What Time is It? Scratch That – I'll Just Check My Turntable Wristwatch

 
Most watches featured on The Gadgeteer have all sorts of high-tech features or blinky lights.  The Turntable Metal Wristwatch is just an analog watch, but it might be perfect for the aspiring DJ or the not-so-young person who remembers the days of vinyl records.  The silvertone watch is water resistant to 3 ATM.  The face measures 1.89″ x 1.57″, and it captures all the details of a old-school turntable – complete with strobe markings on the platter's edge.  The black vinyl “album” serves as the watch face.  The Turntable Metal Wristwatch is $79.99 at ThinkGeek.

The Mutewatch

 
Wrist watches today may no longer be as essential as they were before. People now have other ways to tell time via their other essential devices such as smartphones, media players and even tablets. What may still make wrist watches relevant is that they are worn more as a fashion statement nowadays. That is the very reason why unique looking watches like the Mutewatch are becoming more and more appealing.

The Mutewatch is simple and yet offers more unique features in terms of design and function. For some it may look like just a unique looking bracelet since it ordinarily just has a blank screen where the time should have been displayed. But that is where the Mutewatch may appeal to the ordinary user.

In order to display the time, the user may need to touch the display screen for the time to appear. Another option is by flicking the wrist 90 degrees. And to go through the different watch modes, users need to swipe through the screen, somewhat similar to swiping on smartphones nowadays. The Mutewatch comes with alarm, timer and clock modes. It can also be charged via USB using an accompanying cable. Quite an interesting and unique wrist watch to have, the Mutewatch is now available at Watchismo for US$258.

The cookoo Watch

 
With wrist watches not quite as appealing today if they merely function to tell time, many are being redesigned to keep in pace with rapidly developing technology. One of the aspects that makers are concentrating on is by trying to improve digital interconnectivity with other portable devices. This is certainly what the cookoo Watch is aiming for.

The cookoo Watch is more than just a typical wrist watch. According to its designer Peter Hauser, this unique wristwatch aims to connect you with your smartphone even while you have it in your pocket. This allows you to be alerted when you receive a text message, a call, email, and alerts from your social network accounts. The watch face comes with those typical icons that light up signifying alerts that your smartphone may be receiving. This way you need not take out your smartphone out of your pocket every time you need to check it if something comes up. The cookoo Watch can even alert you if your smartphone is running out of battery.

The cookoo Watch connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth 4.0. It allows smartphone users to be alerted of information at a glance, eliminating the need to frequently take out the smartphone out of the pocket. The cookoo Watch is currently a design project at Kickstarter. Production will push through after it is able to come up with the target funds. A US$50 pledge will entitle one to a black cookoo Watch once production is underway. Retail of the cookoo Watch is expected to be around US$100 if ever it becomes available in the market.

Wall Switch Click Watch

 
Looking at wristwatches today, you no longer see a device that is just designed to tell time. Well, it still is the main function being offered, but most wristwatches being introduced nowadays certainly do not lack in uniqueness in terms of design. It is usually the outrageous ones that get that attention most of the time. The new Wall Switch Click Watch certainly belongs to this category.

The Wall Switch Click Watch is unique in that it is designed to look like an over-sized rocker switch that is usually associated with those light switches at home. But this time, the Wall Switch Watch gives it a different twist. Flick the switch one way and the user gets the time displayed on the watch, switch it the other way and the date is displayed.

The Wall Switch Watch is quite simple to operate really with no other buttons to press or even visible on the watch. However, the addition of the wall switch function gives this watch that added level of uniqueness that is worth anyone's interest. The Wall Switch watch is designed by Click Watches and is available in different attractive colors at Watchismo for US$100.

Swatch Gets Touchy Feely

Why wear a certain touch screen mp3 player on your wrist when you can slap on a reliable Swatch?  The Swatch Touch is a new line featuring, you guessed it, the ubiquitous touch screen!  All physical buttons have been removed, giving the watch face a sleek new profile.  The wearer just needs to now swipe the screen to access the alarm clock, timer, date, chronograph, and two time zones.  Three on screen buttons allow for adjustments and settings to each screen, and holding the screen will activate the back light. Like most other Swatch watches, the Touch line comes in various bright colors (purple, pink, turquoise), as well as the standard unisex white, black, and camo.  All colors feature the same functions and digital number design.  They are available now and retail for $140.

Record Your Underwater Adventures with the Pyle Snorkeling Master Watch

Pyle is introducing a new item in their sports gear line – the Snorkeling Master Watch.  This watch is water-resistant to 10 atmospheres (330 feet), and it has a selectable sea or lake diving setting.  It measures your dive depth (up to 328 feet) with a resolution of 0.1 feet and water temperature (range of 14°F to 140°F) with an accuracy of 1 degree, and it displays this data onscreen with the dive duration.  It has an electro-luminescent backlight and a dive alarm that activates when emerging faster than 6m per minute.  The Snorkeling Master also keeps a log of your 100 most recent dives with the time and date, dive duration, maximum dive depth, minimum water temperature, and dive site indication.  The Snorkeling Master is available in green, black, or red for $215.99 or orange for $222.99.

Amplicom TCL 200 Digital Alarm Clock with Wireless Vibrating Pad Review

Once upon a time, a locomotive train ran through my son's bedroom and he didn't wake up.  Well, maybe not.  But if a train ever did run through his room he wouldn't wake up.  Perhaps you have a family member who would fall into that category because they sleep so hard.  We have tried a dozen different types of clocks, including those that speak to you to wake you up, in hopes of finding a clock that would actually wake him up every morning.  Nothing has worked. He simply doesn't hear them, yet it wakes the whole house up.  So it was with great anticipation that I agreed to review the TCL 200 Digital Alarm Clock with Wireless Vibrating Pad from Amplicom because of a few key features that might, just might, be able to wake the sleeping giant.  Did the Amplicom work?  Did my son finally make it to school on time?  Let's find out! Features and Hardware Before I tell you the results of our tests, let me go over the features of the clock and show you some pictures.  The clock comes with a power charger, a phone cord, a user guide (yes, can you believe it?), a wireless vibration pad (more on that soon) and a cable that connects from the vibration pad to the clock for charging. The clock also runs on batteries (door on the bottom of the clock) in the event that the power goes out. It has a bunch of buttons on the front and even more on the back, and I honestly had to read the user guide to figure out some of the functions.  I guess you could consider that a pro or a con, but it's a pro for me because I like User Guides.  For this clock you need to hold onto the manual because in 6 months when you need to figure out how to do something, you are gonna need it. On the back is where most of the action is, so let's talk about some of these buttons. At the bottom is where you plug in the power cord, the charging wire for the wireless vibration pad, and the phone cord.  If you connect the clock to a phone jack in the wall then when the phone rings in the house the clock will act as an amplifier. This could be good, I suppose, for a person who was hard of hearing and needed to know when the phone was ringing.  On the back you also get to adjust the dimmer setting, the snooze duration, the volume of the alarm, the pitch of the alarm, and which signal (out of 5) that you want for your alarm.  The alarm signals range from just a constant beep to a series of beeps, to longer tones, etc.  It really is a personal preference as to which one you choose.  You also get to choose if you want the alarm to make a sound, just vibrate, or both.  With one of the switches on the back you also get to decide if you want the display on the clock face to flash when the alarm goes off, to add to the probability that the person will get  up.  And a nice touch is that you can set 2 different alarms and each one can be set to go off every day of the week, just on the weekend, or just M-F. On top is the snooze button and on the right side is a really big knob that turns the alarm off and on.  One of my biggest gripes with alarm clocks in general is that the on-off buttons are small, and on most clocks the labels on the buttons are hard to read.  Not so on this clock.  That on-off knob on the side is not only clearly labeled, it is probably the biggest on-off switch I have ever seen. On the front are indicator lights to tell you which of the 2 alarms are active and if the M-F setting is active.  On the front you will also find the buttons for setting the time on the clock and setting the alarm settings that you prefer.  Also, an interesting feature of the clock is that you can set the time to be announced in English, German, French, Italian, and Spanish. The 2 main reasons why I wanted to try this clock were the sound level and the vibration pad.  The alarm volume on this clock can be adjusted up to 90 dB.  How loud is that? Loud.  I have read online that 90 dB is the equivalent of a police whistle, a lawnmower, a power drill, or a circular saw. Needless to say, this clock is loud.  The vibration pad is round and semi-flat with a non-slip grip on top and bottom. The on-off switch is on the front and the battery indicator light is located right above the switch.  It has an 800 mAh battery that is supposed to give you up to 80 hours of charge, and it charges by plugging it up to the back of the clock.  The best way to use it is to slip it inside the pillow cover so that it doesn't fall off the bed.  If you have the clock set to include vibration in the alarm and you have the vibration pad turned on, then when the alarm goes off the vibration pad will start vibrating. The vibration is similar to the vibration on your cellphone, only much stronger. Final Results So did my son make it to school on time?  Oh yes. We had hoped that the vibration pad would do the trick to cause him to wake up. But the truth is that he didn't need the pad to wake him up. This clock is so loud that it wakes him up without needing the vibration pad.  We finally found a clock loud enough to rouse him from his slumber.  Thank you Amplicom.  And even though I consider the price of this clock to be a little high for an alarm clock, it is a no brainer. If you need to get someone up in the morning, look no further than the Amplicom TCL 200.

The Suunto Ambit

Suunto has recently released a new high end outdoor/exploring/training watch….The Ambit. Similar in many ways to the Suunto Elementum Terra All-Black I reviewed last year. But with much more functionality for 50-60% the cost…. The Suunto Ambit Black (HR) package includes Suunto Ambit Black (available in white as well), Suunto ANT Comfort Belt, USB power cable, and Quick Guide. SPECIALIZED OUTDOOR FUNCTIONS Full-featured GPS with Waypoint navigation Unique 3D compass Accurate barometric altitude Barometer Temperature ADVANCED TRAINING FUNCTIONS Highly responsive pace and speed (FusedSpeed™) with accelerometer integrated GPS Accurate vertical speed with barometric altimeter Advanced heart rate monitoring with Peak Training Effect and Recovery Time Online sports diary with planning & analysis tools in Movescount.com Compatible with Suunto Bike and Cadence PODs MOUNTAIN & EVERYDAY EXPLORATION Robust BuiltToLast -casing Enhanced battery lifetime 100 m / 328 ft water resistant (ISO 2281) Upgradeable with new functionalities through Movescount.com

Track and Analyze Your Run with the runtastic GPS Watch

The GPS Watch from runtastic records important parameters from your run: pace, laps, calories, distance, target HR zones, speed, duration, time, elevation and heart rate.  After the run, connect the watch to your computer with the included USB cable to transfer your data to your profile at runtastic's website to analyze your metrics.  The watch display is customizable, and it has a compass and navigation function.  The battery lasts about 14 hours on a charge with GPS.  The runtastic GPS Watch costs €149.99; unfortunately, runtastic seems to ship only in Europe.

Garmin Approach S3 Golf Watch

If you think the game of golf could not get any techie-er, Garmin introduces a GPS-enabled wristwatch for golfers. The Garmin Approach S3, an upgrade to its Approach S1, now comes with a touch screen and provides assistance to over 27,000 golf courses all over the world. Sure, it will not help improve your swing, but this watch provides you with important knowledge on certain courses such as layup distances, green overviews, and precise yardage. This waterproof device runs effortlessly for eight hours until its battery juice drains out. The Garmin Approach S3 golf watch is available this month on authorized retail outlets for a suggested retail price of $350. It will be available in white with red trim and black with gray trim.

Google Android Watch Set

Just released on the Google Store, the Android Watch Set has been designed with Modify Watch so the watches are mixable and matchable.  Each set comes with two custom straps and a you get a choice of large watch face or small watch face.  Made of stainless steel with a polycarbonate casing they're also water-resistant to 3ATM. I must admit when I first saw this I was hoping that it was actually an Android Watch Extension for your Android device The small is 9.5″ and the large is 10″ both sets being priced at $59.95 from the Google Store.

Good Morning, Sir is Waking You Up, Classy-Style

To many people, even the worst of news can sound better when said with a British accent.  And what worse news can you have every morning than a blaring alarm at 5am to wake you up and get  you started on your day?  Wouldn't the gentle prodding of, say, Stephen Fry help to better ease you into your work day?  ThinkGeek has answered this wish with the Good Morning, Sir (or Madam) Alarm Clock. There are over 120 sounds recorded by Stephen Fry as his character “Jeeves”, and just to give you a taste of this British wit, a sample wake up call is “It appears to be morning.  Very inconvenient, I agree.  I believe it is the rotation of the Earth that is to blame, Sir.”  The clock will still set off an alarm to ensure you get yourself up, but you'll look forward to a confirmation by Jeeves once you shut it off, such as “Madam has a firm touch.  But very fair.” The clock base is made of wood, not plastic, with the clock face similar to the above shot for the “Sir” version, and having little pink flowers on it for “Madam”.  It's implied on the ThinkGeek description of “Sir” that you may be able to toggle between the Sir and Madam recordings if frilly pink flowers aren't your style.  Both models run on 4AA batteries. Good Morning, Sir can be purchased through ThinkGeek for $69.99.

Manifold Clock: Telling time in 3D

This is another Kickstarter project.  The Manifold Clock is a wall-mounted clock with a 30″ sweep.  The hour and minute hands are joined with a flexible sheet that forms a changing 3-D shape.  This “combination of simple mechanics and modern design is based on the mathematical notion of Riemann surfaces, derived from the log(z) function.”  Pledge at least $45 to receive a Manifold Clock.  Funding has already been exceeded, but there is still time to pledge and receive a clock.  The funding period ends February 23 at 5:00 pm EST.

Google Android Wristwatch

Google offers in its online store an “Android” wristwatch. Well, do not be fooled by the name. As much as you wish for an Android-powered wristwatch that could make you shoot a bunch of angry birds, this watch only features Android logos on its face. Despite that letdown, this working timepiece costs a fraction of an actual Android-powered wristwatch. These watches are made by Modify, known for letting users swap the actual clock into different wristbands. This mix-and-match feature also goes to Google's Android watch. These Google-branded wristwatches are available for $59.95, but you better hurry because only nine small ones (measuring 9.5 inches tip to tip) remain in stock as of this writing.

Pop open a cold one with your watch

Filed under kooky but useful, the Happy Hour wrist watch not only tells time, but also allows you to pop open a beer with the strap buckle. Priced from $69.95 – $99.95, these watches feature a leather strap with a patented stainless steel bottle-opening buckle. I'm sure the college crowd would love this watch, but would you wear one?

Oregon Scientific's Touch Advanced Weather Station

Some weather stations have a confusing array of buttons that toggle between modes, but Oregon Scientific is announcing a new touchscreen weather station at CES that will simplify determining what you should wear in the mornings.  The Touch Advanced Weather Station gives you full weather forecasts, accurate time & date, temperature, humidity and air pressure readings with a touch of your finger.  The Touch Advanced station shows 12-hour weather forecast with 24-hour historical barometer and barograph, indoor/outdoor temperature and humidity with up to 3 channels, and a daily max and min temperature and humidity record.  It also has an atomic clock and calendar with crescendo alarm and 8-minute snooze.  The MSRP is $49.99.

Suunto Elementum Terra All Black Watch Review

The All Black is ‘just…' a new color scheme in the existing Sunnto Elementum Terra line. The all-black casing and negative display make for a stealthy (Stargate ) look, while retaining all the functionality of the Terra clan. I have always been tempted by Suunto's luxury line of Elementum Terra watches but to be honest the original three styles, while very nice, never talked to me enough to do the deed. But the Terra All Black pushed me over the edge…. The Terra All Black is well sized and weighted and even better looking in person, featuring: time, date, alarm, 3D compass, altimeter, barometer, and chronograph. Here it is next to my old Suunto t6 running/workout (right) and Movado (left) watches I wear regularly.  As you can see, the Terra All Black is very nice looking. I have used my t6 for YEARS, having definitely gotten what I paid for. It continues to keep ticking…a new battery every couple of years and has yet to fail me. My hope and expectation is that the Terra will do the same; withstand the same rugged lifestyle that my t6 has. The Terra's professional appearance not only enables it to be worn anywhere (aka business setting), but also be used while running/outdoor adventuring. While nicely weighted and sized, the Elementum series of watches is relatively thick, but not painfully so. The overall dimensions of the watch are 1.8 (44mm) x 1.8 (44mm) x 0.5 (13.5mm) inches and weighs 95 g (200 g for Steel). Contents: Suunto Elementum Terra All Black Wrist Computer Cleaning Cloth Customer Support Card Quick Reference Guide Features: Time, Date, Alarm Backlight Altimeter Barometric pressure & trend 3D compass Chronograph Cumulative ascent / descent Log: last 8 ascent / descent, max. altitude Suunto's Elementum Terra has a simple design, manufactured with high quality materials and intelligent/well-thought out navigation. As you would expect from Suunto, its luxury line of watches is extremely well made: corrosion-resistant AISI 316L stainless steel case and buttons; sapphire crystal glass with anti-reflective coating; intelligent knob positioning for easy scrolling; high-quality LCD display with metallic display graphics; water resistance to 100 m (and according to the manual, the buttons can be pushed underwater). The Suunto Elementum has two sensors: pressure and electronic compass. The pressure sensor has a dual purpose of monitoring the barometric pressure and altitude data. The main screen of the watch shows the time, date, altitude, and barometric pressure trend and reading continuously. The compass function can be accessed by pushing the bottom button. The 3-Axis (3-D) compass does not need to be level to operate accurately. The barometric pressure scale (outside ring display) turns into a pointer for North, and the watch dial reads out the degrees you are facing. The compass and barometric sensors need to be initially calibrated and aligned. Having majored in atmospheric science back in college, I find the barometric pressure gauge and trend indicator interesting and a lot of fun. So far, it has done an excellent job of letting me know what the weather is going to be like. The pressure was high and it was clear and cold but once it took a nosedive, the rains were here a few hours later. While this feature has limited benefits surviving in the urban canyons, it could definitely come in handy while out camping, fishing, hunting and the like. The watch also features an alarm and simple chronograph. The chronograph measures 1x100 of a second for a minute after which it measures up to 99 minutes. While the Terra can time your runs/hikes/rides, track your altitude gains/losses, and help you navigate your routes, it does not work with Suunto's foot pod, bike pod, GPS pod or heart rate monitor; making it not an ideal choice for hardcore training. The watch has a very bright backlight. It can be activated by pushing the middle button for a couple of seconds. The entire screen is illuminated with a blue/green glow. The backlight is impressively bright and stays on for approximately 3-4 seconds. In addition to the new Terra All Black, there are also three other styles in the line; Black Rubber, Black Leather, and Steel. Along with the Terra, the high end Elementum line also includes a Aqua (left) and Ventus (right). The Elementum Aqua is for ‘urban and underwater use' and the Elementum Ventus is for the ‘on-board and on-shore lifestyle'. The Elementum line of watches is made in Finland, where the brand started/is from. The Suunto Elementum Terra line ranges in price from $899 to $1199. While not as costly as Rolex or Breitling, a thousand dollars is nothing to scoff at either. Its lack of training and/or expedition features makes other less costly Suunto watches, like the t6d or Core, a more logical choice for the hardcore athlete or outdoor explorer. The Terra All Black is more for the professional who exercises during lunch or hunts/hikes on the weekend. Having said that, even though I workout pretty hard a majority of the time and do many outdoor activities, I have zero buyers regret on my 2011 Holiday gift/splurge (to myself )….without a doubt, I love the Terra All Black's look, feel, form and function.

This watch lets you make cardless MasterCard payments

In the past year, NFC/RFID technology advancements have allowed shoppers to make quick and easy payments using programs such as MasterCard's PayPass and Visa's PayWire. Without ever having to remove a credit card from your wallet or purse, RFID technology allows you to make a credit card payment by simply placing your enabled device next to a sensor. Although typical NFC devices come in the form of modern smartphones equipped with applications such as Google Wallet, watch manufacturer LAKS has partnered up with MasterCard to create another method for easy payments using RFID technology. Dubbed Watch2Pay, the device is a wristwatch equipped with a SIM card that can be linked directly to your MasterCard PayPass account. With the Watch2Pay watch, you'll be able to make quick payments by simply placing the watch next to a compatible MasterCard PayPass scanner. Since there won't be PayPass scanner everywhere you go, the device also comes with a traditional prepaid card to use. The watch comes in a wide variety of colors and can be purchased for the price of 99 Euros here.

Hydromechanical watch concept pumps away the hours for horologists

Vincent Perriard and crew have apparently gone from overseeing the Concord C1 QuantumGravity watch and its fluorescent liquid battery gauge to designing another high end watch that combines mechanical action and fluid measurement with the HYT H1. This hand-wound timepiece has a 65 hour power reserve and displays the time via pumping bellows that push bright green fluorescine past the time markers. A rendered video embedded after the break does more to explain how the watch works, but it may not help you figure out its rumored $45k price tag.

Modify Watches Review

I still wear a wristwatch, but I'm part of a dying breed.  News articles suggest that the current generation has turned its back on the wearable timepiece in favor  of checking the time on a cellphone.  Modify Watches is offering wristwatches that are more a fashion statement than for the telling of time.  With multiple faces and straps, you can configure your watch to express yourself.  Their packaging states the watches are ” Fashionable, Flexible, Modifiable and Dope”.  I have no idea what the last term means. The watches come in two sizes, big and bigger, they're water-resistant to 3 ATM and made of stainless steel and plastic. For the review I received 2 watch bands and one watch face which were packaged as above. On their website they show 13 watch bands, or straps as they call them and 12 watch faces.  They run the spectrum from subdued to rather eccentric and vary in price.  I tend to be conservative, so I opted not to get the polka dot face.  I went with black and blue straps and a silver face. Here's a closer look at the face.  This is battery operated, so it came with a wedge in the stem to keep it from operating until needed. On the backside are the screws that need to be removed when replacing the battery.  There's no indication on the web site how long the battery will last. The box the watch components were shipped in had the instructions for assembling the watches.  It's really not that difficult. To give some perspective, on the left is my daily use watch and the Modify watch. If you're someone with a small wrist, the watch may seem a little clunky, but that may be the look you're going for. The timepiece is very basic.  There's no day or date indicator, although there is a second hand.  Even though it is battery driven, you can still hear the second hand “tick”.  This fascinates my 3-year-old grandsons, so I'll count that as a positive. Changing straps is simple and if you have a large enough collection of straps and faces, you can have a different daily look on your wrist for a long time.  I've found the watches to be very comfortable to wear.  The soft plastic of the straps is “stretchy” and conforms to your wrist. It appears to me that Modify Watches is attempting to recreate the Swatch craze.  More power to them if they do.  If you're into vibrant colors and wear a watch as a fashion accessory, these are the way to go.  The least expensive combination of face and strap will cost you $40 plus shipping.  Just for comparison, you can buy 4 complete watches at most discount stores for the same amount.