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).

Comments

Glass and Smart Watches

[Tyr07]

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.

Re:Glass and Smart Watches

[Tyr07]

I don't need a giant screen for simple text messages. If it's a large conversation worth that would be very difficult to type on one single small screen, I'd just call the person. I don't intend to write an email from it.

Yes, I was imaging using a blue tooth device paired to it. I did think this through, you may not have.
Ever use a speaker phone before? If it's an important quick call, it can be handy, ideally not used in areas where having a conversation
on the phone where 3rd parties can hear the conversation is an issue. Say you're just out walking and buddy calls you. You can
just pick it up, have a quick chat, where are you, oh, I'm here walking over to X store or whatever. Alright, meet you there.

Personally I'd rather hold my arm up like looking at the time for a few seconds than a phone to my ear.
Obviously for more private conversations you'd want to use your blue tooth device and be somewhere you're not disturbing people.
Plus I think it would be quite convenient for reading quick text messages.

What's also nice is that you can pair it with a phone if you need a bigger device for extended text messaging and other features.
The real boon is having a display on your arm that is easy to look at, instead of digging your phone out to see who is calling or texting.


My personal experience with my phone in my pocket or a case is it falling out, into water, or just on concrete. Getting scratched and damaged
Or just pressure from being in pockets damaging the touch screen etc.

Honestly until I saw this, my next phone was going to be as old styled as possible, hopefully no touch screen etc.
My current phone is touch screen and it's going, but it doesn't do smart phone stuff, doesn't run android etc
Means I don't facebook or do data from it, I charge it once every week or two weeks, I text and phone from it, and it works good.

So maybe not for everyone, but for me, a functional stand alone watch phone would be great.

Battery...

[Edis Krad]

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...

Too ugly

[aaaaaaargh!]

...like all digital watches without hands. Sorry, 'smart watches' will never be relevant for anyone but a few geeks without taste.

Re:Heat

[DNS-and-BIND]

You have the wrong idea. It's not about functionality. It's about making people envy you by the products you buy. Moreover, you identify yourself as well-off and on top of the latest trends. Why do you think the iPod came with easily-identifiable white earplugs? Even if you're dressed like a homeless person, with this device on your wrist nobody will actually mistake you for one.