The HOT Watch, from Texas-based PH Technical Labs, is the latest project to join the ever-burgeoning smartwatch craze, and it busted out onto Kickstarter today with such a bang it’s already raised half its $150K goal.
There’s really a lot going on here — the device packs a near-endless list of features — but there’s really one trick that stands out above the rest.
The watch is equipped with a novel feature which allows the wearer to conduct semi-private phone conversations. While all other smartwatches broadcast the chatter of the person on the other end through a speakerphone, the HOT Watch actually turns the user’s hand into a handset by reflecting sound off the palm and into the ear, with the added bonus (or not) that the user will look like he’s talking into his hand — just like the main characters in the recent Total Recall remake.
But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The HOT Watch (its name is a silly acronym for “hands-on talk”) seems like it has every other feature known to man:
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Voice activated calling and other phone control using your phone’s native voice recognition such as iPhone Siri
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Receive and reply to Messages (SMS, Email, Facebook and Twitter)
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Music player remote control (for your phone’s native player)
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Multiple dial faces
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Automatic fast contacts sync
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Caller ID
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Audible and silent vibrating alarms and alerts
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Pedometer: Record running, walking, steps climbed, calories burned
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Fall detection with automatic text to emergency number (unless cancelled in 30 seconds)
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LED illumination
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Note capture: captures your handwriting on the watch face
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Tactile vibration feedback
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HOT Proximity Alerts: Never leave your phone behind and prevent theft
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Find your phone with remote beep
Oh, and it’s also water-resistant. One of the models — there are four different styles — comes with a LED flashlight, but other than that they’re all identical as far as features. I’m sure I’ve left a feature or two out of the description.
If the watches look a little rough around the edges — and they do — PHTL says that’s because the watches pictured are just mock-ups and don’t reflect the final product.
Here’s the kicker: Early-birds can grab one for $109, $119 or $129 depending on the face model and finish. Estimated delivery is December or January.
Source: PHTL
