This is because the product has been designed to retrofit existing pieces into wearable technology.
According to Chronos Wearables, its hardware can be used in order to create a smartwatch by retrofitting existing wristwatches, as the company claims that “the best wearable is the one you already wear.”
This device would allow both digital and traditional mechanical watches to be converted into wearable technology.
The hardware was developed by an American startup. Earlier in June, it drew a lot of attention when it demoed a technique that is called “microsuction” in order to adhere a slim disk to the back of a traditional wristwatch in order to convert it into a smartwatch. That demonstration was made at the Highway 1 accelerator’s demo day. This allows the device – and, therefore, the wristwatch attached to it – to sync with the wearer’s smartphone so that notifications can be delivered to the wearer by way of lights that appear at the edge of the wristwatch, as well as vibrations that the wearer can feel.
The conversion provides a few of the features of a smartwatch that are often seen in smart jewelry offerings.
According to Chronos Wearables founder, Mark Nichol, “It’s a super thin disk that uses microsuction to attach to the back of your watch,” adding that “It delivers notifications from your phone, as well as tracking your health.” This indicates that it does have additional features that go above and beyond the current type of pendant wearable technology and is somewhat of an experience that is halfway between that and the latest smatwatches.
Nichol explained that the demonstration at Highway 1 “was our soft launch. We’ll be doing a pre-sale later this summer where we’ll be announcing exciting partnerships with some hot watch brands.” He said that 80 percent of the wristwatches that are currently on the market are compatible with the Chronos Wearables device. That said, the company is also hoping to be able to build its tech right onto wristwatch backs once it establishes some partnerships with watchmakers.
Until now, the interest in the smartwatch from consumers has been limited, even when the Apple Watch – the device that was supposed to propel this wearable technology category forward – was taken into consideration.
The handset maker isn’t about to be left behind in this massive wearable technology trend.
Motorola is now planning to leap right back into the wearable tech market, as it plans to launch its own smartwatches later on in 2014, according to an announcement that was made by Rick Osterloh, the company’s senior vice president.
This particular device is being designed to meet the needs that consumers have already expressed that they have.
According to Osterloh, the smartwatches that Motorola will be launching will have taken into account “consumer issues like style and battery life.” So far, those are both areas where companies have been struggling to keep up with the expectations that consumers have regarding these devices and their willingness to pay rather high price tags in order to obtain them. The announcement was made in Barcelona at the Mobile World Congress, during a panel discussion.
These new smartwatches will not be the first time that Motorola has attempted to sell wearable technology.
That said, it is certain that Motorola is hoping that its future attempts with wearables will be far more successful than its previous ones. The MotoACTV was one of the last mobile devices that Motorola had launched that could be worn by the owner. It was an activity tracker that simply never caught on because of its weak battery life and its lack of visual appeal and style. Though the company had previously stepped back from this area, it is clear that it did not fail to closely examine the experience and to attempt to learn from its mistakes.
That said, it won’t be until the actual launch of the devices that the company will actually be able to prove whether or not it has managed to overcome the obstacles that held it back in the first place. Osterloh did not offer any additional details regarding the products themselves, nor anything that the consumer can expect from the release, such as price or the actual date that they will hit the shelves. However, he did point out that the company feels that this will be a very important area for its future.
This does not come as a surprise as wearable technology such as smartwatches is one of the hottest tech segments at the moment. In the middle of the spotlight, right now, are the Galaxy Gear devices from Samsung, as well as Pebble. That said, Apple is expected to come out with an iWatch at some point in the near future – if rumors are to be believed – and it shouldn’t be long before Google releases its own wearable that will have been manufactured by LG.
