When it rains, it pours. This time, another line of smartwatches is about to capture the hearts of watch geeks and style buffs. The latest entrant comes from the team up between Hewlett-Packard, Michael Bastian, and Gilt. The result is a smartly designed watch that's loaded with features meant to cater to those who are on the go and yet didn't want to compromise on style.
The whole idea came when HP talked to Gilt about working with a fashion designer to help them with creating a web-enabled timepiece. The site, which caters to flash sale shoppers, turned to Michael Bastian and laid down the plan. The result is a collaborative effort in creating and designing the final product. Each team member handled a particular area in the manufacturing process. The tech part was handled by HP while Bastian handled the designing stage. The marketing is given to Gilt.com which offers the watch as an exclusively available item on their site.
Details on the upcoming smartwatch's features are currently limited. However, taking a closer look on it gives an idea that the watch has a 44 mm stainless steel case, a design that appears to be circular, and 3 bands that are swappable and have different finishes. These would include black rubber, green nylon, and brown leather.
The watch is said to work compatibly with both iOS and Android by way of syncing with an app. This would allow the wearer to receive notifications on email and text messages, remotely control music, and get updates on the weather, stocks, and sports.
It doesn't have to be a big surprise for everyone to learn that HP is joining the smartwatch industry. Though it's still a budding market, the number of wearable products appeared to have dramatically increased for the past couple of years. As predicted by Deloitte, a financial consultancy company, there will be 10 million units that will hit the stores this year which can generate revenues of up to $3 billion. Perhaps the best thing about it is that the smartwatch doesn't seem to run on the Android Wear OS for wearable devices by Google. For now, the watch's platform is still under speculation.
Hewlett Packard and Gilt are targeting to retail the new smartwatch in the upcoming fall season. Details on pricing and specifications are yet to be announced. Knowing that the smartwatch is a collaborative project and has huge names behind its creation, it somehow gives a hint that it is coming out with a not-so-cheap price tag.
