Asustek Chairmain Jonney Shih previously mentioned how the company was planning to enter the wearable space with a smartwatch, though there wasn’t much in the way of specifics at the time. Instead Shih opted to say how ASUS would have a smartwatch coming in mid-2014 and about they “put our [their] entire design thought into it.” Shih also acknowledged how there are “many challenges in this area.”
With that in mind, it looks like Shih has been talking about the upcoming smartwatch again, and this time we are getting some hints in terms of what can be expected. According to a Focus Taiwan report, Shih talked about how the watch would offer “more natural user interfaces.” To that point, we would be looking at voice and/or motion controls.
There was also a bit about how the ASUS smartwatch would be a companion to a smartphone. Shih didn’t specify whether this would be closer to a Pebble setup where it works with various devices, or a Samsung setup where it works only with specific devices. But as far as being a companion to the smartphone, this seems to be the common path with smartwatches.
It seems one of the challenges Shih had been referring to may have been battery life. ASUS is said to be looking to have a smartwatch that uses battery at a tenth of the rate a smartphone does. Otherwise, while a smartwatch with excellent battery life with voice and motion controls sound good — there is still quite a bit we need to know. For one, the price. But perhaps more important is the remaining features and the overall look of the watch.
VIA: G4Games
