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Caller ID Watches

kbielefe writes "On Thursday, Sony Ericsson and Fossil Inc. announced a line of bluetooth watches that vibrate when a call comes in on your cell phone, display the number of the caller, and allow you to press a button to send the call to voicemail. No more digging around in your pocket or purse before deciding if the call is important enough to interrupt a meeting."

16 of 239 comments (clear)

  1. Battery life by dsmey · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I wonder what the battery life is like and how many calls you get before your watch goes dead.

    1. Re:Battery life by dreamlax · · Score: 4, Funny

      I just wonder how long until they batteries are recalled . . .

    2. Re:Battery life by Jeff+DeMaagd · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I don't think that's the biggest problem.

      The very target market for this type of thing is probably the market that's abandoning the use of watches. Especially that thing. I heard of a poll last week that said that the "young adult" market generally isn't using watches to tell time anymore. The only upside is that they will get watches as a fashion accessory. I really don't think that Fossil qualifies. If it looked fashionable, metal with decent gold or silver plating, then maybe it would have had a better chance.

    3. Re:Battery life by soft_guy · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I don't see where it would be a big deal to remember to plug one more device in every night.

      You keep saying that long enough and you won't be able to get any sleep between all the plugging and unplugging you will be doing.

      --
      Avoid Missing Ball for High Score
  2. landline as well by WindBourne · · Score: 3, Interesting

    This sounds useful for the land line as well.

    --
    I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
    1. Re:landline as well by lelitsch · · Score: 4, Funny

      What is this "landline" that you are talking about?

  3. Here's what the Fossil looks like by xpeeblix · · Score: 5, Informative
    1. Re:Here's what the Fossil looks like by EnderWigginsXenocide · · Score: 4, Funny

      I always thought they looked like this.

      --
      Blessed are the pessimists, for they have made backups. -- 0 1 My two bits
  4. Destined to be obsolete by happy_place · · Score: 3, Funny

    Of course in the next year or so, when they come out with the whole Cellphone IN the watch, this product will be obsolete... :) --Ray

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    http://www.beanleafpress.com
  5. So this means, no headset. by glomph · · Score: 4, Insightful

    My phone won't attach to more than one bluetooth device at a time. Which means that if you use this watch, you can't use other BT doodads.

  6. I'm torn between... by TheDarkener · · Score: 4, Funny

    a) How nice it would be to not have to reach into your pocket to see who's calling
    b) How lazy I have become to think that this it would be nice to not have to reach into my pocket to see who's calling

    DAMN YOU, TECHNOLOGY!

    --
    It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.
  7. Kinda cool, but just Sony Ericsson ?? by NitroWolf · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I've been in the market for a new geek watch for about 8 months now, but nothing really strikes me as something I want to wear.

    The watches themselves look ok, and I like the idea of having caller ID on my wrist and not having to fuss with the phone... but only supporting Sony/Ericsson phones? I won't buy Sony shit, and I Ericsson phones are notorious pieces of shit.

    It's BLUETOOTH for gods sake... it's an open standard. Why won't it support generic Bluetooth phones?

    Screw that... I'll buy from another company that actually has support for some of the more common phones out there. I can't think of anyone with an Ericsson phone off the top of my head.

  8. My Grandfather the watchmaker... by MajorDick · · Score: 4, Insightful

    My Grandfather was a watchmaker, a good one. When I was about 6 or 7 my father bought a digital watch, it was well over $800 a hefty sum in the early 70's but it was gold with a thin black (red) slit that when the button on the side was pushed the time lit up in the little red-dot LED displays similar to first gen digital calculators.

    We sat down at the kitchen table and as my dad leaned over to show my grandfather the watch, he pushed the button and the time displayed. My grandfather never one to show much emotion shook his head and looked at my dad.

    He said, "I dont understand, how can they call that progress when NOW it takes 2 hands to tell time ?" as he show a quick glance at his favorite self winding chronograph.

    My dads bubble was visibly burst, I never saw him wear the watch again, it sits still in his jewelry box.....

    I LOVE the Idea of the Caller ID Watch as I have refused to carry a cell until about 4 months ago , it drives me nuts and spends most of its time in the car, but I could live with something like this.....BUT PLEASE OMIT THe function requireing me to PRESS A GODDAM BUTTON !

  9. Bad idea... by pupstah · · Score: 4, Funny

    How pissed is your boss going to be thinking you're so bored in his meeting that you have to keep checking your watch?

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    -- pupkick

  10. Am I unusual? by a_nonamiss · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Does anyone else really see an odd paradox here in that all the watches have analog dials with digital displays for the caller ID and Bluetooth? Some of the most modern technology coupled with the most archaic. I don't know why, but it's very hard to find a decent watch that is digital only. (NOTE: My search automatically excludes anything made of plastic, anything non water-resistant or anything that has calculator buttons.) I don't think I'm odd (well, OVERLY odd...) but am I alone in thinking that it's peculiar that it's the 21st century and the majority of us are still reading watch dials that were invented 500 years ago? I understand the romanticism of wanting to know how it was done in the old days (similar to knowing how to shave with a straight razor, navigate by the stars or shoot a bow & arrow) but why is it that 98% of all non-plastic watches are still analog? Sure, I know how to read an analog watch, but why should I have to? It's extra work. I can glance at a digital watch, and I know instantly what time it is. No calculating, no trying to figure out which number the little hand is pointing at. No counting up by 5's. Just a 1/10 second glance tells me unambiguously what I'm looking for.

    After an exhaustive search, I found this and so far I like it, but is it possible that it's the only decent watch that's all digital? I found a couple more (Ammon, Quiksilver and RipCurl come to mind) that were designed as surfer watches, but I really don't need to know when the tide is coming in here in Ohio. So I put this question to other time geeks out there. Are there other decent watches that are digital only? I don't like the analog/digital combo watches. Lots of wasted space that I don't care about. Just a reasonably plain, waterproof, easy to read watch that tells me the time and date at a glance, with a stainless steel case and a mineral quartz face. Am I wanting too much?

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    -Arthur
    Cave ne ante ullas catapultas ambules
    1. Re:Am I unusual? by a_nonamiss · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Very good point. The reason is that I am exceptionally hard on watches. Exceptionally hard. I don't know why, but I am clumsy and careless. In all seriousness, when I used to buy plastic watches, they lasted an average of one month, no kidding. I'm not being a snob about plastic watches or anything. Just being practical. Stainless steel or titanium watches with a mineral crystal (or even sapphire, but I haven't found one of those yet) will last much longer on my wrist. A plastic one will not.

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      -Arthur
      Cave ne ante ullas catapultas ambules