Microsoft Could Be Working On A Smart Watch

Microsoft is working on a networked, touch-enabled smart watch, suggests a report from an unnamed supplier published in the Wall Street Journal.

At the moment, it is not clear whether the device, thought to have a 1.5-inch screen, will make it to the market.

The popularity of the Pebble smartwatch, a Kickstarter project that managed to convince 69,000 backers to part with their money, has caused something of a renaissance for tiny wearable computers, with Sony, Google, Samsung and Apple reportedly developing their own designs.

Watch this space

According to the report, earlier this year Microsoft ordered some parts, including 1.5-inch displays, for a “watch-like” device. The anonymous executive said he met with Microsoft’s R&D team in Redmond to discuss the smartwatch, but there was no guarantee it would appear on sale.

Microsoft’s interest in the new form-factor is hardly surprising – Pebble managed to earn over $9 million in a month, becoming the most-funded project in the history of Kickstarter. The device has a 1.26-inch e-paper screen which can show the time using hundreds of downloadable watchfaces, run apps, display SMS, calendar reminders or email.

It features Bluetooth connectivity, an in-built vibrator, accelerometer, backlight and four buttons that can be used by apps. Pebble is currently on sale for $150 (£98), and works with both Android and iOS.

Meanwhile, Apple is reportedly working on a smartwatch exclusive to iOS that could feature Willow Glass – a strong yet flexible surface material from Gorilla Glass manufacturer Corning.

Google Glass is another example of wearable computing, and serves many of the same purposes as a smartwatch. The device runs Android, features indirect bone-conduction speakers and enables voice-to-text messaging, video calls, access to Google’s search engine, email, translation, GPS navigation and calendar, all from a tiny screen in the corner of the user’s field of view.

According to Gartner, the market for wearable computing devices could be worth as much as $10 billion by 2016.

Microsoft has experimented with the smartwatch concept in the past. Back in 2004 it developed a feature called Smart Personal Object Technology (SPOT) that used FM radio signals to broadcast news, weather and other information to wristwatches.

Just like Pebble, the devices featured downloadable watch faces, could inform the wearer about stock prices and calendar appointments, and display text messages and email. The service required a $40 annual subscription fee, and watches themselves were manufactured by Suunto, Fossil, Tissot and Swatch.

The project didn’t expand outside of North America and Canada, and was axed in 2008.

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