TOKYO: Sony unveils the Fes Watch running on an e-paper display and new device offers a substitute to LCD displays on smartwatches.
Sony has tried to keep the announcement low key, starting with a crowd funding effort in Japan, which raised $30,000.
Sony said that they used the spinoff company to guess real interest in this type of product. Crowdfunding isn’t as big in Japan but Sony normally ships to its home country first.
Fes Watch will be able to tell the time and offer minimal “smart” functionality. Sony will look into fitness and health sensors in it, which can be read on a smartphone app. Sony now offers two variants of smartwatch, one with a custom OS and the other with Android Wear.
Sony will add several watch faces for the Fes Watch, to make it more customizable. The watch design is simple, quite the opposite of traditional watches. Sony has not announced release date or price plans for the Fes Watch.
Sony claims to offer 60 days battery life on the Fes Watch, another Android Wear smartwatches that cannot last one day. The wearables market is expected to be a billion dollar market by 2016.
