In the decades since Dick Tracy got his own wristwatch radio in a cartoon strip, many technology companies have tried and failed to produce a successful wristwatch gadget in real life.
Wimm Labs, a Silicon Valley startup backed by Taiwanese contract manufacturer Foxconn, is the latest to come up with a wearable device, insisting its own timepiece tells us the wristwatch gizmo’s time has come.
Wimm’s 1.4-inch square touchscreen display module doesn’t have a fancy name – the idea is that the company’s hardware and software will serve as a platform on which developers will create “Micro Apps”, while brands style their own products around it – from watches to health monitors and displays mounted on bicycles.
The device packs a lot of features in its small size, including two processors (one to keep the watch and pedometer ticking over and a more powerful one for more advanced functions), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, an accelerometer, a magnetometer and a microSd card able to hold up to 32Gb of storage.
It still looked a little chunky on the wrists of the Wimm executives who came into our bureau, but Dave Mooring, chief executive, said it passed his requirement of being no bigger than a Rolex.
Developers will be able to get their wrists on one in four to six weeks’ time and Wimm hopes a device will be on sale to the public in time for the holiday season.
The module is already equipped with a library of stylish custom watch faces and core Micro Apps. These include Calendar, Weather, World Clock and some apps that link via Bluetooth to an accompanying smartphone so that the display can show Caller ID, SMS previews and a lost phone warning.
The module’s software is based on Android, but it will also work with BlackBerry and iOS devices.
Wimm previewed a handful of third-party apps with me There was one where the watch would act as a remote control for the TV, while another acted as a monitor and control for a sports camera usually mounted on a helmet.
Wimm will make money from licensing fees and services it provides as the modules connect to its servers. It will not take a cut initially from third-party apps sold in an online app store as it tries to encourage developers to adopt the platform.
The startup has been working on the concept since 2008 and its staff includes former Intel, Palm, Apple, Nuance and Roku executives..
Mr Mooring, formerly of Intel, remembers its Microma digital watch as an unsuccessful venture in the 70s.
“It was a little too early then, the technology wasn’t there. Now we have the decoupling of the technology from the fashion with this, which is a really critical piece as we all have unique tastes,” he said.
While Microsoft also had little success with its SPOT wristwatches, introduced in 2003, tech companies have continued to experiment with the concept.
Samsung introduced a wrist phone in 1999 and followed it up with the more sophisticated S9110 in 2009, when LG also offered an expensive watch with videophone features.
The current closest competitor to Wimm Labs’ module is Sony Ericsson’s LiveView, (pictured left) a 1.3in wearable wireless display that links with apps on Android phones.
Unlike its own device, Wimm points out that the LiveView is not touch enabled and is dependent on an Android phone, while the Wimm module runs its own apps and connects with non-Android devices.
LiveView is a £48 accessory. There is no pricing for Wimm’s solution yet, but the relationship with Foxconn, the world’s biggest contract manufacturer for electronics and provider of two rounds of funding, suggests it can be sold at a very affordable price.
