Some of the best tech ideas come from taking two separate concepts and trying to merge them together into one device.
With all the chatter about smartwatches and smartphones as of late, it was only going to be so long before someone tried to combine the two: creating a gadget that gives smartwatch-like functionality while on the wrist, but also allows the user to take it off and use it like a smartphone when necessary.
That’s the idea behind .klatz, a Ukrainian “smartwatch/watchphone” project that’s currently raising money on Indiegogo. Its creator points out its iOS support — which means that you can pair it with an iPhone if you don’t fancy using it as your primary handset — while a promo video for the project shows it providing Pebble-style notifications, along with fitness tracking and music playing functionality.
.klatz may not be nearly as chic as the Apple Watch, but it’s certainly a whole lot cheaper — with pre-orders starting from $99.
Personally I have a couple of reservations. For one thing, I’m not mad keen on the chunky design, which looks more like one of He-Man’s heavy duty bracelets than an elegant, fashion-conscious smartwatch.
Nor would I be totally pleased about every one of my text messages, incoming phone calls and other alerts scrolling across my wrist in giant-sized LED letters. That rollocking from your boss, private email from your partner, or incoming call from mommy in the middle of date night just got that little bit more embarrassing.
Then there’s the whole “talking into what looks like a particularly uncomfortable handset shaped like the number 3” issue…
If you’d like to find out more about .klatz check out the project’s fundraising page here. There’s still one month to go, with a goal of $140,000.
