smartwatches

Microsoft reportedly considering selling a smartwatch of its own

Microsoft is reportedly exploring the idea of joining what promises to be a crowded smartwatch market.

The tech titan has asked suppliers in Asia to ship components for a potential touch-enabled watch device, executives at the suppliers told The Wall Street Journal. One executive told the Journal that he had met with Microsoft's research and development team in Redmond, Wash., but it's unclear whether Microsoft will commit to producing such a device.

CNET has contacted Microsoft for comment and will update this report when we learn more.

Microsoft has dabbled in the sector before, marketing devices running its … Read more

Apple eyes future devices with flexible displays

A flexible-display iPhone or iWatch may be on Apple's to-do list after all.

The company has already shown interest in flexible devices by filing a few patent applications aimed in that direction. A recent job ad and still more patent filings provide further hints that the technology is on Apple's agenda.

A job ad posted by Apple on April 1 specifically said the company was looking for a display specialist to work with LCD, AMOLED, and flexible displays. The ad has since been taken down, but 9to5Mac captured a screenshot just in time, revealing the full description:

Apple … Read more

What's smart (and dumb) about the latest smartwatches

Why wear a smartwatch? You might have said the same thing about carrying a smartphone before those got smart enough to be truly useful. Smartwatches are a sort of mini tech trend of the moment, but here's the brutal truth: we wouldn't recommend that our friends buy any of these, unless they're early-adopter watch fetishists. The smartwatches of today have a muddy mix of good, bad, and flat-out ugly features. At best, they're quirky and stylish. At worst, they're hobbled with short battery life or don't work at all.

None of the smartwatches we'… Read more

The MetaWatch Strata Stealth feels very beta

Like many smartwatch products, the MetaWatch Strata Stealth promises to usher in a new era of hands-free convenience. Designed to link tightly to iPhones and Android smartphones, this $179 gadget runs tailor-made mini apps to keep you always in the loop. As with other devices in the nascent smart timepiece category, though, including the Sony Smartwatch, Pebble, and I’m Watch, the MetaWatch operates like a work in progress. While the MetaWatch could have a bright future, the device’s current glitches and software bugs will make you wish you bought a more stable piece of hardware such as the … Read more

Rumor Has It: Google jumps aboard the smartwatch train

Another day, another smartwatch rumor. This time, it's Google that was feeling left out, what with all the "iWatch" rumors and Samsung throwing its hat into the ring. What do you think about Google's rumor smartwatch? What do you think would make it different from the plethora of other smartwatches that are out there? Leave a comment and let us know what you think!

Also on this week's show, the next-gen Xbox might not use its optical drive for games, according to leaked documents. At least it'll play Blu-ray (maybe)! Google Play might be … Read more

Google smartwatch in the works?

Now Google is making a smartwatch.

You didn't think Google was going to sit the smartwatch party out, did you? Since the Pebble watch made a splash at CES, we've gotten word that both Apple and Samsung are busy working on wearable tech that will talk to our mobile phones. It should come as no surprise then to find out that Google is now exploring the market with a watch based off its Android operating system. There's no date on when to expect these watches, but for now you can read reviews of ones that have already … Read more

Google is getting a smartwatch now too?

A smartwatch boom seems to be going on. Besides smaller companies debuting new wrist technology, the tech giants are also grabbing for a piece of the pie.

Google is the newest company to supposedly be stepping into the watch world. According to The Financial Times, Google's smartwatch is allegedly being developed by the company's Android unit rather than its X Lab.

This is telling because it means that, unlike Google Glass, the company may be looking to get a consumer product out to users on a speedier timeline.

According to The Financial Times, Google filed a patent application … Read more

What time is it? Just ask... Firefox OS?

Rumors have been swirling about Apple and Samsung building smartwatches, but they're not the only ones. One Chinese company is reportedly looking to get into the time-keeping game Firefox OS.

Known for its e-readers and an Android-fueled smartwatch released last year, a subdivision of massive Chinese tech outfit Shanda called Guoke plans to sell a smartwatch in June called the Bambook Smart Watch. The Bambook will come in two flavors, according to TechNode. One will run Android, the other Firefox OS. Reportedly, the watch will cost more than $100, and will have an e-ink screen.

Like Samsung, Shanda has … Read more

Apple iWatch, beware. Samsung plans to clock you

Now that Samsung has said it's working on a high-tech watch, one that presumably will pack smartphone features, 2013 could shape up as the year of smartwatch wars, with longtime foes Apple and Samsung leading the battle.

The motivation, Wall Street analysts argue, is that the biggies need another act as growth of smartphones sales are already slowing. Could smartwatches become that act? It might sound like a long shot; many people already are abandoning watches and relying on their phones instead. And in an age of ever-expanding phone screens, a device for the wrist comes with obvious limitations. … Read more