Apple and Timex Launch iControl Watch

Apple and one of the world’s leading watch manufacturer, Timex have joined forces to create a watch designed specifically for the ipod . The latest, in their already popular Ironman series, is Timex’s iControl.

This watch, which will retain all the features that any other Ironmansports watch home equipped with, now also has controls for your iPod as well. That’s not all. In fact it’s also compatible with the ever-lovin iPhone, but only when it’s in airplane mode. The iControl will wirelessly sync to the iPod or iphone and so you will be able to control your music (Play/Pause, Volume Up/Down, Track Forward/Back) from there. It’s also water resistant (100 meters) of course like any other in the same series.

"The days of fumbling for your iPod in mid-stride are over,” said Heberto Calves, Vice President of Sports Marketing. “iControl offers cutting edge technology and contemporary design, in addition to the functional quality and durability people have come to expect from Timex.”

The iControl is available in a wide range of colors - gray and black, as well as pink, blue, orange and green. The cost of this watch is Rs. 5,049 ($125).

Sony Ericsson Announces 3 Bluetooth Watches

Sony Ericsson has announced three new Bluetooh watches from the Bluetooth MBW-150 range that offers the convenience of controlling the phone. Created together with Fossil, this new range of watches aims at bringing together contemporary design and cutting edge Bluetooth technology.

"From the moment you use a Bluetooth watch you wonder how you ever managed without it," says José Barreiro-López Head of Sales & Marketing Support of Sony Ericsson.

The three watches include — the Music Edition that's finished in black with orange details; the Executive Edition that features a professional-looking stainless steel bracelet and the Classic Edition that sports a premium leather strap and black dial.

"Using your watch as a wire-free interface with your phone is about as convenient and non-obtrusive as you can get. Now whether you’re out socializing, working, or just at home with your family, there’s a Bluetooth watch to go with you."

All three timepieces in the MBW-150 range have a scratch-resistant mineral crystal glass face with an antiglare coating. When not using them to control your phone they look exactly like a regular watch due to the OLED display that’s only seen when in use. Also the addition of Bluetooth technology does not lead to a compromise on time-keeping. The watches work on the Quartz analogue precision movement, plus includes a digital time display that’s synchronized with the phone.

Also when an incoming call or a text message arrives, the watch will gently vibrate so with a quick glance users will be able to see the caller ID on the display itself. Users will able to touch a button on the watch to decide whether to reject or mute the call, or take it by pressing the answer key on the headset, car handsfree or phone.

These watches can also be used as a music remote control when the phone’s on the other side of the room or if it’s used to listen to music via the home speakers. Using this feature, users can also view tracks, adjust the volume, change the tune or switch the music off, all from the watch itself.

These MBW-150 watches are also compatible with a wide range of Sony Ericsson phones and the full list can be viewed on www.sonyericsson.com. Perfect partnerships include the new W910 Walkman phone with the Bluetooth Watch Music Edition, the K850 Cyber-shot phone with the Bluetooth Watch Classic Edition and nothing less than the Sony Ericsson P1, the latest addition to the smart phones portfolio, with the Bluetooth Watch Executive Edition.

MP4 Watch

At Tech2 we don’t review too many Chinese products unless they seem absolutely worth it, or are just quirky. But quirkiness doesn’t always guarantee brilliance. We heard the Chinese were the first to pitch a watch that plays movies on to the shelves of Mumbai's Lamington Road. It beats me how anyone can watch movies on a teeny-weeny screen with one arm held high. Then again, much of what I see or hear these days don't make any sense anymore.

The watch is simply called 'MP4 Watch' and it's made, I’m sure, by one of those tiny enterprising setups that currently flourish in China. I say this because there are no traces of ownership anywhere on the box, and the biggest giveaway are the instructions.

The watch isn’t good to look at. Far from it, it’s boxy in shape, and downright cheesy. The display is a 1.8-inch, 56K TFT screen with 160 x 128 pixels. The buttons are placed around the side of the player, and a speaker is provided just below the screen. The strap accommodates the USB connector, which when needed should be taken out and plugged into the earphone jack. The USB is not a high-speed one, so it takes ages for anything to get transfered to the device.

The earphone jack is a 2.5mm one, which requires you to keep a 3.5mm adapter at all times if you need to use regular earphones. Even though it’s a PMP built into a watch, there's no way you can use the player only like a wristwatch. The display goes off every few seconds if nothing is on. If you need to check the time when the player is inactive, you need to press and hold the Mode button for two seconds.

The MP4 watch is supposed to play NX-AVI format, which in practice means nothing will work unless you use the bundled software. The software doesn't take much time to convert files, and could manage all the avi files we threw at it. However, while playing back you have to take the watch off, or else it's damn uncomfortable. The small size of the screen only makes matters worse. While resizing, the video gets squeezed and the characters take on an elongated alien look.

You can play MP3 and WMA formats, which are done perfectly, and there's also support for WAV. The FM Radio is kinda nutty. It doesn’t auto-scan, and the reception sucks! If you're indoors, just forget about it. The player has 6 preset EQ modes and a voice recorder. The player can also read text files, but using this feature can be a pain.

As far as sound quality is concerned, with the given set of earphones you can manage a great deal of decent output. When I say this, I mean pure volume (it’s loud). The sound is okay, with bad bass response and troubling trebles. I tried it out with my 3.5mm converter and the sound was just bearable.

Having said all this, you probably don’t need to read the verdict. But hang on if you made it so far. The real stunner is the cost. It has a price tag of Rs 6,500; isn’t that just brilliant? You need to cough up over 6K for nothing at all. I'd say you could easily give this one a miss.

PRADA II Launched With BT Wrist Watch

About LG and PRADA had announced another collaboration to bring out the next generation PRADA. The handset has now been officially launched and is set to hit stores in Europe by late November this year.

The latest edition of the PRADA Phone by LG (Model: LG-KF900) preserves the same original minimalist, totally touch screen exterior. A defining modification though involves a QWERTY keypad that slides out to give a more professional look.

The handset’s user interface has also received an improvement with LG’s latest active flash UI technology and haptic feedback on touch input. Dynamic upgrades to the software are well complimented by hardware extensions that include 3G capability with HSDPA up to 7.2 Mbps and an advanced 5 megapixel camera featuring slow motion video recording and DivX playback. Other features include Wi-fi, a full HTML browser and video calling capabilities.

Some of the contents included with the handset feature the PRADA Fall/Winter 2008 Lookbook, new PRADA animation films dedicated to the PRADA Phone by LG, and wallpapers illustrating principal themes from PRADA’s annual design collections dating back to 2001.

This time around, LG and PRADA have reinvented the mobile trend with another offering, the ‘PRADA Link’ (Model: LG-LBA-T950). Expected to release with the new handset, this sleek digital timepiece is a Bluetooth device that can remotely monitor phone calls as well as read full SMS text messages without having to extract the phone from a bag or pocket.

The new PRADA Phone by LG and the PRADA Link will be available at a starting price of Rs. 37, 113 (600 Euros) and Rs. 18,495 (299 Euros), respectively.