Slashdot Mirror
Omate TrueSmart Watch Stands Alone — No Phone Required
jarold writes to point out an intriguing entry in the expanding smart-watch field: the Omate TrueSmart watch. Production of samples is about start on the watch after a successful Kickstarter campaign. Unlike some of the smart watches now out (or promised for soon), the TrueSmart is capable of making voice calls, sending texts, and using social media messaging without a separate smartphone or tablet. The specs are impressive, for something you wear on your wrist: Android 4.2.2 running on a dual core Cortex A7 and half a gig of RAM, 4GB of storage (expandable via micro-SD slot).
The only special thing about this one is the specs and it's running Android.
Is this commercial break almost over?
...what about the battery? how long will it last?
Nothing like having the refreshing backplate of a smoldering hot CPU tied around your wrist.
I hope it comes with a quick release mechanism.
Slashdot social media options: AIM, ICQ, Yahoo, Jabber and Mobile Text. Why no MySpace?
There's nothing new here. Dick Tracy had one of these over sixty years ago.
Good, inexpensive web hosting
I have what is now a quite low end phone, Galaxy Ace.
That thing gets warm if you use it "intensively", i.e. play a game that maxes it out. It has a considerably larger area over which to dissipate heat. I wonder how this one does.
Though I'm struggling to think of what would max out such a tiny device anyway. I can't see it running games or sitting there headless running a folding client.
SJW n. One who posts facts.
Placing the charging position in the high corrosion area against the skin seems like a bad idea.
That's all I've got. A standalone device,,, very interesting. Depending on price and availability, I'd like one.
Back in the nineties there was a watch that was a pager, and you could also get news headlines and stock reports on it. I wore mine 24 hours a day and got a skin infection... wait, too much information. Suffice it to say, I really liked that product and this one looks very interesting.
Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
What if I want a smart watch but no phone? Putting the phone inside the watch isn't going to help. I value my privacy, and don't want to walk around with an effective radiolocation beacon.
I've wanted something like this since I was a kid. Something incredibly useful, portable, does many functions, even phone calls, from a watch? Hell yeah I'll buy one. Someone mentioned heat and games. I don't want to play games on it. I want to text, make phone calls, maybe pictures / video, and get information on it. Like news or directions. It shouldn't heat up too much with that barring the video. Technology has been useful, and it has been convenient for the task it's replacing/performing. However it is rarely convenient to carry with you all the time. Priceless.
So, watches like this with Google's operating system combined with Google's self driving cars... I want to call my KITT now, thank you.
how do I talk over this thing?
Is it James Bond or Dick Tracy like, with my left arm riased & talking to watch & looking as if in some sort of conspiration?
Well, I still might like it. Pondering whether to order one or not...
#
#\ @ ? Colonize Mars
#
I hope it comes with its own hand-crank, because I find it hard to believe that is going to hold a charge past 60 minutes...
Pro's:
1) Its small size can be convenient in an era of bulky phones.
2) Attached to your body, it will theoretically be harder to lose it or let it get stolen.
Con's:
1) The screen is going to be too small to be very usable.
2) Battery life will likely suck since it is also too small.
3) With such a small screen, will be difficult to use, and you won't get many buttons, if any.
4) You can only use it one-handed.
5) The screen will probably get scratched to fuck since it sticks out from your wrist, and will probably stick out farther than your average watch.
6) Hot battery may get uncomfortable.
IMHO, smart watches are a great idea, but only as a bluetooth device for alerting you to new messages, calls and emails; using as a microphone Dick Tracy-style, and of course for checking the time. As a full-fledged smartphone, though, they're far too small to be that useful, but they might be decent as more of a dumb-phone for only making calls and such.
In Soviet Russia, dot slashes YOU!
I'd be very interested in a pocket version (that's with no bracelet). I have thin wrists and tend to wear small, light watches or no watch at all. But since all I use to carry stuff around when I leave the house is my pockets (I never carry purses or bags), I like to take very little with me (typically small wallet + key ring + phone), and reducing the phone size by a factor of 4 or 5 would make it a lot more comfortable in my pocket.
...like all digital watches without hands. Sorry, 'smart watches' will never be relevant for anyone but a few geeks without taste.
I think the developer and many others are missing the crucial problem with this product and with this type of idea in general: interacting with a watch that does anything more than tell the time and date makes the wearer appear to be a giant dork. This has not changed since the days of the early 80s calculator watch; any consumer foolish enough to bring attention to their “cool watch” is immediately singled out as a dork, nerd, geek, or generally friendless loner/brainiac type. Don’t even get me started on TALKING into your watch.
...on a smartphone, this watch sounds like a very, very annoying story waiting to be told. I suspect this "watch" will need recharging at least once per day. Seriously, Android for a watch... what a lousy idea.
Since 'smart watches' were introduced I've personally believed that they were doing it the wrong way around. I'd rather have a watch that has radio and can do the basics (call/text) and have a mini tablet that tethers with the watch for it's connection.
Now for me for this to become really interesting they'd have to:
- waterproof them
- partner with the better watch maker brands to make the watches look like 'normal watches' (for texting they could use the divers ring as an input device, just turn to right letter and press)
- include car opening remote control (why not)
- include a mini Bluetooth receiver that you can 'un-click' from the watch and hold close to your ear to make the calls less ''knight rider calls kitt'
Great for going to the beach. No longer have to worry about your keys, phone when taking a swim. And no longer a need to carry your phone around all the time as it is around your wrist. There are many occasions I'd rather leave my smartphone at home or in my desk as long as I still can be reached
---
... that will amount to nothing! I'm so excited.
Has there been a single real, successful business out of kickstarter? kickstarter is to business as starbucks is to novel writing.
Michael Knight also did (http://media.joe.ie/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Michael-Knight.jpg) AND he had awesome hair.
soylentnews.org
and James Bond, awesome hair and a British accent ;)
So for the perfect Omate TrueSmart launch party, we're getting Dick Tracey, Michael Knight (and KITT of course) and James Bond !! :-)
Support Omate TrueSmart on KICKSTARTER{/url} now ~ Thanks! http://www.omate.com/kickstarter
The smart wearable device fad will come and go, like it has in the past. I don't see much point in trying to cram technology into something with a small screen, it just not practical for much more than telling time and wireless communication to a headset. And do I need to start wearing smart glasses to pair with my smartwatch and then wave my hands in the air or talk to myself like a crazy person to get things done.
The Smart Watch and Glasses fad will probably be the most annoying technical meme in the history of mankind. I don't look forward to a bunch of crazed hipster sociopaths wandering the streets aimlessly trying to Tweet and update Facebook using these things. I mean the only difference between these Glass and Watch wearing hipsters and zombies is that zombies are driven by a sense of purpose.
I haven't thought of anything clever to put here, but then again most of you haven't either.
A bunch of the chinese dropship sites have them, ranging from the aforementioned bluetooth only models, to non-android smartphones, to android smartphones (I think I've seen three different models, all running MTK chipsets in the 400mhz to 800mhz processor range, with 128-512 megs of ram.)
Most of them consist of a 300mAh removable battery, a 0.3MP camera, bluetooth, wifi, and quad band gsm (but not 3g/4g support!), and a small 1-2 inch (generally) resistive or capacitive touchscreen, ranging from 128x128 to 256x128 (specs taken from memory.)
Basically, I'm not holding my breath for this new device because much like the aforementioned it is going to have a serious issue with battery life making this nothing more than a gimmick as either a watch, android device, or cellular phone.
Honestly the bluetooth/watch combos make more sense since they generally get at least 12 hours of talk time, better fit the formfactor of a watch (all but one of the models I've seen are the oversized rectangle formfactor some company was touting a few years back for an android watch-phone.).
Unless it's tethered to a battery in your pocket that is ;-) Because otherwise battery life is going to make this useless as a phone.
Can't wait for having to remember to recharge my watch every night (instead of every couple of years, as I do now)
It's been almost 20 years since I last wore a wrist-watch. This or something like it might actually make me do it again. I find it increasingly irritating to dig out my iPhone just to check the time.
Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
I always did prefer my carr watch, o wait i mean KITT watch
The shoe phone as used by Maxwell Smart...
You still need a phone to do all but the most trivial things, none of which will actually be easier on a watch-phone.
Which is why this product is (one of?) the first to stand alone, rather than working as an extension of another phone -- the other phone is still necessary.
Oh, and buying two voice/text(/data?) plans -- yeah, right.
... is an iPad case with a wristband.
Thank you all so far for the comments. There is a nice mix of sceptics and fans in discussion and that's what communities are all about. We are respect all you comments, it actually helps us develop the product in the final stages. Of course we understand smart watches are not for everyone and by no means do we want to imply that it will replace the smartphone. We love our smartphones too, but we can think of many scenario's where we would be more comfortable leaving the phone at home. For example, and I'm not just making this up to make a point, I often go mountainbiking my phone is always in my pocket with the risk of losing it or dropping it in a puddle of mud. I use the GPS to find my way and keep track of the progress, take pictures here and there, and want to be able to keep in touch with friends/home. I'd absolutely love to leave my phone safely at home and just bring the TrueSmart either on my wrist or on its handlebar clamp. There are many other activities where you'd benefit from having access to particular apps on your wrist instead of on your phone.
Support Omate TrueSmart on KICKSTARTER{/url} now ~ Thanks! http://www.omate.com/kickstarter
For a watch that doesn't require watch hardware. IOW, a bluetooth implant.
Because if it's as imprecise as phones then it's useless as a watch.