Smartwatches may not be the most useful tools, but most today offer a way to connect to digital assistants like Google Now or Siri. You’ll soon be able to add Amazon’s Alexa to that list, if iMCO and Cronologics have their way. The CoWatch is a smartwatch designed by Chinese company iMCO Technology, and it runs Cronologics OS. If the latter sounds familiar, that’s because they’re the same team providing the operating system for-the popular Blocks modular smartwatch, which received more than $1.6 million in funding from its Kickstarter campaign. The smartwatch, which is now on Indiegogo, more or less offers the same features as most smartwatches today. It tracks your fitness activity, including your heart rate, and it lets you customize your watch face. Where it stands out is its integration of Amazon’s cloud-based voice assistant, Alexa. If you can get past talking to your voice, you can quickly and easily ask Alexa questions, get a traffic report, call an Uber, and control your connected home. Ceramic and metal iMCO has opted for a round smartwatch design, and is featuring a stainless steel silver or black design. It will also boast-a Super AMOLED display, at a resolution of 400 x 400 pixels. That’s all powered by a dual-core 1.2Ghz processor, with 8GB of flash. iMCO claims the watch will last up to 32 hours of “normal use,” even with an always-on screen. There’s also a ceramic ring on the underside of the watch, which Eric Jin, co-founder of iMCO, says can be customizable by color. Jin says the CoWatch is the first smartwatch to use ceramic — an up-and-coming trend with-ceramic being utilized in Xiaomi’s Mi5, and the OnePlus X. Along with customizing your watch face, you can also opt for a different band, like a leather variant. The CoWatch can be paired via Bluetooth with an Android or iOS device. Cronologics Operating System Cronologics OS-still has a far way to go to offer a smooth experience. There were a few hiccups when Cronologics CEO and co-founder Leor Stern gave us a peek at the Android-based operating system, but as he reminded us the software isn’t done yet, and will be more refined as the product nears launch. The OS is similar to what some other Android Wear launchers offer right now, such as Pujie Black. Tapping on a sub-dial on your watch face will open an-app, and you can set each sub-dial to whatever app you like. Swiping right or left on the watch face will run through more apps you have pre-set in those dials. Related:- Amazon Echo Dot review The OS lets you send messages (in the demo Stern used canned-responses) and offers the standard “garden variety” fitness tracking features. Alexa is the highlight here, and Stern simply had to tap a button to ask a question. “Remind me to get toner,” Stern demanded — and Alexa said she added “toner” to his to-do list. He then told Alexa to turn his “bedroom off,” demoing how he can control his smart home. Stern, who helped found NianticLabs at Google, says Alexa is the best solution that’s cloud-native. Google Now works best for Android devices, and Siri works only on iOS. “By having Alexa on your wrist, you have access to, not just your Amazon ecosystem … not just your home … but also all of the-ecosystem,-which-Amazon has been cultivating very well, of-third-party integrations,” Stern told Digital Trends. But the CoWatch’s biggest roadblock is to get developers to build apps, watch faces, and tools for for users, and Stern says it’s “never trivial.” “The CoWatch is a pretty compelling device, it’s coming out at a pretty compelling price point,” Stern said. “We believe when we open there will be enough of these out there … to make it attractive and worthwhile for folks to want to develop for.” Related:- FingerIO’s finger-wagging sonar controls may make smartwatches more usable in the future The starting price for the CoWatch in the Indiegogo campaign is $159, and the campaign will feature several-perks and accessories, like different watch bands, for early adopters. The retail version will cost $279 through various retail partners, and iMCO’s website. The CoWatch will ship to Indiegogo campaign backers in June.



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