Pebble’s new smartwatch has color e-paper like display, is wider

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BY Unknown 02:20 0

Pebble’s new smartwatch has color e-paper like display, is wider

Pebble is ready to launch the next generation smartwatch tomorrow and the company has also put up a timer on its homepage. Above the time is pixel-art of a pebble watch and no visible hints about the new smartwatch are easily visible.

However, an image of the new Pebble smartwatch has been spotted on the official website and reveals the features that are expected.

As reported earlier, the new Pebble smartwatch will be a major update. The available image points to a new color e-ink like display with notifications about flight times and alarms. Also, it is quite wider and stubbier than the current models.

The team that built WebOS has designed the operating system of the new Pebble watch. We expect more fluid animations, watch faces and performance tweaks. It’s only a day until Pebble lifts the veil.

JDI unveils new reflective smartwatch screen, touts low power consumption

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BY Unknown 00:00 0

JDI unveils new reflective smartwatch screen, touts low power consumption

JDI is one of the big players in the mobile display space, and the Japanese company has now announced a new smartwatch screen. It’s of the round variety, as you can see, and it’s the reflective type. According to its maker, this means it will enable some significant advancements in smartwatch battery life.

That’s because its power consumption can be as low as 0.5% or less when compared to a traditional LCD module. JDI says that its reflective design can achieve this because it’s different than a normal LCD panel, where 80% of the power requirements go to the backlight.

Furthermore, the new display remains vivid under bright sunlight. This all sounds a bit too good to be true, and obviously if there are any caveats (big or small) JDI didn’t think they were worth mentioning in its press release. So we’re looking forward to seeing this product in actual shipping smartwatches, because then we’ll be able to accurately assess the claims regarding battery life improvements.

Spec-wise, the screen is a 1.34-inch unit, and it has 320×300 resolution. It will start sampling in March, with mass production scheduled for July, so we might just see it used in a wearable or two in the latter half of the year.

LG Watch Urbane goes official with Android Wear on board

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BY Unknown 23:51 0

LG Watch Urbane goes official with Android Wear on board

LG took the wraps off the high-end Watch Urbane timepiece. The smartwatch will be showcased during the upcoming MWC 2015 in Barcelona.

LG Watch Urbane is a more upmarket version of the G Watch R. Thanks to narrower screen bezels, stainless steel body with polished silver or gold finish, and stitched leather band, the Urbane looks significantly more elegant than its predecessor. LG expects the Watch Urbane to appeal to both men and women.

Specs-wise, the LG Watch Urbane packs Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 SoC with 1.2GHz CPU, 1.3” P-OLED display with a resolution of 320 x 320 pixels, 512MB of RAM, and 4GB of built-in memory. The smartwatch has IP67 rating for water and dust resistance.

Physical measures of the LG Watch Urbane are 45.5 x 52.2 x 10.9mm. A 410mAh battery powers the device.

LG will announce pricing of the smartwatch as it approaches availability.

Huawei’s latest MWC teaser hints at an LTE smartwatch

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BY Unknown 23:02 0

Huawei’s latest MWC teaser hints at an LTE smartwatch

Huawei’s released a couple of teasers for an upcoming MWC announcement. The cryptic images appeared on the tech giant’s official Weibo profile, with each carrying the punchline “Next is here.”

The teaser appears to hint at an upcoming smartwatch with 4G LTE connectivity, which will rivalSamsung Gear S. Huawei invites the readers to guess what the device could be by looking at the shape of the lines in the image. The latter appears to show the side and part of the strap/band of a timepiece.

A smartwatch launch by Huawei should hardly catch anyone by surprise. The company’s 2015 plans revealed an Android Wear device in the works last month.

Deal Alert : Sony SmartWatch 3 is now $50 cheaper at Verizon

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BY Unknown 15:06 0

Deal Alert : Sony SmartWatch 3 is now $50 cheaper at Verizon

Sony’s original SmartWatch 3 that comes with a silicone wristband has now become cheaper by a cool $50. That’s only true if you buy yours from Verizon, though. Sure, the carrier may not be the first retailer you think of when considering a wearable purchase, but right now it does have the best price for the SmartWatch 3.

You can grab one for just $199.99, which compares pretty favorably to the normal selling price of $249.99. You should know however that there’s no indication of whether this is a limited time deal or not.

So if the SmartWatch 3 seems interesting to you, perhaps you should take the plunge now that it’s available at a lower price. If this version of the watch isn’t right for you, then the stainless steel variation should soon cater to your needs.

The Sony SmartWatch 3 boasts a 1.6-inch 320×320 transflective LCD touchscreen, a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of storage, Bluetooth, NFC, Wi-Fi, GPS, and a few sensors: accelerometer, compass, gyro, and one for ambient light. It’s IP68 certified for water and dust resistance, and it runs Android Wear.

Apple Watch will remind you to get up and take a walk every hour

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BY Unknown 02:23 0

Apple Watch will remind you to get up and take a walk every hour

The Apple Watch, which is launching in April this year, will remind you to get out of your desk chair and and move around if you haven’t done so for too long, according to CEO Tim Cook.

Speaking at the Goldman Sachs technology conference yesterday, Cook said that the smartwatch will “tap” you on the wrist 10 minutes before each hour, prompting you to get up and take a walk. He also shared that because so many people at the Cupertino-based company are wearing the watch, it’s common to see a lot of people getting up at the same time during meetings.

“It took a while to get used to, but it’s actually really good,” he said, adding that “a lot of doctors believe sitting is the new cancer.” Cook had earlier said that a large number of developers are already creating apps for the Apple Watch, and he has very high expectations from the wearable device. “I’m using it every day and love it and can’t live without it,” he had said.

Rumor: HTC Petra will be the company’s first wearable, won’t run Android Wear

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BY Unknown 21:22 0

Rumor: HTC Petra will be the company’s first wearable, won’t run Android Wear

HTC has been promising a smart wearable since late 2013 and it finally seems ready to unveil it at this year’s MWC. It will allegedly be called Petra and will not be an Android Wear device. Instead it will run a simple custom OS that supports Android 4.4+ and iOS 7+.

The HTC Petra sounds like a sporty smart band with IP57 and MIL-STD-810G certifications and an included footpad for more accurate step counting.

The wearable will communicate with smartphones over Bluetooth though it should have its own GPS receiver. The screen will be a flexible 1.8″ PMOLED with 160 x 32 resolution. The whole thing will weigh just 23g, but pack enough battery to last three days.

It will come in three sizes and will charge over USB with built-in Pogo pins. All this suggests the wristband will not be removable, which sounds about right for a smartband.

The HTC Petra will launch by the end of March in the USA, allegedly of course. HTC was supposed to bring three wearables to the MWC last year (an exec even confirmed the company is working on one) and we got none so we’re quite skeptical of such rumors.

Note that the image above is an Issey Miyake | Twelve watch, one of twelve favorite objects of Claude Zellweger, an Associate Vice President of Design at HTC, and not an image of the rumored Petra wearable.

Meizu Blue Charm smartwatch component leaks

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BY Unknown 13:44 0

Meizu Blue Charm smartwatch component leaks

It looks like Meizu has a smartwatch coming our way. An alleged photo of a component for the device made the rounds online.

The image is said to showcase the round face of an upcoming Meizu Blue Charm watch. The Chinese manufacturer recently started the Blue Charm range of affordable smartphones with the m1 and m1 note.

With the smartphone business of Meizu already on the upswing, a smartwatch surely looks like a logical step forward for the company. We will surely keep an eye out for more details on the device. Until then, take a pinch of salt while viewing the photo above.

Swatch will release a smartwatch within three months, it won’t need charging

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BY Unknown 04:34 0

Swatch will release a smartwatch within three months, it won’t need charging

Swatch is officially getting ready to jump into the smartwatch game. According to Nick Hayek, the Swiss company’s CEO, Swatch will release its first smartwatch within the next three months. This will probably ensure that its offering will compete head-on with the Apple Watch, at least for headlines if nothing else – since they’re both due to be out at around the same time.

Swatch is looking to one-up Apple by creating a smartwatch that does not need to be charged. This intriguing prospect has unfortunately not been detailed further, but we assume the device may feature a battery that you simply swap out after a period of use – just like normal watches.

The Swatch smartwatch will come with support for NFC, and it will let its owners make mobile payments. It will reportedly work with both Android and Windows Phone. Nothing else is known about the wearable at this point, though since it will become available soon we expect to hear a lot more about it in the near future.

Sony SmartWatch 3 with a metal band goes on sale in the UK

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BY Unknown 03:50 0

Sony SmartWatch 3 with a metal band goes on sale in the UK

Just as promised, the Sony SmartWatch 3 with a metal band starts selling in the UK from today.

Clove UK is the first store to offer the smartwatch. The price of the regular SmartWatch 3 is around the £180 ballpark, but its metal counterpart is slightly more expensive at. £ 215. Sony’s UK store as well asAmazon UK still haven’t listed pricing of the SmartWatch 3 with a metal band.

The smartwatch offers a 1.6″ transflective display with 320×320 pixel resolution. It’s waterproof with an IP68 rating and runs the latest version of Android Wear on a quad-core Cortex-A7 CPU and 512MB of RAM. In addition to Bluetooth 4.0, the connectivity suite is enhanced with NFC, too. The battery is 420 mAh and is rated to last 2 days with normal use.

Apple Watch to start shipping in April

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BY Unknown 03:51 0

Apple Watch to start shipping in April

Apple will begin shipping its smartwatch in April. Tim Cook, the Cupertino giant’s CEO, confirmed the news during today’s quarterly earnings call.

As it turns out, Apple Watch will ship later than expected. Recent reports suggested that the wearable device will ship in March. No specific date for the launch of the smartwatch is set just yet.

A slightly underwhelming battery performance might be the underlying reason for the delayed shipping of the Apple Watch. The device was initially supposed to become available in “early 2015.”

Krüger&Matz unveils affordable smartwatch, Android Wear can hardly be any better

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BY Unknown 14:30 0

Krüger&Matz unveils affordable smartwatch, Android Wear can hardly be any better

Smartwatch popularity has reached critical levels and new ones come from unexpected places – now including Polish company Krüger&Matz. The Krüger&Matz Smartwatch Classic runs a custom Linux build on a MediaTek Aster chipset and costs PLN 350 ($94/€83).

The smartwatch is compatible with iOS 7+ and Android 4.3+ devices.

With it you’ll be able to receive texts and calls (there’s a mic and loudspeaker on the watch) and you can control the music player and camera, all through the 1.6″ touchscreen with 240 x 240px resolution and single hardware button. Bluetooth 4.0+LE connects the phone and the watch.

The smartwatch measures 45x40x11mm, a bit thick but quite light at 50.3g. It’s body is made of metal, while the 20mm strap is silicone. The Krüger&Matz Smartwatch Classic is IP67 certified (1m of water for 30 minutes) and has a 315mAh battery.

The official numbers state 4-5 days of standby and 2 days of usage. We were expecting more from the MediaTek Aster, considering it’s a very low-power part – its CPU core is clocked at 260MHz – it’s far from the Snapdragon 400 chipsets found in many Android Wear devices.

If you can read Polish (or lean on Google Translate) you can check out Spidersweb for a review of the smartwatch. The review states that after 24 hours of heavy usage the battery was left at 30%.