BLOCKS SMARTWATCH World's first modular smartwatch
Blocks is already behind its projected May 2016 delivery date, so it's probably heartening for backers to see some progress. The company said its Android-based "factory-ready devices" are currently undergoing final testing before hitting the mass production lines
It can't be that easy getting people excited by a new smartwatch not made by Google, Motorola, or Samsung these days, but the team behind Blocks were able to muster enough enthusiasm to score an extremely impressive $1.6 million on Kickstarter.
And it's easy to see why, really. The startup's offering a clever, modular take on the space, transforming the watch's band into a modular system that adds functionality to the wearable with every link in the chain. Rather than having to build everything into the watch itself, users add features like heart rate monitoring, GPS, and mobile payment solution bit by bit through the band.
Among other things, the smart build offers a form of future-proofing for the Android (not Android Wear, mind) wearable, making it possible to continually add new hardware elements as their introduced, much like Google's eagerly awaited Project Ara.
It can't be that easy getting people excited by a new smartwatch not made by Google, Motorola, or Samsung these days, but the team behind Blocks were able to muster enough enthusiasm to score an extremely impressive $1.6 million on Kickstarter.
And it's easy to see why, really. The startup's offering a clever, modular take on the space, transforming the watch's band into a modular system that adds functionality to the wearable with every link in the chain. Rather than having to build everything into the watch itself, users add features like heart rate monitoring, GPS, and mobile payment solution bit by bit through the band.
Among other things, the smart build offers a form of future-proofing for the Android (not Android Wear, mind) wearable, making it possible to continually add new hardware elements as their introduced, much like Google's eagerly awaited Project Ara.
At launch, you'll have six modules to choose from: a GPS unit, an extra battery, a pulse sensor, a humidity/temperature/altitude sensor, a programmable button and a flashlight. Blocks says add-ons for body temperature, perspiration, fingerprint authentication and gesture control are in the works. Since the platform is open, third-party developers can make more parts as well.
Each Blocks purchase comes with a watch face unit, called a "Core," along with four modules that form the strap; larger-wristed folks can go up to five links. If all goes well with testing, then, the days of having a super-powered smartwatch could come very soon.
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