Ray Sullivan SciFi Zone: Casio G Shock Mobile Phone

Thursday, 26 January 2012

Casio G Shock Mobile Phone - Trend or Fad?

Casio are one of those manufacturers we've all owned something of in our lives - calculators and wristwatches spring to mind. But now they're making some waves with the latest release in their tough watch range - a watch that's also an Android smart phone.

The thought that springs to mind first is the early Star Trek programmes, or perhaps the Cold War movies with spies speaking into their watches. But is the concept a bad idea?

One clear advantage I can think of against a separate mobile phone is that once you've strapped it to your wrist, you've got it with you. No more leaving it on the office desk or buzzing away on silent in a jacket pocket unfelt when there's a critical call trying to get through. It also leaves both hands free - sure you'd have to hold your watch hand up to your face to use it, but you could still be holding something while you did that - ever struggled to juggle a phone and stuff you're carrying out to the car?

I can't find much in the way of specification apart from some ruggedness criteria being lauded over the net, and if this is a first generation model perhaps it's best to let the early adopters shake it down while waiting for version 2.

My hopes for such a device is built in WiFi - OK web surfing is going to be a little limited on a watch sized screen, but on your wrist is a - er -handy place to to keep such a device. Bluetooth would be useful, so that a hands free headset (sorry about the references - perhaps this is a technology that's just waiting to be launched) could be used.

And some internal storage, so that a few eBooks could be stored, perfect for those commutes. You can read your novels while clutching your ticket ready for the conductor.

Aesthetically, to me, it looks a little clumsy, but I haven't found an image that gives a decent perspective of scale yet - but within the limitations of a wristwatch there is the potential to make an attractive device. Watch this space - it may not be a ruggedised version, but I suspect an Android driven, eBook displaying wristwatch may be the must have present next December.

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