Hasta La Gadget!

Several years back, I spotted these watches that could be programmed to display scrolling messages. The problem was that they were pretty tricky to program, and had significant limitations in terms of the length of messages you could display. Fast forward to 2013, and we have LinkMe, a dot-matrix LED moving message board which can display messages sent over Bluetooth.

Instead of just outputting silly messages, the elliptical LinkMe bracelet can display messages sent to you via SMS, Twitter or Facebook. Simply configure the companion smartphone app to display messages from specific senders and you can read messages without having to take the phone out of your pocket. In addition to working as a display for messages, the LinkMe works as a watch, and you can also program custom messages so you can use it like a wrist-worn billboard too.

Matt Sandy, Colin Glaum and Tim Goldburt – the team behind the LinkMe – are currently raising funds for production of the LinkMe over on Kickstarter. For early backers, a pledge of at least $99(USD) will get you a LinkMe bracelet in red. For $120, you can get the limited-edition blue model, which looks even cooler, IMHO. You’ll need to get in on the project before May 5, 2013 if you want one of the first batch.

There have been numerous collectible Star Wars watches over the years, and the latest batch has just found its way across the universe from a galaxy far, far, away. Or at least from the UK.

These new analog watches are made by Zeon and officially-licensed by LucasFilm. The collection include five cool designs whether you’re rooting for the Light or Dark Side of the Force. The line includes a Luke Skywalker, R2-D2, Boba Fett, Stormtrooper, and of course, Darth Vader. As usual, R2-D2 is all alone, and C-3PO is nowhere to be found in the collection. Each watch has a leather band, is water-resistant to 5ATM and comes individually numbered with a velvet-lined box and numbered collector’s certificate.

Naturally, the Darth Vader one is the coolest, with its black case, red face crystal and red accents. It’s also neat that the Skywalker one has a compass built in. Though I’m not sure that would actually to navigate through the Death Star’s trenches.

You can currently find Zeon’s Star Wars watches over at UK shop Great Gear Store for £125 (~$187 USD) each, and they should be making their way to more retailers soon.

Rumors about the potential for an Apple iWatch continue to build, and adding fuel to the fire is a patent filing from Apple discovered by Apple Insider which shows off a curved, touchscreen display which could be worn on the wrist.

The U.S. Patent filing, originally submitted in August 2011, but updated as recently as today, starts off as follows:

A wearable video device arranged to be worn by an end-user, comprising: a flexible substrate having a flat state and a curled state; a flexible display disposed upon a first surface of the flexible substrate, wherein in the curled state the flexible substrate conforms to an appendage of the end-user, the flexible substrate further comprising: an electronic module in communication with the flexible display, the electronic module providing information to the display, at least a part of which is presented in real time for presentation by the flexible display; and a mechanism for detecting an end portion of the flexible display, the detection for adjusting the arrangement of information shown on the flexible display to match the size of the appendage the wearable video device is mounted on.

…or in layperson’s terms – a watch with a flexible touchscreen and flexible electronics.

The design would wrap around its wearer’s wrist, and automatically adjust the display UI based on their wrist size – pretty slick stuff. The capacitive touch display would be wrapped around a “bi-stable spring substrate,” which would allow the watch to conform to its wearer’s wrist, much like a slap bracelet. In addition curved screen and bracelet, the patent describes the inclusion of an inertial orientation  sensor which would automatically reorient the display based on how the user is looking at it.

In order to keep the patent sufficiently broad, they don’t specify all of the potential use cases for the watch, but one example sounds like it could offer smartphone connectivity similar to that found in other smartwatches already on the market:

…the end user could respond to alerts sent from the portable electronic device and even direct the operations of the portable electronic device to an extent limited by the accessory device user interface. With a touch screen user input a user can accomplish a number of different tasks including adjusting the order of a current playlist, and reviewing a list of recent phone calls. A response to a current text message can even be managed given a simple virtual keyboard configuration across the face of the flexible display.

The patent also describes the potential for using a kinetic energy device as well as an ambient light energy collector to help keep its battery charged. It also envisions a possible configuration which would include bright edge-lighting for displaying alerts with increased peripheral visibility. They also hint that the device could support both 5GHz 802.11n Wi-Fi and/or Bluetooth connectivity, with Wi-Fi being used for content like video streaming, and Bluetooth for smaller data payloads.

While it’s always possible that Apple won’t bring any or all of these ideas to market, it clearly shows that there’s still innovative thinking going on within the walls at Apple, and that if they do release an iWatch, it won’t be like any other watch you’ve seen.

You can read the full patent application here.

[via Apple Insider]

While everyone is going a bit nutty speculating about Apple’s potential iOS smartwatch, Japanese watchmakers are pumping out their own interesting watches. This one includes a sound sensor making it work like the bar graphs on a digital VU meter.

Based on a design concept by Sam Jerichow, the Tokyoflash Kisai OTO Watch allows you to read the time vertically across two centrally-located lines. The four digits on the left represent hours stacked on top of minutes, while the two digits on the right display the seconds.

Above and below the numeric displays, you’ll find the bars, which actually move based on ambient sounds. The bar graphs can be switched off if it’s too distracting, or you can also just switch off the time and just show the VU meter.

The watch comes in blue, green, red or amber LCD versions, with matching color LED  illumination. Each one is then set into a sleek black anodized aluminum case. Power is provided by a built-in USB-rechargeable battery.

The Kisai OTO watch is available for an introductory price of $99(USD) through Thursday 2/14 at 4pm Japan time, after which time, the price will increase.

If Tony Stark had been born a century or two earlier,  he would have probably skipped the high-tech Arc Reactor and gone with something more like the Tin Woodsman had – a pocket watch heart. This is what that watch would look like. Yeah, basically a pocket watch that matches Iron Man’s armor.

This Iron Man steampunk style pocket watch was made by Adi Simion and even though it may not be able to keep track of time, I know that I would buy one in a heartbeat.

It also reminds me that we need to take some of these superheros and throw them into the Victorian era. Those are the movies that I would like to see. Somebody get on that.

[via Obvious Winner]