inPulse - Hackable OLED Wristwatch

[abem]

Watchfreaks,

I know that many of you are proficient hardware hacker types, but for those of us who (a) harbor a deep seated fear of inscrutable electronic hardware, (b) are cursed with a hardware anti-technology field or (c) don't have the physical coordination to operate on anything smaller than a keyboard, I thought this might be of interest...

It's a programmable (in C/C++) wristwatch with a 96x128 pixel OLED display and even a bluetooth connection to your phone, which can be used to access the Internet. This is a pretty slick approach rather than trying to shoehorn the power hungry electronics of a phone into a watch. There are already a few apps that interface with the web, like an app that searches for nearby georeferences, checks into Foursquare etc. Of course, you can also create custom watch faces, games, etc.

Here are a few links:

web site:
http://www.getinpulse.com/
features:
http://www.getinpulse.com/features/
blog:
http://blog.getinpulse.com/
user forum:
http://www.getinpulse.com/hack/forum/vi ... 78fd87b9c0

The biggest downsides are:
(1) must be recharged every 4 days
(2) still a bit on the large side (35mm by 55mm by 12mm thick)
(3) the technology is brand new and probably a little bleeding edge
(4) doesn't seem to interface with iPhone yet

The developers seem really young and cool and willing to talk to developers, which is something you don't very often these days.

Anyone have one of these yet? They're pretty reasonable ($150 for a watch with a CNC machined steel case or $200 for a black anodized case). I'm seriously tempted... I wonder if it has enough oomp to render 3D graphics on the wrist?

-abe.

p.s. I wonder if "inPulse" was inspired by "Pulsar"?

[Huertecilla]

Thanks for the heads up!

I wonder if "inPulse" was inspired by "Pulsar"?

Input on the pulse


p.s.
´The watch-side code is written in C, calling high level graphics, communication, and device APIs. ´

[Led-Time]

Hmmm....I'am all for new technology and all that but the last thing I want to see is watches being turned into gadget play things just look what has happened to mobile phones...can you actually talk to people on these things... ...watches are for showing the time plain and simple let's keep it that way...

[Huertecilla]

Hmmm....I'am all for new technology and all that but the last thing I want to see is watches being turned into gadget play things just look what has happened to mobile phones...can you actually talk to people on these things... ...watches are for showing the time plain and simple let's keep it that way...

Well, there ís a whole generation of computer age kids out there who are now not wearing a watch because they have their iPod.

Now take a step back and think about why we went from pocket watches to wearing wristwatches.

I think we will see the same thing repeated a century later with the century later technology.

And what of it?
Why would you not want that?
If you like a simple time piece on your wrist, nothing or nobody stops you from strapping a time only handwinder on. Many people would say that you being on the dwf means that you already háve stretched the concept of simple watch considerably
This statement of yours makes you sort of a halfway purist

Look at the bright side; if anything it will only make a wristwatch be móre of a personal statement

[Led-Time]

I'am not convinced.

When Apple launch a iWatch then I know it will work...not a IPod Nano with a watch feature...

[Huertecilla]

I'am not convinced.

I was not trying to.

Personally I am not even ´into´ the most basic GSM and a smart watch will remain far from my wrist but I cán see it worn by my son and his friends.

[abem]

I agree that simplicity is an absolute requirement for a timepiece to be considered beautiful (at least they limit this watch to one button). What intrigues me most about this wristwatch is the programability and OLED display rather than the gadgety features.

Perhaps I'm stuck between generations. An ideal product in my eyes would be a smaller more elegant watch with less featues and better battery life. I mostly just want to make pretty, animated watch faces. Unfortunately, the market for wristwatch shaped light up horological kinetic art displays is probably around 5 people worldwide. :)

-abe.

[retroleds]

Look at the bright side; if anything it will only make a wristwatch be móre of a personal statement

Bravo!

I think the single function watch will be around for a long time, simply because some people need or want them to be simple. Those functions can be on the wrist, in the hand, on the car dashboard, the heads-up display for a motorcycle helmet. We already have virtually, ever-present time, due to all the appliances with embedded clocks. But people still buy watches. Last time I saw stats on watch sales/production worldwide, they were rising every year since 2000. Apparently people in emerging economies still want/need wristwatches too, and many people just like the personal, accessory or jewelry aspect of them. Watches is purdy.

Now - we didn't forget that the "watch" at issue is primarily just an app on a Crackberry phone? You have Bluetooth range from your phone now. A step forward for watch kind.

[morelite]

I'am not convinced.

When Apple launch a iWatch then I know it will work...not a IPod Nano with a watch feature...

Like this one? Now if only it was real