Abacus Wrist Net Smart Watch for MSN Direct

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.pdantic.com/reviews/smartwatch.htm' target='_blank'>http://www.pdantic.com/reviews/smartwatch.htm</a><br /><br /></div>"I heard about Microsoft's Smart Personal Object Technology (SPOT) devices when they were unveiled at the 2003 CES, and the technology intrigued me. Although as a certified gadget geek I have a number of wireless devices that can receive news, weather, and sports, I had always thought that the perfect device would replace my existing watch. There are just some situations where I personally find it in bad taste to pull out a PDA or Smartphone, while nobody takes offence at me glancing at my wrist. Why am I writing about a watch on a PDA website? Well, these watches are personal, they're digital and they definitely act as an intelligent assistant, so I think they can be accurately described as a form of PDA!"<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/charger2.jpg" /><br /><br />If you're interested in the SPOT watches, check out this review - it's the first I've seen so far on these new breed of watches. Too bad I don't wear a watch any more. :lol:

[Birdman]

How does the Outlook Cal. info. get on the watch? Is the charging stand also some sort of sync conduit?

[rlobrecht]

All the information travels to the watch over FM radio waves, including your Outlook info! You install an addin to Outlook, which pushing your info out onto some MSN server, which then sends it to the watch.

I wonder how long before someone hacks that data stream?

[Vincent M Ferrari]

I have been captivated by these since they started talking about them. Once the prices move down I'll head to the store and buy one. I really like the idea of messenger to my watch...

I'm such a geek :-)

[garrans]

Couple of issues with these right now:

a) Battery life.... I'm ok with recharging it, but how about every week, that would save me from having to travel with 8O Another charger.

b) If you look at your watch in a meeting you seem to be bored and want the speaker to shut up :sleeping: but looking at a PDA is "looking for more information" or a Smartphone, is a "Oh, my phone just rang"

Steve.

[gorkon280]

Me wantee! :) I have always loved multifunction watches. Wearing one now I might add! :) I have a Casio Wavecepter Databank 150 watch and I love it. Never use the calculator, but I like the watch.

[DarkHelmet]

Look before you buy - SPOT / MSN Direct coverage may not be available in your area - wouldn't want to spend USD 299.00 on a Suunto N3 that will not connect to anything... Their website says coverage only in 100 top US markets...

[PR.]

I like the idea but 2 reasons stop me from getting one:

1. I live in the UK so I will get a gold one of these when I retire in 2045 just as they are being released.

2. I find all of MSNs News coverage to be US based, I want the BBC on them not MSNBC. :(

[Perry Reed]

I like it! I've been waiting for these to come out for some time now. I just wish they looked better; I really only like the styling of the Suunto N3 (and that one would be PERFECT if it also had the other features of some of the Suunto watches, like compass, thermometer, barometer, altimeter, etc.)

[claud9999]

I too don't wear a watch...I used to wear a fob watch until the battery died (and I keep forgetting to get a new one.) A PDA-like device in a fob formfactor (hardened, of course, 'cause you'll be smacking it occasionally) would be keen.

[possmann]

The styles are not to my liking and I have to agree that with this - I'll wait until we see some improvements. I'd really like the ablity to drop the pager in leu of a good connected device the size of a watch, but I don't think it will be happening anytime soon.

Have you seen the bmw memory watch? Now THAT is cool - 256MG of USB flash stored on your wrist - WOHOO (www.bmw-online.com) and a decent price from BMW too...

Well I hope to see some better styles and improved UI with the next release of SPOT - 2.0?

[Pat Logsdon]

Have you seen the bmw memory watch? Now THAT is cool - 256MG of USB flash stored on your wrist - WOHOO (www.bmw-online.com) and a decent price from BMW too...

FYI, you can get the same watch (sans the BMW logo) at thinkgeek.com for $139. 8)

That being said, I'm seriously thinking about ditching a wristwatch altogether and using a pocket watch instead. I have too many things to plug in/charge as it is...

[pdantic]

I'm the guy who wrote the review - you're gonna love this! :lol:

The watch died about 15 minutes after I finished the review. :pukeface: Fortunately, Amazon is going to replace it so I should see a new one next week.

Ahhhhh, new technology...

Steve

[wesley762]

It would be nice to see once of these watches in a metal band. the plastic ones just don't hold up with me. thats the one thing thats holding me back from one of them.

[PPCWanderer]

The functionality seems great, but does anyone else read the functionality the same way I do? The MSN Direct ads describe the ability to get entire articles on the watch for news stories. However, if you read closely, it states you have to log onto the website and select each story you want the text for. How useful is that really going to be. If I have to be on the internet to tell it which stories to download, I might as well read the story while I'm on the internet.

Is what I interpreted what everyone else figures their saying? Can anyone who uses the service tell us if this is how it really works?

[Mitch D]

Hmmm... a Microsoft device called the Abacus? Hmm I see some fore-shadowing here... :twisted:

[Jonathon Watkins]

All the information travels to the watch over FM radio waves, including your Outlook info! You install an addin to Outlook, which pushing your info out onto some MSN server, which then sends it to the watch.

I wonder how long before someone hacks that data stream?

Yes - this is what I would be concerned about - having my personal info on the public ether. Airsnort for MSN anyone? :roll:

Plus I can't use it anyway - UK and all that. :?

[Phoenix]

Based on everything I've read so far, I think these watches are doomed to failure in the marketplace before they even get going. And not that I want it to fail, but these will most certainly die out like MS Bob. Even Citizen has already backed out before they even put one out on the shelves.

Too many security issues, design issues, and dependability issues. I mean, geesh... the watch died after fifteen minutes? Apart from a battery, who's ever heard of a watch dying? A battery that only lasts for a couple of days - in a watch? $60 bucks a year to get a bit of info on your watch? Potentially exposing messages over a largely unsecure wireless stream? A band much like the ones that people have sustained 'severe lacerations' from? Are you serious?!? Gimme a break. :roll: People spend enough time fiddling with all their other devices... but no one has time to fiddle with all of this from some little watch.

And before anyone thinks I'm so terribly down on it, keep in mind that I was actually very interested in this concept in general - it could be a great device, but this needs to be taken back to the drawing board in a hurry. The service is too expensive for a bit of info - I can get most all that info and a lot more from a 50 cent newspaper. To be honest, I don't see the point in receiving MSN or email messages on a watch that you can't respond to... the design limitations, of course, won't allow you to respond. I'll stick to a wireless PPC or Smartphone for that. And as I mentioned above, the design in practically every area needs a complete overhaul, IMO.

I'll wait for version 2... if it ever shows up.

[Vincent M Ferrari]

Potentially exposing messages over a largely unsecure wireless stream?

I keep seeing this but does anyone have any information that says the stream isn't encrypted in some form? I mean just transmitting over FM doesn't inherently make it insecure...

Just wondering if you guys know something I don't...

[Phoenix]

Potentially exposing messages over a largely unsecure wireless stream?

I keep seeing this but does anyone have any information that says the stream isn't encrypted in some form? I mean just transmitting over FM doesn't inherently make it insecure...

Just wondering if you guys know something I don't...

I don't know myself for sure... and you could be right - perhaps there is encryption (I would certainly hope so) which would help, but just about anything can be hacked, and I couldn't imagine that under the right circumstances that someone couldn't "grab" hold of the data.

I'd be interested in hearing more about this myself...

[Vincent M Ferrari]

Problem is once you get into the "anything can be hacked" discussion (on which I agree with you, but nonetheless) you start realizing that you wouldn't transmit your e-mail at all unless it was unencrypted, let alone on a PPC with a Bluetooth connection which many of us do.

Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet real hard and just deal with the fact that as long as you are transmitting anything by any means, your data is not secure...

[Phoenix]

Problem is once you get into the "anything can be hacked" discussion (on which I agree with you, but nonetheless) you start realizing that you wouldn't transmit your e-mail at all unless it was unencrypted, let alone on a PPC with a Bluetooth connection which many of us do.

Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet real hard and just deal with the fact that as long as you are transmitting anything by any means, your data is not secure...

I understand what you're saying, and maybe I should have shaped that comment differently... so I will say this: WiFi can be encrypted and Bluetooth is encrypted. BT is also close range which further reduces risk and it has pairing and authentication protocols in place - all of which increasingly reduce security risks. WiFi also has several other security filters that can be utilized which can prevent undesired interception and so on, and with WPA and soon 802.11i, the security is just becoming more and more robust which increasingly makes it difficult for anyone to hack into in the first place (even with skills and special equipment). Even if someone could "grab" the information, making use of any of the encrypted data may be more unlikely than not.

WiFi and even BT are a-whole-nother world - the user can take steps to keep things secure beyond encryption alone. But spot transmissions would rely solely on MS (and perhaps any security protocols which may or may not be in place on the FM band that spot transmits on and that I know very little about right now) to keep things secure, which is what we're not even sure of as of yet. If it is, then perhaps that would be enough - but I don't know for sure. (What band does SPOT transmit on, anyway?). But without any solid answers, I would never be interested in transmitting MSN or email messages to my watch over FM waves while I'm out and about.

Is there anyone from Microsoft that can shed some light on this?

[Diane Dumas]

I met with Fossil while at CES and was given the Abacus model AU4000. After seening all the models that was my favorite. I was surprised to learn that it was the least expensive one of the bunch.

Mine is still working with no problems. If you disable the radio the battery life goes up tremendously. Being in Fairfield, Iowa, I doubt we will ever have local service here. However, I go on trips frequently and can use it a lot while I'm away.

Rumor Mill: There may be a device coming out that will set up a mini-FM radio transmitter module that will allow you to receive watch info while near this transmitter. I assue it would plug into the USB port and use your computer to receive transmissions. Since each watch has an ID number, I would image that only YOUR data would be sent to your FM transmitter via your computer.