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Citizen unveils i:Virt M Bluetooth watches for loyal Softbank customers


Man, talk about a long time coming. The last time we saw a line of i:Virt watches from Citizen, it was a bright fall day in 2007, and obviously our style threshold was entirely different. Thankfully, the outfit's latest line of Bluetooth-enabled timepieces are far sexier, though we have to say -- the fact that they only support Softbank phones makes us shed a tear on the inside. As with most other BT watches, these too will display emails, alert you of incoming calls and even clue you in on the latest news (via RSS, we suspect). Both the TM84-0341V and TM84-0342V feature a stainless steel case and a life of around five days with a full charge; there's no mention of price, but frankly, we're too depressed to even find one. Poor us.

[Via Akihabara News]

GoldVish Revolution isn't for the modest, poor

Some luxury phones manage to pull off their lot in life with a sense of understated elegance; on the opposite end of the spectrum, there's this. The GoldVish Revolution looks every bit as gaudy as its predecessors, but throws in a mechanical watch for good measure -- something that's become strangely popular in this market segment lately. All told, you're looking at some 29 carats of diamonds and a whole bunch of 18k gold, but act fast: only 9 are being made, and something tells us there are more than nine weirdos in the world willing to pay the €369,000 (about $485,500) being asked.

[Via Phone Arena]

Neutrano's Nutec WristFone watch phones at CTIA

If this guy looks serious, it's because he is -- serious about bringing you some awesome watch phones. Canadian firm Neutrano is working with Chinese OEMs to import, tweak, and certify some of those watch phones that we've unfortunately been spending more time reading about than actually using -- and while they aren't going to appeal to everyone, the stainless steel version is the closest thing we've seen to something we'd consider wearing this side of an LG. Fans of chunky, stylish wristwatches should be able to pass it off as a fashion statement of sorts -- your friends don't even have to know it's a phone, really. When you get a call, the thing's got to come off your wrist and be held up to your ear unless you've got a Bluetooth headset ready to rock, but worry not: Neutrano's also showing a model of its Nutec WristFone that pops off at the base of the wristband so you don't need to unstrap it from your wrist. You pay for that convenience with some extra bulk (and we'd argue that this is the geekiest, ugliest model of the bunch), but we'll admit, it's pretty trick. Everything's controlled over touchscreen; you've got character recognition for entering text messages and a row of shortcuts silkscreened across the bottom of the display, and the detachable model also features an integrated keypad (think Casio calculator watch) to make entering phone numbers a little less painful. Neutrano is targeting June for these at a price somewhere between $300 and $400, and the company's president is still actively deciding on colors, band styles, and software features, so sound off in comments if you've got any hot ideas for 'em. Oh, and check some video of the phones in action after the break!

Hyundai's MB-910 watch phone gets priced and dated


Remember Hyundai's MB-910 watch phone that we spotted around this time last month? How could you possibly forget, right? That masterpiece / atrocity is actually coming to market, and Mobile Gazette has it that the bugger will cost around £200 ($281) when it lands sometime in Q2. As for specs, we're told that it'll boast tri-band GSM connectivity, Bluetooth, a 176 x 132 resolution touchscreen, 128MB of storage, USB 2.0 and the obligatory time-telling mechanism for good measure. Too bad it's closer to "heinous" than "halfway decent."

[Via PMP Today]

LG's G910 watchphone to cost 1,000?


Know what comes with exclusivity? Price gouging. Word has it that Orange's little European exclusive on LG's touch-screen G910 watchphone with HSDPA data will result in a £1,000 / €1,144 price per. That directly translates to about $1,500 but, as these things generally go, it will likely be priced closer to $1,000 (without tax) whenever it lands Stateside. With contract, however, you'll be handing over £500 and then £40 per month for what we suspect will be the next two years. Such is the life of the early adopter.

Samsung teases wrists with GT-S1100 watch at MWC


Remember what LG did at CES last year? Those crafty sons of guns showed off a shockingly decent-looking concept watch phone that ended up seeing a production announcement exactly one year later. Not to be outdone by its crosstown rival, Samsung came to MWC this year with a timeline showing its nearly decade-long history of designing and selling watch phones -- and interestingly, the rightmost entry in the timeline was dated "2009." We couldn't get any solid information on the GT-S1100, but like LG's GD910, the device features a full touchscreen, Bluetooth, and a speakerphone (probably a good thing for a phone you can't put up to your ear without getting a lot of odd looks). 'Course, in all likelihood, this is just another chapter in the book of Samsung heartbreak -- it'll either never see production or get released by precisely one carrier in precisely one country, then promptly fade into oblivion -- but it's looking awfully production-friendly. Same time, same place next year, Sammy -- just make sure you guys bring something more than a dummy behind a glass case this time, k?

LG's Prada Link watch: not just for your Prada II anymore


Got a Prada Link Bluetooth watch? Of course you don't, but if you did, you'd be able to take comfort in the knowledge that your pricey, excessive accessory just got a little more useful. Good ol' smartWatchM has been updated to support the Prada Link, meaning that Windows Mobile sets of all kinds can now take full advantage of the watch's capabilities: time sync, call and text notifications, the whole nine yards. Like its Sony Ericsson, Fossil, and Abacus brethren, smartWatchM intends to eventually trick out the Prada Link to do some bonus stuff like to-do lists, weather reports, and more, which means it just got a little closer to practicality -- more than we can say for most Prada-branded products, eh?

[Thanks, maflow]

Video: LG Watch Phone hands-on


So we dropped by LG's booth here in the South Hall at CES and weren't really surprised to see a whole bunch of watch phones in a case that looked like it was just moved out of Jacob & Co. There was a surplus of models dolled up behind glass, but only two out on the floor. LG was being super secretive about the transitions between the various screens, but we did our best to sneak peeks through the fingers on our not-so-generous demonstrator's hand. What we did see looked pretty polished though (which you should know by now) and the transitions looked like browsing music on the iPhone. We were able to find out that the screen is not an OLED. LG went with a TFT with capacitive touch but we were told that it would work through a golf glove -- though we're not exactly sure about this. Be sure to check out the gallery for even more glamor shots and check after the break for video of the device (or the parts that LG would let us see) and prepare to be amazed. Ooh, shiny.

LG's CTO flaunts GD910, we get it on video


LG finally figured out how to do a watch phone that doesn't make us physically ill, and fortunately, the company's CTO happened to be sporting one at the press conference today. Head on over to Engadget to check out the very device that -- let's face it -- will probably be on your wrist later this year.

LG shows off GD910 Watch Phone, production later this year


Now that we have serious buy-in from a major phone manufacturer to bring watch phones to market, we're just going to go ahead and say it: the Dick Tracy era has begun. LG's just announced that the GD910 will start production later in 2009, featuring 7.2Mbps HSDPA, Bluetooth, speakerphone, video calling, voice recognition, an integrated music player, and a touchscreen in case those three side-mounted buttons don't cut it. We hope to have a hands-on shortly!

Sony Ericsson's MBW-200 Bluetooth watches for sporty she-geeks


When a press release is laced with words like "handbag," "sophisticated," and "vibrates," it's clearly targeting the fairer sex. Sony Ericsson's new MBW-200 watches display caller ID and rumble on the wrist when a call comes in to your Bluetooth connected cellphone. You can then reject or mute the call directly from the watch. The Fossil designed, glare- and scratch-resistant time keepers come in three versions -- Sparkling Allure, Contemporary Elegance and Evening Classic. Each is modeled above by three tennis players for not so obvious reasons. Available in Q4 for an undisclosed price. A few more pics after the break.

[Via SEMC Blog]

WF820 phone watch is the size of Rhode Island


We suspect that some really common set of miniaturized phone guts has recently ramped up production to spawn an entire cottage industry of ugly-ass phone watches, because in the past few months we've seen a ton of these 220 x 176 portrait display GSM devices with strikingly similar feature sets pop out of nowhere. Not that we're complaining -- they're great. Especially if you're, say, 8 feet tall with wrists like tree trunks. We're especially digging the number keys strategically positioned around the bezel (which should be perfect for those times when you need to press three adjacent digits and the order isn't of particular importance) and the touted "Double Bluetooth," guaranteed to make your handsfree twice as awesome as it was before. Finding and buying this one could be a bit tricky in most parts of the world, but is anyone really too broken up about that?

[Via Mobile Mentalism]

Wearfone watch phone looks to style up Finns


Due to exceptionally poor machine translation from the Finnish language (what gives, Google?), we really don't know a whole heck of a lot about Wearfone's admittedly stylish watch phone. Reportedly, similar devices have been around the concept block, but a trio of investors are hoping to actually get this one on store shelves by the year's end. Thanks to our super-scientific methods of deciphering, we've determined that it will boast a touchscreen display, GSM connectivity and the ability to send / receive calls and text messages. Early reports pin the price at anywhere between €500 ($776) and €1,000 ($1,553), but that's the price you pay for having a technologically advanced timepiece that won't get you tarred and feathered in public.

[Thanks, Petteri]

CECT Wrist watch phone is borderline wearable


Generally speaking, watch phones are rarely useful. Not so much because of lackluster hardware or incompatible drivers, but due to the fact that no one with any dignity will ever be caught wearing one. The CECT Wrist, however, actually isn't a ghastly looking device at all, and although it's far from being a Sea-Dweller, we can't help but give props for the semi-stylish design. Specs wise, the unit boasts GSM connectivity, a 1.3-inch color LCD, FM radio tuner, multimedia player, 1.3-megapixel camera, handsfree support (Bluetooth) and a battery good for 150 minutes of continuous yappin'. Not too terribly shabby for £150.13 ($293), wouldn't you agree?

[Via GizmoScene, thanks KC Kim]

Quad-band watch phone rolls on Windows CE 5.0


Ready for some honesty? We can think of a good handful of timepieces that we'd buy before we dropped $629.95 on this catastrophe, but for folks with pants too slim and hands too full to carry around a separate cellphone, we suppose it's a so-so alternative. The EGP-WP98 claims to be the first quad-band GSM watch phone to come with Windows CE 5.0 installed, and while it's supposed to tout a SIM card slot, water-resistance, a 266MHz CPU and a 1.45-inch display with handwriting recognition (for real?), that little line informing us that specifications are "subject to change without notice" makes us a touch leery. Nevertheless, you can also expect (though you may not get) a 1.3-megapixel camera, WiFi, a T-Flash expansion slot, multimedia player and built-in Bluetooth. According to one particular e-tailer, it'll be ready to ship on April 25th -- whether or not anyone's fat-fingered enough to push an order through, however, remains to be seen.

[Via UnwiredView]




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