Finally, a Watch You Can Talk To
With Valentine’s Day in the air, you’re probably thinking of gifts for that special someone in your life. So here’s one: the i’m Watch lets you check messages and make phone calls from a device on your wrist. If you’ve ever fantasized about accessing the world from your watch, or if you suspect your sweetheart has secret aspirations of becoming Dick Tracy, the new i’m Watch just might be what you’re looking for.
Your Life on a Wristwatch
According to the i’m Watch website, there’s a lot you can do with this watch that works in tandem with your existing smartphone. You can view and receive inbound phone calls. You can receive text messages, view appointments, check Facebook and Twitter updates, or check the weather. You can listen to music and view photos. This all happens on a curved color touch screen that’s about 1.5” at the diagonal. More apps are available through the i’m Watch online store, appropriately named the i’market. Oh, and it does also display the time; you can choose from a digital or analog-look display.
The i’m Watch features both a loudspeaker and a microphone, so you can indeed carry on phone conversations through your watch. It has a 4GB flash drive, useful for collecting music. The base model comes with 64MB RAM, but 128 is also available. Pricing for the i’m Watch starts at $329, and goes as high as $19999 for the “white gold and diamonds” model. There are also titanium and silver models in the spectrum.
As for battery life, the i’m Watch lasts up to 3 hours on the speakerphone, or up to 5 hours for other uses. This may seem like a reasonable battery life for a phone or music player, but sounds downright scary for a wristwatch. But it can also last up to 24 hours on standby mode with a Bluetooth connection, or up to 48 hours on standby mode without Bluetooth on. So if you give your i’m Watch some heavy use, the battery will drain accordingly; however, if you spend the majority of your time on standby mode, your watch should still be running by the end of the day.
How the i’m Watch Works
Because the i’m Watch works with your smartphone, your calls, emails, texts, and so forth originate with your phone. Then you receive notifications on your i’m Watch. This enables you to monitor information by glancing at your watch, and then grab your phone or other device to respond to important matters as they come up. The phone function also works in connection with your smartphone, but you can make and receive calls through the watch itself.
You can connect your i’m Watch to your smartphone by tethering, provided that your phone and your carrier will allow it. There’s also an app, i’m Synk, which allows functionality with some phones even without an Internet connection. SMS notifications are enabled through Bluetooth, and some functions such as the music player can work independent of a phone.
Are You Ready To Talk To Your Watch?
Currently you can only order these puppies through the official i’m Watch website. Release is expected in early 2012. If you’re considering purchasing an i’m Watch or giving one as a gift, make sure that it will work with the recipient’s smartphone and carrier. Then sit back and watch the wonders of running your life from your wrist.
Author Tanya Peterson resides in NYC and is a content contributor for watchrepairny.com, a Manhattan provider of fine watch repair services since 1978. Tanya’s grandfather was in the antique watch business and it’s been a fascination with her since childhood.
