HP’s New Fashionable Smart Watch

In an attempt to break the early adopter hump for smartwatches, HP has teamed up with online fashion retailer Gilt and US designer Michael Bastian to bring a more fashionable appeal to a wider consumer base. Breaking the mold from other large tech companies of late, HP won’t be releasing this watch with Android Wear, giving it a cross-compatible reach and a leg up on the competition.

The watch will feature a 44mm circular watchface, similar to the design of the Moto 360, and comes with the options of 3 different bands: brown leather, green nylon and black rubber. With the help of Bastian, HP is going after a more timeless look, leaning more towards the importance of the look of the watch over its smart components. Inside the watch are features that are now expected of smartwatches, including music control, weather, sports, stock price updates, as well as email and text notifications.

Source: HP.

This isn’t HP’s first entry into smart watches however, with the company releasing the world’s first calculator watch, the HP-01 back in 1977. Back in the day, it was a true feat of miniaturization, and a breakthrough for its small processor and computing power. The watch was discontinued only two years later because of its high price and limited market appeal, but perhaps it allowed HP to learn from their mistakes for this go around. With their emphasis on generality instead a more niche appeal, it appears that HP is trying to cast a larger net this time and has taken the lessons of the HP-01 to heart.

There is currently no word on the specifics of the watch such as type of display, memory or pricing yet, but reportedly it will arrive in the fall.

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