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Sunday, March 17, 2013

The wristwatch phone isn't a new idea… but is it the right time for the Apple iWatch?

Mark Bridge writes:

Apple is rumoured to be planning a wearable mobile device: the iWatch. Whether it’s an iPhone accessory or a stand-alone mobile phone… or a figment of overactive imaginations… remains to be seen, although press reports suggest it could be launched by the end of 2013.

However, the idea of a wearable communications device certainly isn’t new. Fictional detective Dick Tracy was wearing an equally fictional two-way wrist radio in 1946, yet it took another 50 years before the wrist phone entered mass production. Samsung’s SPH-WP10 hit the shops stateside a decade and a half ago, following the appearance of calculator watches in the 1970s and the programmable digital watches of the 80s. It was soon joined by the Fossil Wrist PDA, which ran the Palm OS, but neither the Wrist PDA nor the WP10 was a truly ‘smart’ watchphone.

Next came the Bluetooth-enabled watches of Sony Ericsson and others. These provided Caller ID and text message notification, enabling users to keep their phones in their pockets until they needed to make a call.

Then in 2009, LG revealed its GD910 3G-enabled watch phone with the ability to make video calls - while Hyundai chose a very similar model name for its MB-910, which had an internet browser.

Sony Ericsson’s LiveView in 2010 worked with Android-powered smartphones to bring a variety of smartphone features to your wrist. It’s since transformed into the Sony SmartWatch and has been joined by rivals including Pebble - described as an e-paper watch for iPhone and Android - and the i’m Watch, which as well as offering on-screen notifications can also be used to make and receive calls via Bluetooth.

Today, searching eBay for ‘watch phone’ offers hundreds of results with many devices priced at under £50. Yet the watchphone has failed to become anything like as popular as the smartphone or even the non-smart ‘feature phone’.

The big question is whether the Apple iWatch will become a must-have accessory for anyone who uses an iPhone - or whether it’ll be a superfluous fashion bangle for smartphone users. After all, now that everyone’s smartphone is also a timepiece, that’s arguably what the wristwatch has become!

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Author: The Fonecast
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1 comments on article "The wristwatch phone isn't a new idea… but is it the right time for the Apple iWatch?"

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James Rosewell

3/24/2013 9:12 AM

I predicate that Apple will not release an iWatch before Samsung or another. Why? Because they have too much to loss and not enough to gain. They didn't invent the MP3 player, original Apple stores sold Diamond Rios. They didn't invent the phone, or the PC, they made them awesomely better. And that's what will happen with the iWatch. They'll improve on others 2nd generation products. If they go first and there's even something slightly wrong about it, whether it's functional, or simply having enough stock, the criticism will undermine the share price even more than current speculation. For those reason they won't go first. Samsung (or LG, Pantech, HTC, another) will as they've a business model and brand that supports more experimental products. I'm sure inside Apple there are many such products being tried and evaluated to ensure they can move quickly when the time is right. It's all good PR distraction at the moment.

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Opinion Articles

Last week at The Fonecast: 24th June 2013

More of the same

Mark Bridge writes:

Another week, another couple of product announcements from Samsung. There appears to be no stopping them, despite a recent drop in the company’s share price.

This time it’s a couple of tablets – one of which runs both Android and Windows 8 – and a 20 megapixel camera that’s got a 4G-enabled Android device built in.

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Last week at The Fonecast: 17th June 2013

Making the network truly mobile

Mark Bridge writes:

The telecommunications industry was making plenty of headlines last week – but much of it wasn’t particularly upbeat.

The debate about privacy and security continued in the wake of allegations about US agents intercepting internet traffic. Meanwhile, Nokia prepared to make its last Symbian smartphones and Tradedoubler warned that mobile devices were having a negative effect on high-street consumer loyalty.

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How to shield from internet snooping

George Putic of voanews.com writes:

When news broke about U.S. government agencies collecting metadata about its citizens’ Internet and phone communications, many were surprised by its scope. The surveillance covered a vast number of Internet messages and phone calls. The government did not deny the action but pointed out that the collected data contained, not the substance of the communication, but the so-called metadata.

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Giving it all away

Paying with our privacy

Mark Bridge writes:

There’s been a lot of talk recently about PRISM, which may allow the US National Security Agency - and anyone they choose - to access some of our personal online information if it passes through the USA. It’s unclear exactly what (if anything) is being shared with whom… and given the nature of national security, we may never know.

However, alongside the possibility of governments seeing information we thought was secure, it’s also worth pointing out that we choose to share plenty of online information ourselves.

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6 things you need to know about mobile research, smartphone rumours and imaginary new products

Mark Bridge writes:

Where did it all go wrong?  When did the mainstream mobile industry start to slide away from innovation and into repetitive nonsense?  For a while I suspected the downloadable ringtone was to blame. Just days after hearing 'Barbie Girl' on the mobile phone of a man from Vodafone Value Added Services in the late 1990s, I'd downloaded a poptastic tune to my own Nokia 2110. Soon, the entire mobile world was focussed on 30-second instrumentals instead of technical innovation. It was the beginning of the end.

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Recent Podcasts

Reviewing our 2015 mobile industry predictions... and looking forward to 2016

Podcast - 15th January 2016

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Later in the programme, the team anticipates some of the topics that will be hitting the headlines during 2016.

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Looking back at February: from security scares to multiple MVNOs

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We're taking a look back at the biggest mobile industry news stories from February 2015, including allegations that the UK's security service tried to breach SIM card security by hacking into one of the world's biggest SIM producers.

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Interview with Chris Millington of Doro about mobile retailing, wearables and technology for older consumers

Podcast - 24th February 2015

In today's programme Mark Bridge talks to Chris Millington, who's Managing Director for Doro UK and Ireland.

They discuss the state of mobile retailing in the UK, the future of wearable devices and - as you might expect - smartphones for seniors.

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A month of mobile: O2 counts on 3, Microsoft counts to 10 and Apple counts its profits

Podcast - 30th January 2015

We're back with a month of mobile industry news, including takeover talks and takeover rumours. O2 and Three are said to be discussing a merger... but is there any truth in the suggestions that BlackBerry could be up for grabs?

We also discuss Apple's record-breaking quarterly figures, the highlights of CES and the launch of Microsoft Windows 10, as well as saying farewell to the current version of Google Glass.

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