individuals - but in groups, parties, peoples, ages it is the rule." -- Nietzsche
I would rather watch tv on my 114 inch screen at a resolution of 1280x1024.
Let me know when it's available as a pocket watch..
The Seiko thing is a pretty amazing piece of engineering for the time, IMO. But who would want to sit there staring at their wrist for more then a few seconds. I mean, after a couple minutes wouldn't your arm get tired?
Why not make some "eyephones", not to be so gibsonesq, but wouldn't a small monitor suspended a few inches from your face make a lot more sense for 'ultraportable' TV?
autopr0n is like, down and stuff.
these have been available for a while now from Dynamism. they're cheaper than i would have thought at $219. probably the cheapest item dynamism carries...
TV on a watch is a waste of time. Shrink down a PDA and give me wireless access and then I'll give you a thought.
It looks just like their wristband gadgets
Cell phones have become the piece of technology that everyone wants to show their friends now. A lot of people even use them as a replacement for their watches. There may be a market for cell phone TV's, but I can't see anybody buying this.
I'm not going to be satisfied until I get my flying car. I've given up on the personal jet pack, but I'm not backing down on the flying car.
What is their obsession with digital watches?
This is about the equivalent of when one of the members of RunDMC (I believe) wore the wall clock around his neck as a wrist watch.
Hmmm.
Without broadcast TV, gadgets like this would be useless, and perhaps replaced by those same next-gen cell phones (with an expensive TV subscription plan of course).
Buy Steampunk Clothing Online!
The writer of the review is quite the humorist. For instance:
Sacrificing my public image in the name of science, I wore it as a watch for about an hour at the local mall. If you're into female repellant, wearing it this way will give you better results than a wet spot on the front of your pants.
In light of this, I propose that slashdot's motto be changed to: News for Nerds. Stuff That Repels Females.
Hmmm ... maybe not. Don't see it catching on, somehow.
I hear there's rumors on the Slashdots
How is a it a 'wrist watch' if it's around your neck?
autopr0n is like, down and stuff.
Maybe you're thinking of Public Enemy's Flava Flav? Same time-frame, though.
Well maybe it's bulletproof, and with your 4 friends you can unite in a non-homoerotic manner to call upon captain planet. Because he always gets the babes.
Ok, seriously now, if that's the best they can do, no wonder they would rather use OLEDs for those things.
Presently here, but not there.
of this thing is pretty high IMHO, it's usefullness is almost zilch. First, when was the last time you watched broadcast TV? In my case, it's been years ago; then again, I rarely watch TV at all. The only good use I can think of for this thing is at sporting events when you want the camera's view. I grow tired of "gadgety" gadgets. I want smaller, lighter and multi-functional---the first thing that comes to mind is something like a Treo 600. A good, clear screen (OLED?) coupled with broadband wireless and a satellite tuner would REALLY set the world on fire, even if it looked like a geek's wet dream. I know, I know: we have to get past clunky and useless to get to cool and useable. But why did this thing ever leave the R&D Department?
Don't be a looter...and yes, I know that it's spelled with an "A" instead of an "E".
Returning stuff like Televisions and Wristwatches whilst having sex with a mare.
...the Japanese can make ir smaller!
http://efil.blogspot.com/
tekgear sells 'em
In Asian countries there is a fashionable trend and social acceptance to wearing these newly looking watches.
Like the Casio G-shocks and other hi-tech watches, they sold like hot cakes in the mid 90s. It wasn't until the year 2000 before they start making an appearance in the U.S. This TV watch will probably be a super trend in Asia for years before people start buying it in U.S.
Um, so you can call it a watch.
They say the first thing to go is your penis. Well, it's either that or your brain. I forget which...
just take it off the watch band and mount it in something else....say as a display on a helmet? It may be too large for a wrist, but that doesnt mean it won't have other applications.
I'm not too crazy about the idea of wearing a phone on my wrist, wearing a TV on my wrist is better?
Mod me troll, if you must, I can't help it.
The usage bottleneck is still the battery... limited to one hour of tv in this instance.
In Berlin, they turned analog VHF/UHF off and switched to digital DVB-T this spring. The rest of good old Germany will follow suit in the next couple of years, which would make this the most expensive display of white noise around :-).
A DVB-T wristwatch with a USB port would be very cool though: watch TV while they send that 2gigabyte file to your Notebook...
Instead it's the "I want to hear (and kinda squint to watch) the broadcast while I'm at the game" niche. This has the same appeal as an old lug-it-to-the-game TV from 1980ish. The article's right: it's for the "news/sports junkie" and that's about it. Only, of course, news junkies want CNN and sports junkies want ESPN, neither of which'll come in.
What this article mainly does is impress me with the product Seiko made 20 years ago. The market for the new version isn't any better now -- if anything it's smaller, because people don't think of broadcast signals as the entire universe of TV any more. Eh (shrugs).
"Fundamentalism" isn't about divine morality. It's about human authority.
He may be AC, but only UK folks use the word 'whilst.'
Phones with TV reception are far more likely to receive mass acceptance than these wrist monstrosities. Toshiba and NEC have working models in Japan, check this WSJ review, and SprintPCS is brining MobiTV to some of its models in the U.S.
I bought a new watch from Swatch, mechanical, autowinder, sweep second hand, aluminum band, skeleton front and back, 21 jewels, etc... awesome watch for $125.
I would rather have a nice watch that tells time and lives for more than 1 hour of use. This TV watch (both old and new, actually) seem to be for people with way too much disposable income.
Reviews with a twist! http://www.sardonicbastard.com
I used to have a Timex BeepWear Pro, and let me tell you - that thing wore out it's welcome real fast. It was 3 times the thickness of a normal watch, larger overall then a normal watch, and took 3 batteries which lasted about a month. I think I wore it for about 5-6 weeks before finally getting rid of it.
It just screamed "I'm a geek!" and was way to cumbersome to be useful.
From the looks of this TV watch, it would be the same way. Neat toy for a few hours/days, then relegated to the drawer of forgotten tech
Looking for hardware (Currently need: Large Etch-a-Sketch) Have one? See my journal!
Is anyone working on, say, a SD card with a TV tuner (be it analog or DVB) for a PDA? It probably still would suck the battery dry in no time, but it would be fun while it lasts...
Alternatively, have a purpose built solution, maybe employing something like the Archos Video Jukebox or the Media Center of MS. What's the status there?
Is there any advantage to be had by going for DVB? Batterywise, eg? Which size antenna do you need anyway?
Just fodder for thought (and replies).
Greetings, g.a.g
Hurricane Application Group, Dept of Meteorology Control, Ministry of Proactive Defense
Maybe it is just me, but did anyone else read this and think "why are you even carrying a paperback-size TV around... carry a paperback book instead." There is still no more useful timekiller while you are waiting in a parking lot, on the subway, in a doctor's office, or just have a lot of free-time, than reading a book. TV rots your brain, didn't anyone ever tell you that?
These attributes do not apply to watching television. Whatever video you watch will probably be of sufficient length that the time wasted fishing a larger, more useful device out of your pocket is negligible. This is why wristphones are stupid, too. If the device's use takes more than a split second and/or it doesn't need to be accessible on an instant whim, there is no reason to put it on your wrist. I'm all for video-enabled cell phones. I see no reason why my portable electronics need to reside somewhere other than my pockets. Hey, why not attach an ipod to a headband? The controls would be SUPER accessible!
Now can we please forget these stupid wristwatch gadgets and get on with the flying cars?
Comment removed based on user account deletion
roffles at teh ECHS-BOCHS humor...
So are there any PDAs yet with a built-in TV tuner? That would make much more sense IMO. I'd actually buy that .
The only thing that can makes geeks look geekier - waving their arms around like crazies to generate the larger image. I can see the ads now: Repel women, attract SWAT teams.
---
We spoke for about a half an hour. I don't recall a thing we said. - Colorblind James Experience
A few years ago, all the geeks with too much income would be all over this.
Now there's not as many geeks with too much income, and the ones who still have it look at the watch and say, "What, no Tivo?"
-JDF
...not for my PDA, but for the tivo in my wristwatch TV.
If the TV moves with my hand, it'll be really difficult to focus
I really don't understand what it is with people and any ugly watch.
I wear no watch at all... There are clocks all over the place, what's the point?
oooooooooooooo, your watch is bigger than mine. I wish I could be you.
"If you're into female repellant, wearing it this way will give you better results than a wet spot on the front of your pants."
That green slime had it coming.
Wrist TV Review
Wow, it only took 20 years to increase the size and weight of the watch several times over.
All that's needed now is a wristfridge and a portable couch (unsigned)
Gives new meaning to the concept of "geek with a beanie."
Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
Nope, anybody outside America uses British (or Regular) English. That being said, whilst hasn't been in circulation for the past 150 years...
My local TV station would show porn!!
Then I could put 2 of them on each wrist, and watch both wrists AND the 2 TV's....Wow that would be amazing!!!
Otherwise forget it....
It's left blank because I have nothing to say to you punks!
This is a pretty cool gadget, and given the extra cash, I will probably pick one up when it is available, if for nothing other than the gadget factor.
I wonder tho, what they will do when the US markets, at least, go from analog tv broadcast to digital broadcast. Since the FCC mandated that TV stations switch from Analog RF to Digital RF, will that affect the usabliltiy in the long run?
Also, wouldnt it be neat if they could add a small port and start selling it with walkman sized portable DVD players??
"Our funds have never taken part in toxic or death spiral convertible financings of any sort" -BayStar's managing partne
This invention will revolutionize the use of pornography. Think about it.
"In fact, they're now finding that most Women have large quantities of PBDEs in their breast milk"
Just as well.. can you imagine.. flame-thrower jubblies..
btw wrong thread???
a
When a passenger of the foot, hooves in sight, tootel the horn trumpet melodiously
I already have three TVs in my house. They have way better video and audio and don't suffer from the reception problems that these devices, naturally, suffer from. I have two computer screens at work that I could watch streaming video on (at least, financial networks usually offer streaming TV to business customers). Plus, there's a TV in the lobby. So that covers about 80% of my time.
There's also a bunch of TVs at the gym. The same is true for most coffee shops. I also do have a built-in TV tuner & screen in my car. So if I ever find myself waiting for someone I could, in theory, watch TV on that (I never do though). That pretty much covers the rest of my time. And when I am not at work, at the gym or at home I am probably somewhere outside relaxing and certainly won't feel like watching TV.
I actually prefer my grandfather's 1950's mechanical self winder to any current fancy "geekery"...
there's a simple elegance about a mechanical timepiece that a digital system can never quite match
a
When a passenger of the foot, hooves in sight, tootel the horn trumpet melodiously
The Good: The smallest TV available.
The Bad: Lasts just over an hour per charge.
That's bad?
In any given day, there is probably less than one hour of good TV. I'm thinking, Simpsons re-runs, and... well, yeah that's just about it.
Sigs cause cancer.
I was trying to get work done! And instead I am looking at naked chicks!
Can't compare to OLED screens. They still use too much power. The light emitter is always on therefore wasted energy. An Fed (field emitting display) is more efficient but is not mass produced by anyone.
The included earbuds have a proprietary plug which allows them to double as the antenna
I guess that's one way to lock in the accessories. I would hope that this thing has an adaptor for regular headphones/earbuds, otherwise breaking/losing these could suck... and you can't replace them with a better pair of standard ones.
At that size, add a CF slot in the base and DivX Playback (or even recording) software and i'd be sold!!
There are several MP3/AVI players out there, plus the new ones from M$ etc. that can output a perfectly good audio and visual signals. They have a built in LCD screen, but there's no reason you couldn't plug in your Olympus EyeTrek or other heads up display, or (if the wristwatch supports a video in) on your wristwatch (and if it doesn't, then the equivalent of the iRock but a video transmitter that plugs into your MP3/AVI player should be simple (if power hungry even for the 3 yard range required)).
The Sony version is supposed to integrate nicely with HD/DVD recorders etc. so that you can leave your cable box recording all your shows, have them dumped down to the player over night and watch them on the train on the way into work in the morning (and no, not while you're driving!)
Is it "Psycho" or "Seeko" or "Sayko" or ...
It has an NTSC tuner. Weren't all stations supposed to go to digital ATSC broadcasts by 2006?
Still, being able to watch snow year-round might be its own reward, for those of you who live in balmy or tropical climes, at least.
"Eyephones"?
How about "earglasses"? If you call watching at a distance "television", then radio is "telehearing". "What are you doing with those things on your ears, Joe?"
"I'm telehearing, Jake. By the way, the things on my ears are 'eyephones'."
I suppose you could call a cell phone as a "telephone". Makes sense.
Does anyone even watch TV anymore???
Ohhh! Pay Dirt! A pair of half-eaten choco-pants!
Try tinfoil
Drill baby drill - on Mars
But wetness in the female pants attracts males...
Strange.
I am NOT buying watch TV until it comes with at least 60" plasma screen.
Period.
Why do we need this? Seriously. What do you have to watch that is so time-critical that you MUST see it real-time? The News? What self-respecting geek watches TV news, when there's Google? Sports? Use a radio, check the scores online, or go to a sports bar.
If there's something on that I want to see, but will be out of the house for, I just TiVo it. If I wanted to be low-tech about it, I could use my trusty VCR to tape it. Either way, I can watch Good Eats when I get home. I see no reason to carry a postage-stamp-sized TV with me. Are y'all that addicted to Jerry Springer?
In 1983, I was about eight years old. One of my memories is visiting the jewelry store down the block with my father. I don't remember what he was shopping for, but I do remember very clearly the awesome TV wristwatch they had on display. The clerk was kind enough to show it off to me (must have been a slow day) and when I asked how much it was, she told me it was "Four ninety five." Now, I didn't have much concept of money as a kid, but I still knew enough to know she didn't mean five dollars. To this day I still feel a bit of humiliation at the fact that she felt the need to tell me, "That's four hundred and ninety five dollars, not four dollars and ninety-five cents. You couldn't buy it with your allowance."
Anyhow, I didn't realize that it was such a rare item. Is it really possible that there hasn't been a single other wristwatch telvision produced in the intervening 20 years? I sure thought it was cool when I was a kid...
The wrisTV gets 1.25h per charge, and is kinda big (even compared to the screen). If they dropped the UI HW and VHF/UHF receiver, replacing it with WiFi/MPG, maybe they could get more hours with less weight and bulk. Plug the SDIO WiFi card into my Treo 600, and I'm watching 128Kbps movies. In a year or two, as the PCS network goes to 500+Kbps, I'm watching real video.
--
make install -not war
Of course, the TV would need to employ similar technology to the mid-air text messages mentioned on /. a few days ago.
THINK about it...
This one gang kept wanting me to join cause I'm pretty good with a bo staff.
You can pick up a tuner for your GBA sp that will let you watch tv on it, and it still fits in your pocket (if you have big pockets like any respectable geek should). Not sure about battery life but I'll bet it's better than an hour, especially if you have one of those new improved 18 hour batteries from Lik-Sang.
WWJD? JWRTFA!
More to the point, TV is brainsucking evil, and it already takes a fair bit of work to avoid being exposed to a cathode ray tube these days. Why on earth would I want one strapped to my body like some sort of mind-control wrist manacle reminding me every five minutes to buy shit?
Still, Saykoh's R&D kids must have had fun coming up with the device. It was obviously throw-away money spent more for its PR value than actually making direct profit. --If Wrist-TV was truly a necessity to this modern age where destructive televised thought patterns must be distributed to the public At All Cost, then I'm sure they'd have come up with something which didn't look like a piece of scuba diving equipment.
--Something cool-looking and coveted by the masses which can more effectively feed the brain a lot of creepy messages mixed in with the candy. You know, like a Walkman.
Repeat after me. .
Love is the most important thing in the entire universe and you will never, ever find it which means you are a giant loser. Being miserable, aloof and unkind is cool. Buy stuff.
"Hit me baby, one more time."
-FL
tennis elbow and possibly w*k*rs cramp.
My hyperlinks aren't worth the paper they're printed on.
Of course 1.25 hours is a little short for a full days work.. but short of being a geek wearing a huge brick on your arm, there could be a market for it.. just not here... yet. :)
A wristwatch TV is silly. However!, I can't believe nobody has suggested making it a cell phone or even a video phone. That'd be useful. I hate carying around my cell phone, forgetting to take it places, fumbling to find it among the car keys and change. My watch on the other hand is a perfect, simple device that I never forget.
Combine a watch with a wireless phone/video phone, throw in limited PDA functionality, and one of those retinal projection devices (no screen necessary), keep the size limited to that of a regular slim watch: it'd be perfect.
Secondly, Nietsche's father was a minister, and so he no doubt read and possibly obsessed over the book of Ecclesiastes (by King Solomon), which starts off with that quote in the first verse. I suppose we could end up discussing whether Daoist teaching predates the Hebrew Kings. Daoism seems to postdate Modernism, but I am Western, so that might be by observation.
You'd have more profundity with a .sig that says "Tech is meaningless," or "The internet is meaningless." I'd even go for "wrist TVs are meaningless," although that's one of those things that you don't need to say.
I am left to wonder if Douglas Adams fans have commented on your .sig as well. They would be the sort to attack a .sig saying "digital watches are meaningless," because earthlings are famous for the reputation of thinking digital watches are a really neat idea.
It is really sad to meet people who consider their life meaningless; typically, their life is meaningless to them much of the time. Not to be too pop-culture (forgive the pun here), but Obey Your Thirst. When you find what quenches the deep and constant thirst, you will find meaning to life. Try to learn from the failures of others, though. First, the meaning of life is not digital watches. Second, Nietsche was famous for drug binges, and it did not improve his views on life, so skip that one, too.