Up until today, I probably would have said that Samsung had produced more smartwatches than just about any other tech company or watch maker. But over the past year or so, Samsung seems to have settled into a pattern of launching just a few models per year.
This week, though, Samsung is showing off something new: a hybrid pocket watch.
Here’s what makes it a hybrid: like many pocket watches, there’s a lid that flips up to reveal a watch face. In this case, what you see when you open the watch is a digital watch face on a round display.
But when you close the lid, there’s a transparent section that allows part of the digital watch face to show… and a set of mechanical hands.
In other words, it’s possible that you could use this as a mechanical watch even when you don’t have enough battery power to use it as a smartwatch… but unlike a traditional watch, you can also charge up the battery and pair the watch with your phone to receive notifications.
Of course, part of the benefit of a smartwatch is that you can see those notifications without having to take your phone out of your pocket. I’m not sure that taking your watch out of your pocket actually saves you any time.
But it’s an interesting concept nonetheless.
Since Samsung is calling the pocket watch a “concept” version of its Gear S3, it’s likely that it uses the same Tizen-based software as the company’s other recent watches. It’s also likely that Samsung hasn’t yet decided whether it’ll actually bring the pocket watch to market.
via Droid Life