News & Reviews:   SmartWatch

While Motorola have yet to show off any smartwatch, much less a flexible display smartwatch they seem like one of the more likely companies to do so. Not only is Motorola responsible for many of the world's firsts in the mobile phone industry, they also have big pockets Google backing them up. Recent patent applications from Motorola suggest that we could see a flexible display smartwatch from them before long. The patent looks like a standard interlinked metal watch band with a flexible display overlay but there don't seem to be any other tech specs or features that may make it more unique. Since this is still just a patent application there are no Malaysia release dates yet, but it does mean that Motorola are planning something in the smartwatch department, so stay tuned.

Smartwatch devices are on the rise and it doesn't come as a surprise that rumours have popped up saying that Nokia will come out with a smartwatch of their own. What does come as a surprise is that the rumours say that the new smartwatch will use Morph technology which involves the use of smart nanotechnology materials. Bear in mind that Nokia's Morph tech isn't something new and was first demoed as concept renders way back in 2008. It was futuristic then and it remains so now, so we're rather skeptical that a Nokia Morph smartwatch could come anytime soon. Be that as it may, the Nokia smartwatch is rumoured to arrive in after Q2 of 2014. The actual quote referring the Nokia Morph is listed below:

"nanoscale technologies that will potentially create a world of radically different devices that open up an entirely new spectrum of possibilities"

As always, take this rumour with a pinch of salt but do check out the pics and videos of Nokia Morph and other Nokia flexible display technologies in this article as well.

Reports from China have leaked some possible tech specs of the rumoured Apple iWatch along with a possible release date. These tech specs include a 100 mAh battery for two prototype iWatch devices which matches earlier reports that the iWatch would come in His and Her versions. Do bear in mind that a 100 mAh battery is barely even a third of the 315 mAh battery on the Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch and that that only lasts a little more than a day. Apple will supposedly solve this by using a wireless charging technology capable of charging the iWatch from 3.2 feet away. The report goes on to say that the Apple iWatch will come in October 2014 again matching earlier rumours that it would come in late 2014. The report comes from a fairly accurate source when it comes to Apple leaks but do take this rumour with a healthy pinch of salt as it involves a so far yet to be seen magnetic resonance wireless charging technology that hasn't been completely confirmed in itself yet.

If you're thinking about getting a bluetooth wearable notifications device then perhaps you'd consider getting the Smarty Ring instead of a regular old smartwatch. While it could just as likely be vapourware, the Smarty Ring is one of those crowd funded projects where you get email, social media and other app notifications directly to your finger where the bluetooth enabled Smarty Ring is worn. It can also be used to tell time, accept or reject calls, make outgoing calls (but not directly), trigger the camera, control music and change your profile through buttons on the side of the ring. The ring itself is a rather thick stainless steel device with embedded circuitry and has a 24-hour battery life. It can be charged wirelessly.

While the Nike FuelBand isn't really a smartwatch, in terms of design it does look a lot better than any other smartwatch currently on the market. Rumours are swirling that Nike may soon change this perception by coming out with a smartwatch of their own with rumours saying that Nike are currently testing it under trial production. Unfortunately, there aren't any other tech specs or features available but it would likely offer standard Bluetooth synced notifications like other smartwatches. The source report goes on to say that it could arrive in Q1 or Q2 of 2014. Hopefully, the Nike smartwatch won't be limited to just Nike apps but then again do remember to take this rumour with a big pinch of salt as the source of the rumour isn't really the most accurate.

Everyone seems to be getting on the smartwatch bandwagon,  including ZTE who are rumoured to be coming out with a smartwatch in Q1 of 2014. Initial rumours say that the ZTE smartwatch will only work or sync with ZTE devices and eventually work with every other Android smartphone. However, new rumours indicate that the upcoming ZTE smartwatch could be a stand alone device where it could call, SMS or connect to the Internet without having to sync with a smartphone through Bluetooth. This is because rumours say that will be able to accept a SIM or micro SIM card. These rumours go on to state that the ZTE smartwatch will be launched first in China before being rolled out internationally and reaching Malaysia. It is expected to be priced much lower than the Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch which retails at RM999 here in Malaysia. 

And the Samsung Galaxy S5 rumours continue to pile up. This time around it also concerns the Samsung Galaxy Gearsmartwatch which was initially released with the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. In line with that, rumour mongers are saying that we may see the next generation Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 smartwatch announced alongside the Samsung Galaxy S5. While we're not too thrilled about another Bluetooth companion accessory (we're still hoping for a standalone watch phone) rumours indicate that the Gear 2 could be thinner by about 15% to 20% compared to the original Gear. It would be great if the price was dropped and the battery life improved but a thinner smartwatch could also mean a smaller battery. In related news, more Samsung Galaxy S5 tech specs and features were leaked as well with both plastic and metal versions. Asides from the already mentioned rumours of either the Snapdragon 805 or a 64-bit Samsung Exynos Octa powering the S5, rumours are also saying the S5 could come with a 4000 mAh battery. Personally, we're not sure where Samsung would stick such a large battery unless it is a moulded non-removable kind but we're looking forward to next year sometime in January or February 2014 when the Samsung Galaxy S5 is expected to make an appearance.

In today's connected life, many times parents would consider giving their young school going children mobile phones and even smartphones to stay connected and protected. However, most parents and schools feel that this is not the best idea as your standard mobile phone or smartphone opens up possibilities of games, texting or calling during class and much more (like the super dangerous Internet). One of the more interesting solutions is the FiLIP,  which is a silicon encased phone watch that can only call up to five preset numbers, cannot text or install games and has a built-in GPS. What makes the FiLIP different is that children can use it to make calls back, perhaps to tell the parents to come pick them up or some other emergency. Parents can also call and send one-way text messages or locate them via GPS (they can also set a safezone) using the smartphone app.

There have been quite a few smartwatch announcements recently and one of the latest is the Neptune Pine smartwatch. Originally a Kickstarter crowd-funding project (which is still running and has already met it's $100000 goal), the Pine smartwatch is a standalone device that packs in the tech specs and hardware of an entry-level smartphone into a rather chunky smartwatch that you can remove from the dock like strap to take pictures. This is because the Pine has a 5MP rear camera to go with a VGA front camera as well, both complete with LED flash. Other tech specs include a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 512MB of RAM, 16GB / 32GB of storage and a 2.4-inch screen with 320 x 240 pixel resolution. The Pine supports Bluetooth, WiFi, GPS and even 3G along with voice calls and SMS. While it runs on Android 4.1, Neptune devs are currently working on an Android 4.4 update. Check out the videos, images and links in this article.

Despite poor reviews (ourselves included) of the Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch, Samsung still managed to move 800000 units of the smartwatch, making it probably the most profitable smartwatch to date. It does help that the smartwatch market is still very small but this is still a cause for celebration, at least for Samsung. However, it does raise the question of what you would really want in a smartwatch. Quite obviously, many of the smartwatches available on the market aren't what you want. So, what would you want from a smartwatch or what sort of smartwatch would you really want? How much would it cost?