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

Refreshing

[mwvdlee]

Nothing like having the refreshing backplate of a smoldering hot CPU tied around your wrist.
I hope it comes with a quick release mechanism.

Re:Refreshing

[AmiMoJo]

It looks low end enough not to get particularly warm. Dual core A7 and 512MB RAM are not a lot.

Battery life looks like more of an issue. The advantage of smart watches without their own phone functionality is that they can run for a week on a charge (the good ones anyway).

Re:Refreshing

[Thanshin]

A pocket watch would dissipate heat better and the chain could work as usb cable.

Re:Refreshing

[omatetruesmart]

No worries about that, mate. We've been fiedtesting and none of our staff has been sent to the Emergency room for burn wounds lololol. On a more serious note, the CPU is the latest low power dual core 28nm processor. Low power, low heat (which is waste of energy) and that's good for battery life too.

Re:Refreshing

[NatasRevol]

Lighten up, Francis.

Old Technology

[techno-vampire]

There's nothing new here. Dick Tracy had one of these over sixty years ago.

Heat

[serviscope_minor]

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.

Re:Heat

[viperidaenz]

The idea is probably that this watch device uses a newer SoC that requires less power.
Your Galaxy Ace has a 65nm CPU. I dare say a brand new dual core Cortex A7 is built on something a little smaller. All of MediaTek's Cortex A7's with 3G support appear to be 28nm.

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.

Re:Heat

[omatetruesmart]

You can be assured there's no heat issues with the TrueSmart. Technology progresses and energy efficiency improves too - the processor is the latest low-power 28nm processor, low power and less heat generated (which is a waste of power actually). No problems here

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...

Re:Battery...

[ncohafmuta]

The screen is 1/3 the size of a high-end smartphone. The resolution is 1/4 that of a high-end smartphone. The battery is 1/4 that of a high-end smartphone. Sounds fine.

Re:Battery...

[omatetruesmart]

It depends on how you use the TrueSmart. Say if you use as a standby for that important message esp. when you don't want to or cannot bring your smartphone (swimming, jogging, day at the beach), and still want to be notified say when that girl / guy (or boss / client) finally replies your message. You could go standby for up to 100 hours. We are certainly not suggesting to replace your regular smartphone with TrueSmart, more of a complement and extension.

Rather useless

[Cyfun]

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.

Re:Watch phones are nothing new.

[notknown86]

http://www.imsmart.com/en

The reviews are not flattering.

Re:Watch phones are nothing new.

[RDW]

There's a specialised market for phones of this size in the UK - if they make a version without the strap lugs, they could be on to a winner!:

http://gizmodo.com/uk-moves-to-ban-phones-designed-to-fit-up-prisoner-butt-1178815285

Re: the crucial problem with this product

[serviscope_minor]

any consumer foolish enough to bring attention to their âoecool watchâ is immediately singled out as a dork, nerd, geek, or generally friendless loner/brainiac type.

Fortunately, anyone who can afford this watch has left school and is now in the "real world". At that point you can cease to care, tell the other person to fuck off, or call the police if they get violent.

Re:Watch phones are nothing new.

[omatetruesmart]

We are presenting a few leaps forward that are new 1) First Smartwatch that is water-resistant companion to phone (like the rest) AND standalone phone 2) First Smartwatch with Google Play App store - we believe apps will do to smartwatch like they did to smartphones 3) and if we successfully surpass $500K funds raised on Kickstarter, TrueSmart will be the First Smartwatch with Sapphire Crystal glass - the best scratch-proof, stuff used by the Grandmasters of watchmakers (Rolex, Omega, Hublot, Tag Heuer, etc). The specs like Android 4.2.2, dual core, GPS / Wifi 802.11bgn / Bluetooth 4.0 are simply technical specs one-up on what's out there.

Re:Charging position

[omatetruesmart]

These are special water-resistant connectors, so they are certainly made to handle corrosion! We have some inductive charging in our labs, tried various prototypes, couldn't get a satisfied design with enough charging surface for a meaningful charge and not end up with a huge watch, so we'll leave inductive charging to the next generation, hopefully with some advancements in inductive charging by then. By the way, the watch is designed strictly to watch sizes, a 45mm size, slightly larger than a dress watch, smaller than a sports watch.

Re:What's the use of putting the phone inside?

[omatetruesmart]

You can use the TrueSmart as a smartwatch without the phone function - it is BOTH a companion to your phone AND a standalone. Don't put in a SIM card, it's a smartwatch, a truly smart one, Android 4.2.2 with full access to Google Play apps store (the first and only smartwatch with this). Has Bluetooth, Wifi which you can use to pair with your regular smartwatch or use it on its own.

Re:Watch phones are nothing new.

[jkflying]

Does it come with a 'vibrate' ringer option?

Re:Question:

[omatetruesmart]

You can indeed talk into the TrueSmart like James Bond, Dick Tracey and Michael Knight (KITT) :-)) There's a water-resistant speaker / mic built-in. A bluetooth headset can be used too. Texting (special enhanced onscreen keyboard + swipes) is an alternative. Perfect for those quick and short messages like "OK I'll be there", "I miss you too", "What are you doing Saturday"... audio or text :-)

The right direction

[DeBaas]

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

Re:The right direction

[omatetruesmart]

Cool, a watch indeed is a very personal thing since it is something you wear rather than put in the pocket. We have kept very strictly to watch designs, going for a look that looks and feels like a watch. We've kept the size at 45mm, according to watch sizes, that's slightly larger than a dress watch, smaller than a sports watch. Omate Truesmart: - is waterproof - you can text on the screen itself (using a combination of special onscreen keyboard enhancer included, voice-to-text, swipe gestures, gesture controls) - you can call with it (built-in water-resistant speaker / mic) - you can connect Bluetooth devices (bluetooth headsets, bluetooth keyboards etc), if that's your preference So in a sense we are close to your idea of a Smartwatch other than these (which although not included in the shipped package, can be achieved too): - for texting they could use the divers ring as an input device : we've got a supporter on our Google+ community who is exactly going to do that, make a ring that can be connected to the TrueSmart via bluetooth - car opening remote control (why not) : yes why not, that's the spirit!! :-) some after-market car remotes uses Wifi, that's absolutely possible, or add a simple Wifi-to-RF controller device (available in the market) and voila, control it from TrueSmart watch Close, pretty close :-)

Re:Watch phones are nothing new.

[PopeRatzo]

Hell, when I was in the joint, there were guys who could have fit an LG Optimus up there and still have room for an ounce of weed and a Dremel tool.

We used to joke, "...help me find my keys and we'll drive out of here."

Re:Question:

[Janek Kozicki]

wow, you registered on slashdot, just after these news appeared on front page.

What can you tell about battery life & daily usage & charging? 100hr is a mere 4 days.

How is it supposed to work on day to day: whenever I get home, I take off the watch, put it on my desk and connect to the charger?
What if I want to spend 2 weeks in mountains?
Can I charge in a car?
What about travelling & battery consumption - I discovered that while in my current (crappy) phone battery lasts about 3 days, it lasts only 6 to 8 hours while I am travelling by car across my country - it must be due to constant seeking&switching of phone cell towers. How does the smartwatch cope with that?
Is it possible to carry around some extra batteries (to spend 2 weeks in mountains, you know :)

Some other points you want to make about battery?

Re: the crucial problem with this product

[omatetruesmart]

It's not a must to talk into your Smartwatch if you prefer not to. You can simply use it for notifications, urgent messages. I do remember a time too when using a mobile phone in public was considered "rude" and frowned upon. Not trying to change your mind, it's something personal, we understand that. Just hoping you would keep an open mind and "watch" this new thing :-)

Re:Watch phones are nothing new.

[BluBrick]

Undoing mod points to ask: Does the screen permanently display the time - as a normal watch does - or do you need to 'wake' the watch up?

I've only seen one phone that boasted an 'always on' time display, and that was my old Nokia N8 with an AMOLED screen (very low power). This thing needs to work as a watch first and foremost! TIA

I don't know about this particular device, but it got me thinking that, at least in similar devices, I can't imagine it would be too difficult to include an accelerometer and have it wait for a gesture to wake up the display. For example, a quick flick of the wrist through 120 degrees and back again would be sufficiently unusual to not be done accidentally, not so odd that you'd look conspicuous doing it, and very easy to remember. Yeah, you wouldn't wanna try it with a Starbucks soy chai latte in your hand, but regular watches have similar issues on that front.

interesting

[Tom]

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.