The MetaWatch is a brand name of discontinued
smartwatch
A smartwatch is a wearable computer in the form of a watch; modern smartwatches provide a local touchscreen interface for daily use, while an associated smartphone app provides management and telemetry, such as long-term biomonitoring. While ...
es developed by Meta Watch, Ltd. Strata MetaWatch and Frame MetaWatch are digital smartwatches released in 2012, funded by raising money via the
crowd funding
Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and alternative finance. In 2015, over was raised worldwide by cro ...
platform
Kickstarter
Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, K ...
.
MetaWatch was a company founded by former
Fossil
A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...
engineers.
History
The first generation of MetaWatch watches was released as a development system in September 2011. Two models were sold - analog with
OLED
An organic light-emitting diode (OLED or organic LED), also known as organic electroluminescent (organic EL) diode, is a light-emitting diode (LED) in which the emissive electroluminescent layer is a film of organic compound that emits light ...
displays (model WDS111, style AU1000) and fully digital (model WDS112, style AU2000). Both were provided with a clip for charging, flashing, and debugging. For wireless connection,
Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology standard that is used for exchanging data between fixed and mobile devices over short distances and building personal area networks (PANs). In the most widely used mode, transmission power is limit ...
2.1 is used via a TI CC2560 module. As a serial RAM
Microchip
An integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit (also referred to as an IC, a chip, or a microchip) is a set of electronic circuits on one small flat piece (or "chip") of semiconductor material, usually silicon. Large numbers of tiny M ...
23A640 serial is used.
Unofficial first and half generation was extended of Bluetooth 4.0 capability. Style numbers for these watches were AU2001 and AU2004.
The second generation of MetaWatch had Bluetooth 4.0, a KXTI9
accelerometer
An accelerometer is a tool that measures proper acceleration. Proper acceleration is the acceleration (the rate of change of velocity) of a body in its own instantaneous rest frame; this is different from coordinate acceleration, which is acce ...
instead of KXTF9 (using less active power), and larger battery. The 4 pins on the back of the case were multiplexed and could be either used with
Spy-Bi-Wire Spy-Bi-Wire is a serialised JTAG protocol developed by Texas Instruments for their MSP430 micro controllers.
In this protocol only two connections are used instead of the usual four pins for the general JTAG
JTAG (named after the Joint Test Acti ...
(serialized version of
JTAG
JTAG (named after the Joint Test Action Group which codified it) is an industry standard for verifying designs and testing printed circuit boards after manufacture.
JTAG implements standards for on-chip instrumentation in electronic design autom ...
) or serial out/ground. External serial
RAM
Ram, ram, or RAM may refer to:
Animals
* A male sheep
* Ram cichlid, a freshwater tropical fish
People
* Ram (given name)
* Ram (surname)
* Ram (director) (Ramsubramaniam), an Indian Tamil film director
* RAM (musician) (born 1974), Dutch
...
was larger. The clip provided with watches was for charging and reflash only. A JTAG clip for development could be bought separately.
The company has since ceased operations.
Models
Second generation watches were sold under names Strata (model code SW12-1) and Frame (model code SW12-2). Strata has
Water Resistant Mark
Water Resistant is a common mark stamped on the back of wrist watches to indicate how well a watch is sealed against the ingress of water. It is usually accompanied by an indication of the static test pressure that a sample of newly manufacture ...
5 and Frame has Water Resistant Mark 3. The Strata, which was focused more on value, was bulkier but more durable with its double injection-moulded
polyurethane
Polyurethane (; often abbreviated PUR and PU) refers to a class of polymers composed of organic chemistry, organic units joined by carbamate (urethane) links. In contrast to other common polymers such as polyethylene and polystyrene, polyurethan ...
body. It was also cheaper as the Kare model retailed for $140.
The Frame, on the other hand, was the variant targeted towards the fashion segment. The device featured a slimmer
stainless steel build, smaller display,
leather
Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffalo, pigs and ho ...
bands and a price tag of $199. The Strata model was initially offered as an
iOS
iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also include ...
-only device due to challenges in developing a version for the
Android
Android may refer to:
Science and technology
* Android (robot), a humanoid robot or synthetic organism designed to imitate a human
* Android (operating system), Google's mobile operating system
** Bugdroid, a Google mascot sometimes referred to ...
platform.
An Android-compatible version was later released.
In 2014, Metawatch announced Meta M1, a premium smartwatch developed in collaboration with
Frank Nuovo
Frank Nuovo (born 1961), an Italian American, has been a mobile phone industrial designer, and a former Vice President and Chief of Design at Nokia.http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-146967148/frank-nuovo-leave-nokia.html
Education
Nuovo ...
. The designer was known for his iconic works at
Vertu
Vertu is a British-based manufacturer and retailer of luxury handmade mobile phones, established by Finnish mobile-phone manufacturer Nokia in 1998.
Concept
According to ''The Economist'', the concept was to market phones explicitly as fash ...
and
Nokia
Nokia Corporation (natively Nokia Oyj, referred to as Nokia) is a Finnish multinational telecommunications, information technology, and consumer electronics corporation, established in 1865. Nokia's main headquarters are in Espoo, Finlan ...
, where he served as a Vice President and Chief of Design. The device was launched at the 2014
Consumer Electronics Show
CES (; formerly an initialism for Consumer Electronics Show) is an annual trade show organized by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA). Held in January at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Winchester, Nevada, United States, the event ty ...
.
See also
*
Wearable computer
A wearable computer, also known as a body-borne computer, is a computing device worn on the body. The definition of 'wearable computer' may be narrow or broad, extending to smartphones or even ordinary wristwatches.
Wearables may be for general ...
*
Pebble
A pebble is a clast of rock with a particle size of based on the Udden-Wentworth scale of sedimentology. Pebbles are generally considered larger than granules ( in diameter) and smaller than cobbles ( in diameter). A rock made predomina ...
*
Apple Watch
Apple Watch is a line of smartwatches produced by Apple Inc. It incorporates fitness tracking, health-oriented capabilities, and wireless telecommunication, and integrates with iOS and other Apple products and services. The Apple Watch was ...
*
Fitbit
Fitbit (stylized as fitbit) is an American consumer electronics and fitness company. It produces wireless-enabled wearable technology, physical fitness monitors and activity trackers such as smartwatches, pedometers and monitors for heart r ...
*
Omate TrueSmart
The Omate TrueSmart is a smartwatch designed by Omate, a Chinese company based in Hong Kong and Shenzhen. It has been funded by crowd funding via Kickstarter. The funding period was from August 21, 2013 until September 20, 2013. The funding goal o ...
References
{{Smartwatch
Watch brands
Smartwatches
Kickstarter-funded products