Vaporware is one of the things that keep the mobile market interesting. For every product that comes to market, there's another dozen vapor devices that promise to be the greatest thing since sliced bread but ultimately never progress beyond the planning stage. Today, we got word of a new product that has all the hallmarks of vapor, with a slick marketing video and an astronomical price to match. Get ready for the i'mWatch, which will supposedly put all the functionality of the iPhone on your wrist... plus white gold and diamonds, if you want, for about $20,000.
Italian entrepreneur Manuel Zanella founded the "virtual mobile operator" Zeromobile, and also teamed up with Massimiliano Bertolini to market alcohol-free "WineZero." Now, Zanella and Bertolini are together again to try and create the Italian version of the popular crowdsourced-funding site Kickstarter, for which they've reserved the domain name www.doooing.it. The first project seeking funding on doooing.it is - big surprise! - another Zanella/Bertolini venture: a luxury watch that wirelessly connects to your iPhone. The really, really awkward name "i'mWatch" might have something to do with the doooing.it site, since im.doooing.it has kind of a nice ring to it. But who knows.
Anyway, there's very little hard information about the watch, other than the fact that it will use the iPod nano's 240x240 touchscreen but somehow curve it (which, if it was actually possible, would be a great improvement on the chunky nano-watch hybrids we've seen so far) and that it will be available in merely expensive titanium for €599, really expensive yellow gold, white gold, black gold or (ugh) pink gold for €11,999... or absurdly expensive white gold encrusted with diamonds for €14,999. You can even get your name engraved on the thing for only another €2,000 - though the first 100 buyers will get that thrown in for free.
Apparently, this (apparently imaginary) watch is already really popular in Dubai, as the two entrepreneurs assure us that "there are already many bookings for the more expensive and exclusive versions" in the Gulf emirate. They also claim that they are working out an exclusive agreement for distribution in "all Middle East countries," where presumably it's easier to sell watches for the price of a car. They say - presumably in all seriousness - that they will start shipping in September and have already raised over €6,000 on doooing.it, most of that probably from the rich (and gullible) oil sheiks of Dubai.
If this thing actually comes to market, I'll be very, very surprised. However, I'll also be near the front of the line to drop €599 (about $867 US) for the titanium version: this watch is that cool. More pictures are available on the "i'm" website.
wrist watch phone. Bad concept.
I can just see people swinging their arm around trying to get better reception, talking to their watch like Secret Service people. Next thing you know they will make ankle bracelet phone and talking to their feet...
Edit: it is only connecting to a device wirelessly? So carrying 2 things on you instead of 1?
A novelty concept I wouldn't buy even if I had the money to spare. I don't wanna tire my left arm just so I can talk on my watch, or read something from it.
If you look closely, it's not using the iPod Nano at all. It's a new device made to look like an Apple product. All it really is is a Bluetooth device that connects to the iPhone and allows you to answer or initiate calls through it. The rest of the functionality comes from "custom I'm apps" that can be downloaded from the "I'm store". You can even download songs from "i'music".
I would be shocked if Apple didn't go after these guys for trying to steal the look and feel of their interface (look at the image of the dial pad they supply... it IS the iphone dial pad, just shrunk).
Basically just an overpriced, wrist-wearable, Bluetooth speakerphone. Looks neat, but overall dumb.
If it could connect to a Bluetooth headset, it would be cool. But some folks use their iPhones to browse the web. In that regard, it couldn't replace an iPhone.
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