Sony Corp lines up e-paper watch to take on Apple Watch
29 Nov 2014
Sony Corp has lined up a new type of smart watch in response to Apple's Watch, one with a face and wristband made of e-paper.
While the exact terms used to describe the Sony smart watch did not state that the device would be made from e-paper, the watch was said to be made of a material that would allow for the entire surface of the device to act as a display and change the appearance. This new product may be on shelves as early as next year.
The watch comes from a business creation division that CEO Kazuo Hirai formed this year to fast-track promising products. The watch is one of the first results of the effort (See: Sony to introduce watch made from e-paper)
Apple earlier this year made news with the announcement of the Watch, which was slated for an early 2015 release. The Watch is Apple's answer to Samsung's Galaxy wearables and the device from the iPhone maker would connect wearers with their phones, and Apple branded computers.
According to commentators, a device made of e-paper would have several advantages over OLED and LCD displays. With power consumption reduced, battery life would be extended, given that displays are known for being power hungry, draining batteries quickly.
The Fes Watch had a minimalist, monochrome design, it however, fell short of the features offered by smartwatches, BBC reported.
The battery of the e-paper smartwatch could last much longer with an estimated 60 days of use.
Gadget expert Stuart Miles from Pocket-lint describes the device as "retro and cool".
According to Miles one of his predictions for the next year was that fashion was going to play a huge part in shaping the tech industry.
He added, having a phone that was big and square was one thing but if things had to be worn, they had to look good.
With the watch face and straps having an e-paper display-comparable to the technology used in e-book readers such as Amazon's Kindle, the watch could alternate between several different styles of watch face and strap design.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Sony had deliberately kept the development of the watch low-key, opting to use a spin-off division called Fashion Entertainments to work on the device.
