Hands on with Casio’s ultra-rugged Android Wear smartwatch [Video]

Fossil and Tag Heuer may have been the first traditional watch companies to launch an Android Wear device, but it was never going to be long before Casio joined the game. The popular watchmaker has dabbled in the connected watch market for a few years now, and has finally unveiled its first Android Wear watch. The WSD-F10 might just be the most durable and rugged smartwatch we’ve ever seen…

Casio claims that it has tested its Android Wear watch to ensure it meets strict US military standards, and it can survive depths of up to 50m. It has a bunch of sensors which make it ideal for the outdoorsy type. The Casio watch has a pressure sensor for measuring air pressure and altitude, alongside a magnetic sensor to enable its compass feature as well as the usual accelerometer and gyroscope.

Perhaps one of its most unique features is the round dual-layer display. It has both a color and monochrome screen. Using the watch as a smartwatch, and utilizing all its capabilities means using the 320×300 resolution color screen. In this mode the watch runs the battery down in a day or two. Switch to a traditional watch mode, using the monochromatic screen, and it’ll last 30 days before you have to plug it back in using the magnetic charger. Using a combination of the two will undoubtedly get you more than your usual 1-2 days of battery life.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntEvp7NORNY]

While the software experience is a predominantly stock Android Wear UI, it does come loaded with a number of useful apps and custom Casio watch-faces. Among them are the ViewRanger GPS app for outdoor trekking, Runkeeper fitness app for tracking and recording runs etc. and the MyRadar weather app.

Casio didn’t share any specific battery capacity or processor specifications in its press release, and hasn’t said when it will be available or how much it’ll cost.