October 19th, 2009
Can a BlackBerry watch succeed where SPOT watches failed?
I still have a few MSN Direct SPOT watches floating around at home, but find I rarely even wear a watch and just rely on my mobile phones for time and date information. Crackberry.com looks to have the first images and information on the upcoming BlackBerry Watch. This Bluetooth accessory will connect to your BlackBerry device and act as a viewable terminal for specific data. Much like the SPOT watches of old, it is designed to give you quick glanceable access to data without having to pull out your phone. Honestly though, does it really take that much effor to pull out your phone? If there is a piece of data you want to view more of or respond to then this watch actually introduces an unnecessary step in the process, right?
I suppose there could be a use case while driving where you could glance at your watch to see if any messages are urgent enough to warrant pulling over to stop and respond, but am still not sure that warrants an accessory like this. The SPOT watches required both the hardware and a monthly subscription and since this works via Bluetooth to your BlackBerry there will be no subscription service required. The price will have to be reasonable for people to pick this up, but I imagine there will be enough BlackBerry fans and tech geeks out there who will pick one up to justify the accessory.
Matthew Miller is an avid mobile device enthusiast who works during the day as a professional naval architect in Seattle. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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