Overheard Underheard
San Francisco start-up Kreyos in late June introduced the Kreyos Meteor, a two-way smartwatch that accepts voice and gesture commands for hands-free control of smartphones. The waterproof Meteor features a microphone and speaker that can be linked to any iOS, Android, or Windows smartphone via Bluetooth. Users can use the watch to carry out the same functions that they use with voice on their phones, including making and answering calls, replying to text messages, composing emails, posting to social networks, changing music selections, setting up alarms and appointments, and receiving weather, news, and sports updates in real time. Kreyos has also built motion control into the operating system of the Kreyos Meteor so users can control the watch by moving their hands up and down, left and right.
In addition to its voice and gesture capabilities, the Kreyos Meteor can record body data day and night. A built-in pedometer can track the number of steps a user has taken in one day and show the distance walked, the number of stairs climbed, or the number of calories burned. Users can then upload that information to the cloud and share it with trainers, coaches, friends, or anyone on their social networks. In addition, the Meteor is designed to connect to any ANT+ or Bluetooth-enabled sensors, including heartbeat monitors or blood pressure sensors. And, as you would expect, it tells time.
The Kreyos Meteor smartwatch can be worn on the wrist, on a belt, or around the neck with a lanyard. Available colors are black, white, pink, blue, and lime green. Twenty watch face designs are available.
The unit is expected to retail for $169 and is primarily being marketed to runners, swimmers, bicyclists, and golfers, but its creators say it has much broader appeal. "Anyone looking to lose weight or get fit will discover that they don't need to carry around a bunch of gadgets. Instead, they can link them to their smartwatch and track their stats in real time," Patricia Roche, vice president of marketing at Kreyos, said in a statement.
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