ASUS teased us with the ASUS VivoWatch at the Milan Milan Design Week event in early April. At an event earlier this week, it announced that it will launch later this month in Taiwan and a number of other markets.
As expected, it is focused on health and fitness, providing not only heart rate, activity and sleep tracking but also a Happiness Index, “an easy-to-understand rating of overall wellbeing based on your amount of exercise and sleep quality.”
ASUS has managed to extend battery life to about 10 days by using a 1.8-inch black-white LCD display. Each pixel has can be individually turned on or off, requiring less power than more traditional displays do. ASUS has also opted to use an STMicroelectronics microcontroller rather than a mobile processor. While it cuts down on power demands, it also means that it will not be possible to install apps on the watch. A built-in UV sensor will provide a UV rating when you’re outside.
ASUS has also developed its own proprietary wearables operating system called Kood for the VivoWatch. Along with keeping track of the number of steps taken in a day, your caloric burn rate and sleeping patterns, it will also provide incoming call notifications. Despite not supporting apps, you will also be able to customize your watch face.
The ASUS HiVivo app or ASUS Healthcare website will not only provide you with information about your own health but will also let you stay up to date on the health of loved ones (as long as they also wear a VivoWatch of course).
ASUS VivoWatch specifications:
- Processor: STMicroelectronics microcontroller
- Operating system: ASUS Kood
- Cellular connectivity: None
- Other connectivity: Bluetooth 4.0
- Display: 1.28-inch (128×128) black-and-white touchscreen
- Sensors: 3-axis accelerometer, optical heart rate sensor with ASUS VivoPulse technology, UV sensor
- Battery: 123 mAh
- Weight: 50 grams
- Other: IP67 rating
The ASUS VivoWatch is compatible with smartphones running Android 4.3 and higher as well as Apple iPhone 5 and iPhone 6 models.
The ASUS VivoWatch will launch in Taiwan on May 8th. It will sell for NT$4,588 (US$149 or CA$180). Launches in the United Kingdom, Germany, France and other European countries will follow. North American launch details were not announced.
Sources : ASUS // Focus Taiwan