2014 has definitely turned into the year of the “wearable” and the smartwatch has been leading the pack. Android Wear is on the way and Apple has yet to announce, let along release their offering. That means there’s much more to come this year. There are already some compelling options on the market and they have a range of prices.
Strap a bit of nature onto your wrist with the Kisai Xtal Wood watch. The watch “combines a crystalline shaped natural wood case with a faceted mineral crystal lens and a cryptic yet simple to read LED time display.” I think that’s a first? There is finally a Tokyo Flash watch that doesn’t require a guide to read it! 😉
In fall 2012, Garmin introduced the FR-10 GPS Watch. I did a quick preview, took it on a marathon two days after it arrived, and then did a follow-up after several months of use. I still use the FR-10, and now Garmin has introduced the FR-15 GPS Watch, combining the FR-10 GPS and elements of the VivoFit fitness band.
Here is a simple question – when you want to know the time, do you want a challenge? Moreover, do you want it to be difficult for most people to read the time from your watch? If so, read on – but if not, the TokyoFlash Kisai Optical Illusion Watch is likely not for you!
The Tokyoflash Kisai Night Vision Wood is one of the more unusual watches we’ve seen. That’s saying a lot when you think about all the unusual designs Tokyoflash offers! This watch looks like the company forgot to add the watch face and hands; it is an illusion, but telling time is just a button push away.
The title of this post is “9 Reasons the Pebble Watch Will Still be the Best Smartwatch You Can Buy”. I might have called it, “What every other smartwatch manufacturer is currently—and will probably continue—doing wrong”. Either way, this post is all about the Pebble watch and the smart moves that have, and continue, to make.
Judie and I bought Google Glass a few months ago. We enjoyed taking pictures and shooting video with them, but post-CES 2014, we sold ours. The reason? Glass is fun and innovative, but it’s not ready for prime time. My Samsung Galaxy S5 and Gear 2 are. Yes, Gear is Google Glass without the glasshole. Here are nine reasons why.
We posted on the Modify Watch Mod-To-Order Kickstarter project the other day. We asked them to create a one-of-a-kind Gear Diary timepiece, and they were kind enough to do so. What do you think? The project has hit their funding goal, and you have less than a day to still get in on it. Click here to back.
Tokyoflash is back with another limited edition watches; the Kisai Console Acetate combines a brushed stainless steel case, a white acetate strap, a recessed black mineral crystal lens, and bright sub-surface LEDs. Its sci-fi control panel layout adds to the unusual look and feel of the $99 watch; it is available with either blue or green LEDs.
Phosphor launched a line of watches using an E-Ink display some time ago. Now they have released their brand new Phosphor Touch Time. This new line used an LCD display, sports a touchscreen and “smartwatch-like” apps. No, this is not a smart watch, but it is a smarter watch. Lets take a look at this $159 item.
Modify Watches Mod-to-Order Kickstarter Campaign is halfway toward being funded. That’s the good news. The bad news? The campaign is only halfway toward being funded. This is a great way to get a fun custom watch. So check out our video look at some early samples below, and then jump over and back the project.
Imagine if you could pick from one of more than thirty different watch band colors and then design your own watch face. That’s what the Mod-To-Order project on Kickstarter is all about. Modify Watches is looking for $50,000 to make it happen. Having received some early samples of the watch, I sure hope it is successful. Here’s a closer look.
You suddenly realize your bottle opener is missing in action. You’ve recently spent several hundred dollars on new dental work, so opening a cold one with your teeth is not advisable. What to do? Three words. Happy Hour Timepiece. If you guessed bottle opener on the back of a watch strap – then move to the head of the class.
I’ve tried the FitBit Flex, Nike Fuel, and Jawbone UP; while each fitness band had its positive points, there always seems to be something … lacking. At their event last night, Samsung introduced their Gear 2 and Gear Fit watches; one of these may be the all-in-one watch and fitness band combo I’ve been waiting for.
Smartwatches are the hot gear of 2014, but they still have an aura of “geek” around them. If you’re craving something stylish AND smart, check out Creoir’s new Ibis watch. It features Bluetooth, touchscreen, iOS and Android integration and notifications, but also showcases a fashion-first design. Stay tuned for more from Judie on Ibis at Mobile World Congress!
When Pebble announced the new Pebble App Store I was intrigued. I was an original backer of the Pebble but sold mine when it came. I went out and picked up a new one and realized I needed to find a way to keep it from scratching. That’s where SlickWraps Pebble Watch Color Series Matte Black protection came in.
Love of your life love watches? They’ll love the Tokyo Flash Kisai X Acetate. This $139 watch serves up time and date, has a built-in alarm, and a custom designed animation that illuminates the display. Available with blue, red or green LEDs, the watch has stainless steel detail and a smoked mineral crystal lens. Click to see it in action.
I like watches. It’s not as if I have a large collection of them, and it wasn’t until the last few years that I actually started taking an interest in fine time pieces. Before that, it was all about the functions … the gadget part of them, in other words.
The past two years I have tried GPS watches from Nike to Garmin(s) to Magellan to Polar. Each has positive and negative attributes. Ultimately the design comes back to ‘how much can we stuff into this and keep it wearable’. Magellan Echo answers this by offloading functionality to the smartphone we carry, and acting as a display and controller. Brilliant!
I really love my Pebble watch. Since I never turn on my phone’s sounds, that little wrist buzz has become my way of knowing when I have a notification or a call. While some people do not prefer the styling of the first generation, the Pebble Steel looks amazing. The newly designed Pebble Steel begins shipping today for $249.
Yes Man Watches has raised over $8,000, over 50% of its goal in the first day of Kickstarter funding. The neat thing about these watches is the innovative latch design that gives you tons of fitting options and doesn’t poke holes in the beautiful leather. The watch face design is clean as well. Check out their Kickstarter campaign to pledge.