MB Chronowing from Hewlett-Packard seems more watch than smart. And ahead of its launch next week, the first close-up images and in-depth details about the wearable have emerged.
HP was thought to be in the running for best looking smartwatch, even outdoing the Moto 360. The company's luxury smartwatch, as it has been described, is designed by designer Michael Bastien and will be sold through online retailer Gilt. The Wall Street Journal has posted an image of the device and revealed that it doesn't feature a touchscreen, microphone, heart-rate monitoring, or even beeping sounds.
“How many times have you been in a lunch and someone keeps checking their phone?” Bastian asked, while noting his collaboration with HP will make users of the device more polite. It allows people to tactfully glance at their wrist, receive quit alert vibrations for texts, emails, and notifications, and check the time. And that's about it, though the watch works with both iPhone or Android.
MP Chronowing's clock dial, which Bastian said is the thing people will use "99 per cent of the time", doesn't feature traditional hands but rather rendered hands that appear on a monochrome LCD display. The display also shows messages, weather data, stock prices, and other information pulled from smartphones. To navigate or switch on a built-in light, you must use one of the three buttons. No swiping here.
The watch will let you control your phone's music player and has a 7-day battery. Other than that, don't expect much. Bastian said he isn't a "tech guy", and so we can assume his watch isn't made for tech guys. Still, if you're interested, you can grab a limited-edition, all-black model with a sapphire-glass crystal and an alligator strap for $649 on 7 November.
A second, cheaper version with less-fancy materials (such as a leather, rubber, or nylon strap) will also be available for $349.