Microsoft is reportedly planning to launch a smart watch that gives users more power and flexibility than some competitors. The company plans to launch this wearable device within weeks, according to multiple sources and news reports floating around.
Features disclosed by the unnamed sources include a sensor to passively track the wearer’s heart rate and a battery with the capacity to keep the device powered up for more than two days on the trot.
This would put the Microsoft offering ahead of devices such as Samsung’s Galaxy Gear, the Moto 360 and the forthcoming Apple Watch, all of which would require charging after a day’s use.
In terms of the Apple Watch, Microsoft is also pipping Apple to the post in getting their device out in time for the holiday shopping season. Many news reports say the Microsoft smart watch will hit stores soon after launch to get in the forefront of consumers’ minds before they compile their Christmas wish lists. Meanwhile, the Apple Watch is scheduled for release in early 2015.
The Microsoft smart watch will also reportedly be compatible with iOS, Android and Windows Phone, presumably because uptake of Microsoft’s own mobile platform is simply not enough to compete with the lucrative market offered by its competitors.
Another unique proposition Microsoft can bring to the table is Kinect compatibility. Microsoft’s smart watch project involved optical engineering expertise from the company’s movement-tracking device, but how exactly this will play out on the new wearable is still shrouded in mystery – as is the cost and name of this rumoured device.
