smart watches

Following Samsung’s event earlier today, it’s now Sony’s turn to take the stage at IFA in Berlin and to kick things off the company just announced its brand new Android Wear-powered SmartWatch 3 and a new “SmartBand Talk” with a “curved, always-on- e paper display”:

With GPS and 4GB storage memory built in, SmartWatch 3 supports Android Wear by Google to not only deliver useful information and services based on the user’s latest activities, but also enable communication and entertainment including music to be enjoyed remotely, even when the user is away from their smartphone. Meanwhile, SmartBand Talk is equipped with a curved, always-on e-paper display, to enable hands free calls and voice commands. Its intuitive voice controls enable users to instantly check their Lifelog status with just a glance of their wrist. 

This will be Sony’s first Android Wear device following Google’s introduction of the platform earlier this year, and the hardware also gets a bit of an upgrade with a new 1.6-inch 320×320 transflective display. The SmartBand Talk, on the other hand, is more of a life/fitness tracker than a full-fledged smart watch, but also includes a mic and speaker for voice commands and calling. The new wearables will also work with a new Lifelog app:
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Samsung’s entry into the world of wearable tech may not have been terribly successful, with dreadful reviews and reportedly poor sales, but the company seems undeterred, promising more wearables this year, reports re/code.

“2014 is actually going to be a really big year,” said Dennis Miloseski, head of studio for Samsung Design America. “We are planning some products around the launch of our flagship devices.”

Samsung’s US design team does appear aware that the company needs to work a lot harder on the aesthetics as well as the functionality … 
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