Casio has announced its Smart Outdoor Watch, WSD-F10, at the CES 2016.
Casio is well-known in the watch industry for its watches but the company does not have a smartwatch in the market. However, Casio watch lovers will be able to grab the first smartwatch made by the company in March or April this year.
Smartwatches are normally companion devices to the smartphones and they offer a number of functionalities to users. However, the new Casio WSD-F10 is different than many other smartwatches available to customers.
Casio claims that the WSD-F10 is water resistant to up to 50 meters or about 164 feet, which is far more than many existing smartwatches in the market. The Apple Watch has an IPX7 rating, which means that the wearable is resistant in up to 1 meter or just above 3 feet. The LG G Watch and the Samsung Galaxy Gear S are also water resistant in up to 1 meter. The Sony Smartwatch 3 can be immersed in 1.5 meter, or about 5 feet, of water without being damaged.
The Casio WSD-F10 is also tested to U.S. military standard MIL-STD-810 issued by the Department of Defense to perform in various rugged outdoor environments. Currently, it may be challenging to find smartwatches with such standards.
"The new WSD-F10 wrist device is optimal for the outdoors, boasting water resistance for use in rain and around water, and is tested to military standard specifications to ensure it can withstand a variety of rugged activities. Incorporating Casio's tough performance and sensor technologies, the WSD-F10 delivers a polished experience as a wearable information device," said Casio.
The Casio WSD-F10 comes packed with a number of sensors that measures natural environment changes and the wearer's activity levels. The pressure sensor in the smartwatch can measure air pressure and altitude. The Casio WSD-F10 also has accelerometer, gyrometer and a magnetic sensor that acts as a compass.
The smartwatch also displays sunrise and sunset times while can be crucial for outdoor activities.
The Casio smartwatch can be linked to the Casio Moment Setter+ smartphone app, which is helpful in many activities such as fishing, trekking and cycling.
"Users can configure the app to automatically send the needed information based on previously set conditions such as speed, distance, time of sunrise, break timing, or when fish tend to be most active," said Casio.
The Android Wear-powered WSD-F10 can be paired with smartphones running on Android 4.3 or later and iPhone 5, or above, running on iOS 8.2 or higher. The WSD-F10 will have a price tag of about $500 at launch.
The wearable device market, which includes smartwatches, has been growing rapidly in the last few years and many new OEMs have introduced their products in the market. According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), smartwatch shipment in 2016 will reach up to 34.3 million units up from the estimated 21.3 million units in 2015. The IDC also predicts that total smartwatch shipment will reach 88.3 million units by 2019.
"In a short amount of time, smartwatches have evolved from being extensions of the smartphone to wearable computers capable of communications, notifications, applications, and numerous other functionalities," said Ramon Llamas, research manager for IDC's Wearables team.
Currently, companies such as Apple, Samsung, Motorola, Sony and more are commonly known by smartwatch customers. With the launch of its first smartwatch, Casio will want to attract customers and build a presence in the smartwatch market.
