Just yesterday, Casio Computer Co., Ltd., announced that it has developed a watch equipped with Bluetooth® Low Energy Wireless Technology,*1 a new technology for short-range communication. A prototype of the watch will be exhibited at Casio’s Booth (#11006) at the International Consumer Electronics Show to be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center on January 6, 2011.
Casio has been transforming the definition of the wristwatch for years by applying the latest technologies. Now, Casio’s prototype Bluetooth® Low Energy Watch is poised to create new possibilities for the way people use their watches yet again.
Taking advantage of the low power consumption of the new Bluetooth® technology, the new watch powers Bluetooth® wireless communication functions with its single button-cell battery, the same kind used in small devices and watches. And it does this without losing any battery life*2 compared to conventional wristwatches. This makes the new Bluetooth® Low Energy Watch highly useful because users can wear it everyday just like they expect of a wristwatch, without the bother of the recharging required by typical mobile devices.
Casio’s new prototype can communicate with smart phones equipped with Bluetooth® Low Energy Wireless Technology, which will be available in the near future and be able to connect to networks of various kinds of devices. The new prototype demonstrates how Casio hopes to expand the ways people use their watches, unlike anything ever seen before, as new applications are developed for smart phones to enable communication between watches through smart phones.
Main features:
• Wireless communication is powered by the button-cell battery used in small devices and watches
• Battery life with the communication functions is the same as previously released watches
• The size of the watch case is a comfortable 53.4 (D) x 44.4 (W) x 12.8 (T) millimeters
Main functions:
• Accurate time information can be transmitted from a smart phone to the watch to ensure correct time
• The watch includes an alert signal to notify of incoming calls and e-mail messages sent to the user’s smart phone
• A smart phone’s ring alerts and vibration can be stopped by tapping the watch
• Alarm and vibration functions of a smart phone can be activated using a watch button.
Casio aims to produce its first Bluetooth® Low Energy Watch in 2011. Meanwhile, Casio will call for partner companies to develop applications compatible with smart phones and other household devices in such areas as sports, health, home entertainment, security, and communication with family members and friends. Casio expects its new watches to offer people around the world a wide range of new lifestyle options.
*1: Designed in accordance with new Bluetooth® Core Specification Version 4.0 standards, Bluetooth® Low Energy is a new technology that enables wireless communications with very low power consumption. Casio participated in determining the standards for Bluetooth® Low Energy as a member of the Bluetooth® Special Interest Group (SIG), an association of companies that decides on Bluetooth® standards and authorizes certification.
*2: The battery life is estimated at approximately two years based on the prototype model, assuming that the Bluetooth® wireless communication function is used for 12 hours per day.
