Tag Heuer Reveals Luxury Android Smartwatch
Marriage of style and technology features Intel power and starts at £1,100
The smartwatch market has gained an extra high-end competitor after Tag Heuer revealed its first connected device.
The company, renowned for its luxury timepieces, has today unveiled the TAG Heuer Connected Watch. Powered by Intel hardware and featuring the latest generation of Google’s Android Wear software, the device will be available costing £1,100.
Swanky
Speaking in Paris at the launch of the device, Tag Heuer CEO Jean-Claude Biver announced: “We are incredibly proud to be unveiling the first connected watch, which brings more than 150 years of history firmly into the future. The TAG Heuer Connected watch gives you the means not only to connect to the future, but also to connect to eternity.”
Measuring 46mm across and packing a 240ppi screen, the watch is built from grade two titanium, making it lighter and more resistant to impacts than a traditional material such as steel or gold. It will come with a textured rubber strap available in seven colours with a deploying buckle also made of grade 2 titanium.
Inside, there is an Intel Atom Z34XX processor allowing including audio streaming, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, although it looks like there’s no NFC capability as seen in the Apple Watch. Backing this up is 4GB of memory and an “all day” lithium battery.
Voice connectivity is provided via a small microphone, and the watch is able to be synced with any phone running Android 4.3 or above or iOS 8.2 and later. The device is also water resistant for everyday use and is IP67 water resistance rated.
To complement the features of Android Wear, TAG Heuer has developed three digital watch dials (also known as watch faces) – the chronograph dial, the 3-hand dial and the GMT dial, all of which display the date and are available in a choice of three colours (black, deep blue or pearl white), just like a classic watch would do.
Tag Heuer has also created a dedicated online platform to share the latest new features and download partner apps or extra watch faces.
Recent research from analyst firm Juniper Research predicted that the number of smartwatches worldwide is expected to pass 100 million within the next five years, as the range of devices on the market increases dramatically.
Currently, 2.8 million people in the UK own a wearable, according to YouGov figures, with that figure predicted to rise to 6.1 million in a year’s time as the adoption rate rises from six percent to 13 percent.
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