A Brief History of the Smart Watch
The smart watch concept has come a long way since the introduction of the first watches with computing ability back in the early 1980s. Most models since then have been focused on being storage and computing devices with “apps” such as calculators, scheduling, memos and so on.
Since then, several major technology companies tried to make their own versions of a smart watch. That includes Samsung with the world’s first watch phone, the SPH-WP10, IBM with the “WatchPad” that ran on Linux, and Microsoft with SPOT (Smart Personal Objects Technology).
Following those early versions were products from companies like Fossil, FitBit and many others. But it wasn’t until 2013 – the year of the smart watch – that a flood of companies made their presence felt in the smart watch market – companies like Omate, Acer, Apple, BlackBerry, Foxconn/Hon Hai, Google, LG, Microsoft, Qualcomm, Samsung, Sony, VESAG and Toshiba.
The Smart Watch that Uses YOU to Charge Itself
Today we’re showcasing a crowdfunded product called the MATRIX Powerwatch. The project is running on Indiegogo, and has received nearly half a million dollars in funding.
The MATRIX Powerwatch essentially works on body heat. While wearing it, the heat emanating from your body is converted using the principles of thermoelectricity to power the watch. When you take it off, it goes to sleep, drawing a small amount of power from the battery to keep essential components running. Pick it up and wear it again, and it wakes up, functioning as before.
The watch tracks your activity and sleep just just any health tracker, and has apps for iOS and Android so you can sync it to your smartphone or tablet.
The product can be pre-ordered on the company’s Indiegogo page here for $129 (free shipping within the U.S.) Starts shipping in July 2017.
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