Items tagged with Toq
A new patent filing today shows that Apple has been granted a wide-ranging patent for a future smartwatch device (dubbed the iTime). Apple's patent refers to a device which is removable (it continues to function when detached from its wristband) and can be upgraded or swapped with other products. Apple's patent diagrams show a device that snaps into the band -- but the band itself is specifically stated as being capable of accepting other products. According to Apple's patent documentation for the figure below, "The central portion (302) can also include one or more electrical components... Alternatively or additionally, the central portion (302) can include an accelerometer and/or a battery...
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What do you do when the competition heats up in the niche market you're competing in? You lower the price! And that's exactly what Qualcomm has done, slashing $100 off the price of its Toq smartwatches, though the generous price cut came without any kind of announcement or ballyhooing. Nevertheless, you can now pick up either the Black or Limited Edition White Toq for $250 instead of $350. Qualcomm will even pay for ground shipping. Apparently the chip maker is feeling the heat from new designs released at Mobile World Congress, including Samsung's Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo, which are the first wearables to run Samsung's Tizen OS. Spec-wise, the Toq isn't a bad device. It has a 1.55-inch capacitive...
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One thing we can say about the smartwatch movement is that if this category dies (and we suspect it will eventually fizzle out), it's not going to go down quietly. There are a handful of options on the market, along with persistent rumors that both Apple and Microsoft may be jumping on the smartwatch bandwagon, and in addition to all that, SoC heavyweight Qualcomm is now taking pre-orders for a smartwatch of its own. It's called "Toq" and it runs on Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich, though Jelly Bean and above is preferred, Qualcomm says. As for the technical specifications, Qualcomm is keeping tight lipped about what exactly makes its smartwatch tick, saying only that it will reveal specs "soon."...
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Hear that? That's the smartwatch war gearing up, and with Samsung's Galaxy Gear + the up-start Pebble already vying for wrist space, is there room for another contender? That's a question that'll have to be answered by Qualcomm, which has just announced that its Toq smartwatch will be available to consumers starting on Cyber Monday. That's December 2, and it'll be priced at $349.99. Outside of the Pebble, that's about the going rate for one of these guys, which still strikes us as a fairly steep point of entry. Of course, the low-power, always-on Mirasol display costs a pretty penny, and it also runs a full build of Android underneath. Plus, it supports Bluetooth headphones, as well as Qualcomm's...
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Last week, Samsung and Qualcomm both launched their own smartwatch products -- Samsung with its Galaxy Gear, and Qualcomm with the Toq. Early coverage on the hardware has been mixed, but that hasn't stopped an explosion of hyperbole, including the laughable idea that smart watches are going to replace smartphones. At first glance, there seems to be some historical parallel here: Desktops have been largely replaced by laptops, laptops have been chewed into by tablets, and smartphones ate the PDA business of yesteryear. There are people working hard to build smartphones that effectively turn into laptops. What can stop the smartwatch? The simplest reason? Ergonomics. Consider the humble wristwatch....
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The smartwatch market appears to be getting a bit saturated, even as most of the entrants haven’t yet actually released a real device. Still, as Samsung unveiled its Galaxy Gear smartwatch, so did Qualcomm surprisingly announce its own bit of wrist hardware with a curious device called Toq. The Qualcomm Toq will rock the Mirasol reflective display, which “leverages the light around it so you can see your screen anywhere, even in bright sunlight”, so says the website, and it’s designed to use an incredibly small amount of power. The always-on color screen has touch capabilities, as well. There are no buttons on the Toq, not even an on/off switch, which makes its function...
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