From the depths of forgotten devices, Watches come back as digital hub

Watches have found their groove again in the world of smartphones, tablets and ereaders. Consumers abandoned that heirloom time keepers or their colorful Swatch watch from former years as they started carrying around a smartphone that has a network-linked clock. The milennials never carried watches. Why strap something to your arm when the device you look at 5 million times a day already has the time? Watches quickly moved into the fashion-statement luxury market once consumers started using their affordable cellphones as a time-keeper.

Watches are re-emerging out of the dead technology caves as linked digital devices. After some failed attempts by Sony, new manufacturers are making their watches the remote hub of your smartphone. Connected via Bluetooth, these watches can be inconspicuous portal to the smartphone in your pocket, purse or European carryall. Key technologies like e-ink screens, sturdy packaging and full voice commands make these smart watches more applicable to the new digital consumer. The Passport watch from Martian™ provides a full voice command interface to the phone. It can notify you of incoming calls, texts, calendar alerts and can even interact with your Siri. Did you leave your phone in the meeting room again? These Martian™ watches will notify you. Another smartwatch product came out of a recent, wildly successful, Kickstarter project. Pebble has brought the excitement back to consumer watch market. With its 1.26-inch 144×168-pixel e-ink screen with backlight, it has almost 69,000 backers with $10M in pledges. As shipments slowly ramp up, this device will bring interactivity to a small screen on your wrist.

Are these watches another example of short term gadgetry? Maybe, but developers at Solid took notice of the devices as a new digital development platform with advantages. Where the smart phone has been filled with the mobile noise of game invites, push notifications, voicemails from Aunt Bea and Junior’s latest drawing, these device’s UI require concise messaging. These devices bring a new opportunity for companies and brands to gain consumer focus on a singular digital message on a small screen.

By: Jessicat
Solid Development Contributor: Eric Beringer/@serialworm

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