Smartwatches may not be the most useful tools, but most today offer a way
to connect to digital assistants like Google Now or Siri. You’ll soon be able to
add Amazon’s Alexa to that list, if iMCO and Cronologics have their way.
The CoWatch is a smartwatch designed by Chinese company iMCO Technology,
and it runs Cronologics OS. If the latter sounds familiar, that’s because
they’re the same team providing the operating system for the popular Blocks
modular smartwatch, which received more than $1.6 million in funding from its
Kickstarter campaign.
The smartwatch, which is now on Indiegogo, more or less offers the same
features as most smartwatches today. It tracks your fitness activity, including
your heart rate, and it lets you customize your watch face.
Where it stands out is its integration of Amazon’s cloud-based voice
assistant, Alexa. If you can get past talking to your wrist, you can quickly and
easily ask Alexa questions, get a traffic report, call an Uber, and control your
connected home.
Ceramic and metal
iMCO has opted for a round smartwatch design, and is featuring a stainless
steel silver or black design. It will also boast a Super AMOLED display, at a
resolution of 400 x 400 pixels. That’s all powered by a dual-core 1.2Ghz
processor, with 8GB of flash. iMCO claims the watch will last up to 32 hours of
“normal use,” even with an always-on screen.
NextPreviousThere’s also a ceramic ring on the underside of the watch,
which Eric Jin, co-founder of iMCO, says can be customizable by color. Jin says
the CoWatch is the first smartwatch to use ceramic — an up-and-coming trend with
ceramic being utilized in Xiaomi’s Mi5, and the OnePlus X.
Along with customizing your watch face, you can also opt for a different
band, like a leather variant. The CoWatch can be paired via Bluetooth with an
Android or iOS device.
Cronologics Operating System
Cronologics OS still has a far way to go to offer a smooth experience.
There were a few hiccups when Cronologics CEO and co-founder Leor Stern gave us
a peek at the Android-based operating system, but as he reminded us the software
isn’t done yet, and will be more refined as the product nears launch.
The OS is similar to what some other Android Wear launchers offer right
now, such as Pujie Black. Tapping on a sub-dial on your watch face will open an
app, and you can set each sub-dial to whatever app you like. Swiping right or
left on the watch face will run through more apps you have pre-set in those
dials.
The OS lets you send messages (in the demo Stern used canned responses) and
offers the standard “garden variety” fitness tracking features. Alexa is the
highlight here, and Stern simply had to tap a button to ask a question.
“Remind me to get toner,” Stern demanded — and Alexa said she added “toner”
to his to-do list. He then told Alexa to turn his “bedroom off,” demoing how he
can control his smart home.
Stern, who helped found NianticLabs at Google, says Alexa is the best
solution that’s cloud-native. Google Now works best for Android devices, and
Siri works only on iOS.
