Smart-Watch Reviews

- Sports, news, instant messages, and more--delivered wirelessly to your watch face
- One of the first devices to use MSN Direct, a wireless subscription service
- Automatically updates to the correct local time when you travel
- Customizable data channels and watch faces
- Syncs up with your Outlook calendar
List price: $69.99 (that's NaN% off!)
Used price: $65.00

Lots of gadget geek appeal, but not ready for prime time
Not just a gadget...more useful than expectedI love the fact that my Outlook calendar syncs with the watch. Sure, a PDA an serve the same puprose, but I hate carrying a PDA everyhwere I go. Plus, the SPOT watch is automatically updated within minutes of making a change to my calendar. No cradle or hotsync required...the watch udpates wirelessly while it's sitting on my wrist, anywhere I might be in the local area. My wife can update my calendar to let me know she wants to have dinner tonight, and it would show up on my watch while I'm at work. Personally, I think that's pretty amazing. When an appointment time nears, it pops up on the watch along with a countown timer (in 15min, 14min, etc...). Neat!
Stock updates are great also...a quick glance at my watch tells me how my stocks are doing today. Again, all wirelessly no matter where I might be. While the quotes are somehwat delayed (maybe 30min), still useful for keeping general track of how you might be doing for the day.
Everything was easy to set up, the watch really isn't much bigger than my Seiko (though I have big hands and wrists), and I don't find anything about the watch's materials to be cheap at all. First time charging went smooth as silk, and set up took 5 min with content arriving on the watch within 30 min of activation. Charging is cool to...you just set the watch on the included charging stand (I do it when I go to bed at night). No wires to plug in or anything...the watch charges by induction. A full charge is supposed to last 3-5 days, but I guess that would only come into play when going out of town. Of course you must take the charger with you, so that's a bit of a hassle I suppose.
Overall this is a great watch and represents some cool new technology. As far as service charge goes, I don't find $59 for 12 months to be unreasonable at all. If you want to buy the watch and try it out, you can sign up for monthly service and get the first month free, then switch to yearly. That way if you decide to return your watch, you won't be stuck with the service.
Impressed so far...One drawback...not water proof per say...it can get splashed...but you have to take it off to shower or swim... I have a big wrist so the watch is the right size, though it will be big on some people.
I love this thing so far...and no issues yet.

- Stocks, news, personal messages, and more--delivered wirelessly to your watch
- One of the first devices to use MSN Direct, a wireless subscription service
- Automatically updates to the correct local time when you travel
- Customizable data channels and watch faces
- Syncs up with your Outlook calendar
List price: $79.99 (that's NaN% off!)

Lots of gadget geek appeal, but not ready for prime timeThe upshot is, at first I found a lot to complain about, but after a week, it started to grow on me, and right now, I like it a lot, and everyone I show it to is impressed, although most don't think it's worth the price + subscription fee. Anyway, I don't regret this purchase like I did with the T-Mobile Sidekick.
Pros:
- Lots of geek appeal with real-time information updates
- Changeable watch faces
- Can receive updates from Outlook Calendar
- Atomic clock auto-syncing
- ESPN channel coming at end of January
- 10-second white backlight at the touch of a button
- Alarm clock, chronograph (stop watch), timer, time zones
- FM radio frequency, so low power and potentially low chances of us getting tumors from wearing this
Cons:
- Kinda large, not for slim wrists
- Not particularly attractive physically
- No color
- Battery life can be an issue; I've recharged only once but it's only because I use the animations sparingly and turn off the radio at night
- The wrist band is hard to use and adjust (this is one thing the rage man from Boise got right)
- Update can be slow at times
- You need to set up a travel schedule to receive personalized information (i.e., Outlook appointments) when you travel, which is totally stupid, especially as the set-up page on the Web is a perfect example of stupid programming (but not unlike the typical Microsoft goofs) -- too complicated to explain here, let's just say it doesn't work the way it should.
- Coverage is not consistent, and only works in the U.S. and Canada
My initial impression was this deserved no more than 2 stars, as the watch was kinda ugly and all the information you get (weather, news headlines, up to 15 stock quotes, Outlook calendar, etc.) is nice to have but totally not necessary, especially for people like myself who sit in front of the Internet all day and half night. Plus, set up was more confusing than warranted, and the battery life issue was a big turn off.
But there is just so much gadget-freak factor in this watch. It's actually more useful than my Casio camera watch or some prototypes of communicator watches I've seen in Asia, because, at least for a guy, the size is acceptable, and there's something about getting real-time weather and stock quotes that just fascinate me. The weather channel is especially impressive, especially on cold wintry days like these in New York. Pressing the channel button to cycle through the various channels -- BTW there's also a special channel that automatically cycles through the channels for you -- has a certain magical power of its own, and I just love showing this off to friends and coworkers, and get lots of pleasure when people come into my office to ask "oh what is like outside?" or "hey show me your watch again."
Should you buy this? It's very hard to say. Luckily MSN Direct offers a free month if you sign up with the monthly plan. Then if you like it, you can switch to the annual plan and save 50%. If you don't, at least Amazon offers a nice 30-day MBG policy.
Not just a gadget...more useful than expectedI love the fact that my Outlook calendar syncs with the watch. Sure, a PDA an serve the same puprose, but I hate carrying a PDA everyhwere I go. Plus, the SPOT watch is automatically updated within minutes of making a change to my calendar. No cradle or hotsync required...the watch udpates wirelessly while it's sitting on my wrist, anywhere I might be in the local area. My wife can update my calendar to let me know she wants to have dinner tonight, and it would show up on my watch while I'm at work. Personally, I think that's pretty amazing. When an appointment time nears, it pops up on the watch along with a countown timer (in 15min, 14min, etc...). Neat!
Stock updates are great also...a quick glance at my watch tells me how my stocks are doing today. Again, all wirelessly no matter where I might be. While the quotes are somehwat delayed (maybe 30min), still useful for keeping general track of how you might be doing for the day.
Everything was easy to set up, the watch really isn't much bigger than my Seiko (though I have big hands and wrists), and I don't find anything about the watch's materials to be cheap at all. First time charging went smooth as silk, and set up took 5 min with content arriving on the watch within 30 min of activation. Charging is cool to...you just set the watch on the included charging stand (I do it when I go to bed at night). No wires to plug in or anything...the watch charges by induction. A full charge is supposed to last 3-5 days, but I guess that would only come into play when going out of town. Of course you must take the charger with you, so that's a bit of a hassle I suppose.
Overall this is a great watch and represents some cool new technology. As far as service charge goes, I don't find $59 for 12 months to be unreasonable at all. If you want to buy the watch and try it out, you can sign up for monthly service and get the first month free, then switch to yearly. That way if you decide to return your watch, you won't be stuck with the service.
Impressed so far...One drawback...not water proof per say...it can get splashed...but you have to take it off to shower or swim... I have a big wrist so the watch is the right size, though it will be big on some people.
I love this thing so far...and no issues yet.

- Stocks, news, personal messages, and more--delivered wirelessly to your watch
- One of the first devices to use MSN Direct, a wireless subscription service
- Automatically updates to the correct local time when you travel
- Customizable data channels and watch faces
- Syncs up with your Outlook calendar
List price: $79.99 (that's 35% off!)
Used price: $99.99

Lots of gadget geek appeal, but not ready for prime timeThe upshot is, at first I found a lot to complain about, but after a week, it started to grow on me, and right now, I like it a lot, and everyone I show it to is impressed, although most don't think it's worth the price + subscription fee. Anyway, I don't regret this purchase like I did with the T-Mobile Sidekick.
Pros:
- Lots of geek appeal with real-time information updates
- Changeable watch faces
- Can receive updates from Outlook Calendar
- Atomic clock auto-syncing
- ESPN channel coming at end of January
- 10-second white backlight at the touch of a button
- Alarm clock, chronograph (stop watch), timer, time zones
- FM radio frequency, so low power and potentially low chances of us getting tumors from wearing this
Cons:
- Kinda large, not for slim wrists
- Not particularly attractive physically
- No color
- Battery life can be an issue; I've recharged only once but it's only because I use the animations sparingly and turn off the radio at night
- The wrist band is hard to use and adjust (this is one thing the rage man from Boise got right)
- Update can be slow at times
- You need to set up a travel schedule to receive personalized information (i.e., Outlook appointments) when you travel, which is totally stupid, especially as the set-up page on the Web is a perfect example of stupid programming (but not unlike the typical Microsoft goofs) -- too complicated to explain here, let's just say it doesn't work the way it should.
- Coverage is not consistent, and only works in the U.S. and Canada
My initial impression was this deserved no more than 2 stars, as the watch was kinda ugly and all the information you get (weather, news headlines, up to 15 stock quotes, Outlook calendar, etc.) is nice to have but totally not necessary, especially for people like myself who sit in front of the Internet all day and half night. Plus, set up was more confusing than warranted, and the battery life issue was a big turn off.
But there is just so much gadget-freak factor in this watch. It's actually more useful than my Casio camera watch or some prototypes of communicator watches I've seen in Asia, because, at least for a guy, the size is acceptable, and there's something about getting real-time weather and stock quotes that just fascinate me. The weather channel is especially impressive, especially on cold wintry days like these in New York. Pressing the channel button to cycle through the various channels -- BTW there's also a special channel that automatically cycles through the channels for you -- has a certain magical power of its own, and I just love showing this off to friends and coworkers, and get lots of pleasure when people come into my office to ask "oh what is like outside?" or "hey show me your watch again."
Should you buy this? It's very hard to say. Luckily MSN Direct offers a free month if you sign up with the monthly plan. Then if you like it, you can switch to the annual plan and save 50%. If you don't, at least Amazon offers a nice 30-day MBG policy.
Not just a gadget...more useful than expectedI love the fact that my Outlook calendar syncs with the watch. Sure, a PDA an serve the same puprose, but I hate carrying a PDA everyhwere I go. Plus, the SPOT watch is automatically updated within minutes of making a change to my calendar. No cradle or hotsync required...the watch udpates wirelessly while it's sitting on my wrist, anywhere I might be in the local area. My wife can update my calendar to let me know she wants to have dinner tonight, and it would show up on my watch while I'm at work. Personally, I think that's pretty amazing. When an appointment time nears, it pops up on the watch along with a countown timer (in 15min, 14min, etc...). Neat!
Stock updates are great also...a quick glance at my watch tells me how my stocks are doing today. Again, all wirelessly no matter where I might be. While the quotes are somehwat delayed (maybe 30min), still useful for keeping general track of how you might be doing for the day.
Everything was easy to set up, the watch really isn't much bigger than my Seiko (though I have big hands and wrists), and I don't find anything about the watch's materials to be cheap at all. First time charging went smooth as silk, and set up took 5 min with content arriving on the watch within 30 min of activation. Charging is cool to...you just set the watch on the included charging stand (I do it when I go to bed at night). No wires to plug in or anything...the watch charges by induction. A full charge is supposed to last 3-5 days, but I guess that would only come into play when going out of town. Of course you must take the charger with you, so that's a bit of a hassle I suppose.
Overall this is a great watch and represents some cool new technology. As far as service charge goes, I don't find $59 for 12 months to be unreasonable at all. If you want to buy the watch and try it out, you can sign up for monthly service and get the first month free, then switch to yearly. That way if you decide to return your watch, you won't be stuck with the service.
Impressed so far...One drawback...not water proof per say...it can get splashed...but you have to take it off to shower or swim... I have a big wrist so the watch is the right size, though it will be big on some people.
I love this thing so far...and no issues yet.

- Stocks, news, personal messages, and more--delivered wirelessly to your watch
- One of the first devices to use MSN Direct, a wireless subscription service
- Automatically updates to the correct local time when you travel
- Customizable data channels and watch faces
- Syncs up with your Outlook calendar
List price: $89.99 (that's NaN% off!)

Lots of gadget geek appeal, but not ready for prime timeThe upshot is, at first I found a lot to complain about, but after a week, it started to grow on me, and right now, I like it a lot, and everyone I show it to is impressed, although most don't think it's worth the price + subscription fee. Anyway, I don't regret this purchase like I did with the T-Mobile Sidekick.
Pros:
- Lots of geek appeal with real-time information updates
- Changeable watch faces
- Can receive updates from Outlook Calendar
- Atomic clock auto-syncing
- ESPN channel coming at end of January
- 10-second white backlight at the touch of a button
- Alarm clock, chronograph (stop watch), timer, time zones
- FM radio frequency, so low power and potentially low chances of us getting tumors from wearing this
Cons:
- Kinda large, not for slim wrists
- Not particularly attractive physically
- No color
- Battery life can be an issue; I've recharged only once but it's only because I use the animations sparingly and turn off the radio at night
- The wrist band is hard to use and adjust (this is one thing the rage man from Boise got right)
- Update can be slow at times
- You need to set up a travel schedule to receive personalized information (i.e., Outlook appointments) when you travel, which is totally stupid, especially as the set-up page on the Web is a perfect example of stupid programming (but not unlike the typical Microsoft goofs) -- too complicated to explain here, let's just say it doesn't work the way it should.
- Coverage is not consistent, and only works in the U.S. and Canada
My initial impression was this deserved no more than 2 stars, as the watch was kinda ugly and all the information you get (weather, news headlines, up to 15 stock quotes, Outlook calendar, etc.) is nice to have but totally not necessary, especially for people like myself who sit in front of the Internet all day and half night. Plus, set up was more confusing than warranted, and the battery life issue was a big turn off.
But there is just so much gadget-freak factor in this watch. It's actually more useful than my Casio camera watch or some prototypes of communicator watches I've seen in Asia, because, at least for a guy, the size is acceptable, and there's something about getting real-time weather and stock quotes that just fascinate me. The weather channel is especially impressive, especially on cold wintry days like these in New York. Pressing the channel button to cycle through the various channels -- BTW there's also a special channel that automatically cycles through the channels for you -- has a certain magical power of its own, and I just love showing this off to friends and coworkers, and get lots of pleasure when people come into my office to ask "oh what is like outside?" or "hey show me your watch again."
Should you buy this? It's very hard to say. Luckily MSN Direct offers a free month if you sign up with the monthly plan. Then if you like it, you can switch to the annual plan and save 50%. If you don't, at least Amazon offers a nice 30-day MBG policy.
Not just a gadget...more useful than expectedI love the fact that my Outlook calendar syncs with the watch. Sure, a PDA an serve the same puprose, but I hate carrying a PDA everyhwere I go. Plus, the SPOT watch is automatically updated within minutes of making a change to my calendar. No cradle or hotsync required...the watch udpates wirelessly while it's sitting on my wrist, anywhere I might be in the local area. My wife can update my calendar to let me know she wants to have dinner tonight, and it would show up on my watch while I'm at work. Personally, I think that's pretty amazing. When an appointment time nears, it pops up on the watch along with a countown timer (in 15min, 14min, etc...). Neat!
Stock updates are great also...a quick glance at my watch tells me how my stocks are doing today. Again, all wirelessly no matter where I might be. While the quotes are somehwat delayed (maybe 30min), still useful for keeping general track of how you might be doing for the day.
Everything was easy to set up, the watch really isn't much bigger than my Seiko (though I have big hands and wrists), and I don't find anything about the watch's materials to be cheap at all. First time charging went smooth as silk, and set up took 5 min with content arriving on the watch within 30 min of activation. Charging is cool to...you just set the watch on the included charging stand (I do it when I go to bed at night). No wires to plug in or anything...the watch charges by induction. A full charge is supposed to last 3-5 days, but I guess that would only come into play when going out of town. Of course you must take the charger with you, so that's a bit of a hassle I suppose.
Overall this is a great watch and represents some cool new technology. As far as service charge goes, I don't find $59 for 12 months to be unreasonable at all. If you want to buy the watch and try it out, you can sign up for monthly service and get the first month free, then switch to yearly. That way if you decide to return your watch, you won't be stuck with the service.
Impressed so far...One drawback...not water proof per say...it can get splashed...but you have to take it off to shower or swim... I have a big wrist so the watch is the right size, though it will be big on some people.
I love this thing so far...and no issues yet.

- Stocks, news, personal messages, and more--delivered wirelessly to your watch
- One of the first devices to use MSN Direct, a wireless subscription service
- Automatically updates to the correct local time when you travel
- Customizable data channels and watch faces
- Syncs up with your Outlook calendar
List price: $199.99 (that's NaN% off!)
Used price: $75.00
Buy one from zShops for: $136.99

Lots of gadget geek appeal, but not ready for prime timeThe upshot is, at first I found a lot to complain about, but after a week, it started to grow on me, and right now, I like it a lot, and everyone I show it to is impressed, although most don't think it's worth the price + subscription fee. Anyway, I don't regret this purchase like I did with the T-Mobile Sidekick.
Pros:
- Lots of geek appeal with real-time information updates
- Changeable watch faces
- Can receive updates from Outlook Calendar
- Atomic clock auto-syncing
- ESPN channel coming at end of January
- 10-second white backlight at the touch of a button
- Alarm clock, chronograph (stop watch), timer, time zones
- FM radio frequency, so low power and potentially low chances of us getting tumors from wearing this
Cons:
- Kinda large, not for slim wrists
- Not particularly attractive physically
- No color
- Battery life can be an issue; I've recharged only once but it's only because I use the animations sparingly and turn off the radio at night
- The wrist band is hard to use and adjust (this is one thing the rage man from Boise got right)
- Update can be slow at times
- You need to set up a travel schedule to receive personalized information (i.e., Outlook appointments) when you travel, which is totally stupid, especially as the set-up page on the Web is a perfect example of stupid programming (but not unlike the typical Microsoft goofs) -- too complicated to explain here, let's just say it doesn't work the way it should.
- Coverage is not consistent, and only works in the U.S. and Canada
My initial impression was this deserved no more than 2 stars, as the watch was kinda ugly and all the information you get (weather, news headlines, up to 15 stock quotes, Outlook calendar, etc.) is nice to have but totally not necessary, especially for people like myself who sit in front of the Internet all day and half night. Plus, set up was more confusing than warranted, and the battery life issue was a big turn off.
But there is just so much gadget-freak factor in this watch. It's actually more useful than my Casio camera watch or some prototypes of communicator watches I've seen in Asia, because, at least for a guy, the size is acceptable, and there's something about getting real-time weather and stock quotes that just fascinate me. The weather channel is especially impressive, especially on cold wintry days like these in New York. Pressing the channel button to cycle through the various channels -- BTW there's also a special channel that automatically cycles through the channels for you -- has a certain magical power of its own, and I just love showing this off to friends and coworkers, and get lots of pleasure when people come into my office to ask "oh what is like outside?" or "hey show me your watch again."
Should you buy this? It's very hard to say. Luckily MSN Direct offers a free month if you sign up with the monthly plan. Then if you like it, you can switch to the annual plan and save 50%. If you don't, at least Amazon offers a nice 30-day MBG policy.
Not just a gadget...more useful than expectedI love the fact that my Outlook calendar syncs with the watch. Sure, a PDA an serve the same puprose, but I hate carrying a PDA everyhwere I go. Plus, the SPOT watch is automatically updated within minutes of making a change to my calendar. No cradle or hotsync required...the watch udpates wirelessly while it's sitting on my wrist, anywhere I might be in the local area. My wife can update my calendar to let me know she wants to have dinner tonight, and it would show up on my watch while I'm at work. Personally, I think that's pretty amazing. When an appointment time nears, it pops up on the watch along with a countown timer (in 15min, 14min, etc...). Neat!
Stock updates are great also...a quick glance at my watch tells me how my stocks are doing today. Again, all wirelessly no matter where I might be. While the quotes are somehwat delayed (maybe 30min), still useful for keeping general track of how you might be doing for the day.
Everything was easy to set up, the watch really isn't much bigger than my Seiko (though I have big hands and wrists), and I don't find anything about the watch's materials to be cheap at all. First time charging went smooth as silk, and set up took 5 min with content arriving on the watch within 30 min of activation. Charging is cool to...you just set the watch on the included charging stand (I do it when I go to bed at night). No wires to plug in or anything...the watch charges by induction. A full charge is supposed to last 3-5 days, but I guess that would only come into play when going out of town. Of course you must take the charger with you, so that's a bit of a hassle I suppose.
Overall this is a great watch and represents some cool new technology. As far as service charge goes, I don't find $59 for 12 months to be unreasonable at all. If you want to buy the watch and try it out, you can sign up for monthly service and get the first month free, then switch to yearly. That way if you decide to return your watch, you won't be stuck with the service.
Impressed so far...One drawback...not water proof per say...it can get splashed...but you have to take it off to shower or swim... I have a big wrist so the watch is the right size, though it will be big on some people.
I love this thing so far...and no issues yet.

- The Outbreaker Altimeter Watch is a precision device for an active lifestyle
- Measure outside temp, barometric pressure, elapsed workout time, vertical speed
- Advanced Barocompensation technology makes the altitude reading more reliable
- 10 lap memory, countdown timer, and water resistant up to 100 feet
- 12/24-hour clock with 1 daily alarm , 3 event alarms and month/day/date display
List price: $129.95 (that's NaN% off!)

- Wrist-top computer/timepiece with the world's smallest GPS receiver chip
- Calculates the correct start line bias each time the wind direction is updated
- Weather functions help you predict drastic weather changes and avoid storms in advance
- Stores up to 500 waypoints and 50 routes (with 10 sailing routes)
- Water resistant, tested to 100 meters/330 feet
List price: $769.99 (that's NaN% off!)

- Stocks, news, personal messages, and more--delivered wirelessly to your watch
- One of the first devices to use MSN Direct, a wireless subscription service
- Automatically updates to the correct local time when you travel
- Customizable data channels and watch faces
- Rugged body, water resistant to 100m
List price: $199.99 (that's NaN% off!)

- Wrist-top computer with access to current information provided by Microsoft's MSN Direct Service
- Get the latest sports scores, stock quotes, entertainment schedules, news highlights
- Advanced watch features like stopwatch, lap and split times, interval training timers, programmable alarms, dual time and date
- Water resistant to 330 feet / 100 meters; stainless steel buttons; interchangeable leather strap
- Powerful Li-ion battery; two-year warranty
List price: $329.99 (that's NaN% off!)
The upshot is, at first I found a lot to complain about, but after a week, it started to grow on me, and right now, I like it a lot, and everyone I show it to is impressed, although most don't think it's worth the price + subscription fee. Anyway, I don't regret this purchase like I did with the T-Mobile Sidekick.
Pros:
- Lots of geek appeal with real-time information updates
- Changeable watch faces
- Can receive updates from Outlook Calendar
- Atomic clock auto-syncing
- ESPN channel coming at end of January
- 10-second white backlight at the touch of a button
- Alarm clock, chronograph (stop watch), timer, time zones
- FM radio frequency, so low power and potentially low chances of us getting tumors from wearing this
Cons:
- Kinda large, not for slim wrists
- Not particularly attractive physically
- No color
- Battery life can be an issue; I've recharged only once but it's only because I use the animations sparingly and turn off the radio at night
- The wrist band is hard to use and adjust (this is one thing the rage man from Boise got right)
- Update can be slow at times
- You need to set up a travel schedule to receive personalized information (i.e., Outlook appointments) when you travel, which is totally stupid, especially as the set-up page on the Web is a perfect example of stupid programming (but not unlike the typical Microsoft goofs) -- too complicated to explain here, let's just say it doesn't work the way it should.
- Coverage is not consistent, and only works in the U.S. and Canada
My initial impression was this deserved no more than 2 stars, as the watch was kinda ugly and all the information you get (weather, news headlines, up to 15 stock quotes, Outlook calendar, etc.) is nice to have but totally not necessary, especially for people like myself who sit in front of the Internet all day and half night. Plus, set up was more confusing than warranted, and the battery life issue was a big turn off.
But there is just so much gadget-freak factor in this watch. It's actually more useful than my Casio camera watch or some prototypes of communicator watches I've seen in Asia, because, at least for a guy, the size is acceptable, and there's something about getting real-time weather and stock quotes that just fascinate me. The weather channel is especially impressive, especially on cold wintry days like these in New York. Pressing the channel button to cycle through the various channels -- BTW there's also a special channel that automatically cycles through the channels for you -- has a certain magical power of its own, and I just love showing this off to friends and coworkers, and get lots of pleasure when people come into my office to ask "oh what is like outside?" or "hey show me your watch again."
Should you buy this? It's very hard to say. Luckily MSN Direct offers a free month if you sign up with the monthly plan. Then if you like it, you can switch to the annual plan and save 50%. If you don't, at least Amazon offers a nice 30-day MBG policy.