A Windows 98 PC on your wrist? Why not.
Ever wondered what a Windows 98 smartwatch would look like? If you are into Cyberpunk-inspired tech, this gadget will (moderately) quench your technolust, or at least make for a rather cool fashion item.
The device, built by a member of tech blog 314Reactor, who posted about it on YouTube, is based on a Raspberry Pi A+ logic board, a PowerBoost 500 Rechargeable 5V Lipo USB Boost power supply, a 1000mAh Polymer Battery, and complete with two 40-pin headers, a breadboard-friendly SPDT slide switch, and a 320x240 TFT touchscreen from Adafruit.
Being a very experimental and gimmicky project, the developer didn’t go through lengths such as building a slick aluminum case using CNC equipment, but a clear plastic Pi Protector case certainly did the job in giving this device a delightfully retro look, especially when rigged onto a GoPro velcro wrist strap, with some help from Pi-On-The-Wall velcro case feet, and a tad of Sugru moldable glue.
Windows 98 PCs were never known to be terribly fast, considering the processing power available, which makes squeezing a full version of a long decommissioned operating system into a Raspberry Pi board, a daring task, especially when planning to wear, and use the device on the wrist.
The entire gadget is certainly heavier than your average Apple Watch, and boot time, according to the YouTube video released by the developer, is considerable, and even more unnerving by wearable tech standards.
Using the device can also be challenging, as Windows 98 was never built for small touch displays.
Tracking a stylus across the touchscreen is an almost impossible task, let alone clicking on anything with any level of accuracy.
Granted that the design could be improved a bit by using an external trackpad, and a tiny wireless keyboard, that would certainly defeat whatever purpose may be behind trying to use Windows 98 on a tiny touchscreen, but the project deserves brownie points for effort.
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