Back to basics with the Sony E-Ink Watch
A smart watch that tells the time? Now we have seen everything.
Jokes aside, Sony is really working on a concept so simple, basic and disarmingly appealing, it might just be one of the most popular gadgets.
The Japanese electronics giant didn't officially endorse the project, dubbed FES Watch, but rather tested its potential reception through a
crowdfunding site, under the alias company name of Fashion Entertainment, a most unusual way for a worldwide technology giant, yet one that proved most effective, as the campaign already raised almost 2.7 million Yen, close to 24 thousand US dollars, with an initial goal set to 2 million Yen.
The watch features a round face, and a very simple design for its body, made entirely of E-Ink paper. The unique properties of the material allow the wearer to customize the entire watch, including the band, with over 24 different designs, by operating the small dial on the right side of the face. The watch’s battery lasts up to 60 hours, which is a big selling point for a concept this basic.
Wearable technology might be in its infancy, but when thinking of a product able to modify entirely its outer appearance on the fly, it’s hard not to wonder about other products that could do the same in the future, like shoes, accessories, and clothing. As of late we have seen
luxury watchmakers have reacted reacting to the proliferation of custom watch faces resembling their designs with thousands of lawsuits and take down requests across the web.
The FES Watch takes this concept a full step above, with a product that is designed to modify its entire appearance, which might spell legal trouble for future products with user-provided custom designs. At least when it comes to willful plagiarism.
Having said that, the concept in itself is very promising. E-Ink technology is more flexible, and energy efficient that anything available, within its intended resolution and color range. So far, the most notable products using E-Ink technology are e-readers, with fairly wide color ranges. Manufacturing custom apparel and other accessories might not even require extensive resolutions, depending on the material pattern involved, especially when patterns repeat in a procedural manner, as it often happens with printed fabrics.
While the current status of the project is at a very advanced prototyping stage, Sony is not confirming, nor discounting the possibility for this project to turn into a product they will actually sell, but if it does, it might come with a very affordable price tag of $170, making it very appealing to those who want more than a watch, without the phone pairing experience.