Do you remember Dick Tracy’s walkie-talkie watch? Nope, too young? Well, perhaps you watched Maxwell Smart talk into his shoe. No matter what your age, if Apple and Samsung have their way, you’ll be looking to your watch for much more than the time of day. The race is down to its last laps and the question is who will get to the finish line first – Apple with their iWatch or Samsung with their Galaxy Gear?
The news lines were abuzz with snippets regarding Samsung’s filing of a patent with The U.S.. Patent Office on August 6. The British Daily Mail quotes Samsung’s description as “wearable digital devices in the form of a wristwatch, wrist band, or bangle capable of providing access to the internet, and sending and receiving phone calls. BBC News unearthed copies of drawings that show a flexible screen that wraps around the wrist with remainder of the device made of metal and synthetic materials.
So what’s up with the Apple iWatch? ABC News reports they trademarked the name in July and it’s still a work in progress. Apple does say the wearable device will pair up with the iPhone and will display notifications. Apple CEO Tim Cook,calls it an interesting “space.”
In case you’re sensing a DejaVu moment, the term smartwatch is nothing new:
- Pebble, launched with the help of a Kickstarter campaign, is a wrist-worn device that users synch with their smartphones in order to receive email, texts, Facebook notifications, and twitter feeds without taking their phones out.
- Androidly became the first full featured smartwatch early this year with a two-inch screen and running the Android operating system.
- Sony announced its version in June, saying that it will be similar to Pebble.
And that’s all we know now. But be patient – rumor has it Samsung will be pulling off the wraps in Berlin on September 4
