The makers of the Neptune Pine – in itself a strange smartwatch indeed – have come up with a new product tandem that is as strange as it is pretty. The new Neptune Duo is another wearable project that the developers want to crowd-fund, but with the pretty confusing rationale for the device, we are apprehensive at the chances of this being a hit.
What is the Neptune Duo? Well, that’s a good question – and upon looking at it, you won’t quite know the answer straightaway. The easy answer would be to say that it’s a smartwatch paired with a smartphone – except that it’s not. The smartwatch has been completely redesigned from the days of the Neptune Pine, giving it the appearance of a band, but it almost functions like a smartphone. The “smartphone” type gadget is actually dumber – because while it looks like a smartphone and acts like one, you won’t be able to use it unless it’s paired with the smartwatch. Very confusing indeed. Watch the video below to get a better idea.
The Neptune Duo smartwatch is dubbed officially as the “Hub” while the smartphone-like device is called the “Pocket Screen.” The Hub packs a quad-core processor with LTE connectivity, GPS, health tracking sensors, and a lot of other features you would expect from a smartphone. The Pocket Screen is basically just screen and battery.
Now, I do not know of many people who would trade in their main smartphones and use a wearable instead. But if you still want to get a chance at owning this weird tandem, the developers are allowing you to preorder the Neptune Duo today starting at USD$49 as initial payment, with USD$649 due when it ships (if it ships?). If you have that kind of money lying around, you can also avail of discounts – USD$199 now with USD$399 due later, or go all in for $498. The project is expected to be shipping by the end of the year.
