Android run ‘smartwatch’ designed to replace your smartphone launched in the UK by start up firm Androidly
Start-up firm Androidly has launched what it claims is the first true ‘smartwatch’ in the UK.
According to the London-based firm, which was founded by four entrepreneurs under the age of 25, the watch provides all the typical functions of an Android smartphone.
The device, which is made by an unnamed manufacturer in China, costs £150 and is available, SIM-free, from the firm’s website.
Features include a two-inch screen, the ability to make and receive calls (including over VoIP), 2.5G connectivity, a 416MHz processor, up to 16GB of memory (through an SD card), Wi-Fi, the ability to send and receive emails and texts, GPS, Bluetooth and compatibility with more than 1,000 apps through Google Play.
Calls can be made either by using the watch’s loudspeaker or a Bluetooth headset.
Androidly co-founder Siddhant Vats told Mobile News it is the first watch which can truly replace a smartphone.
Vats said: “Other products on the market, such as the Sony SmartWatch, sync with your smartphone, so the two devices are designed to interact, but Androidly is a new phone altogether.
“We saw that Samsung and Google are working on something similar, so we thought we would do it a year earlier.”
Vats added that depending on the device’s success, it aims to launch a second version in 12 to 18 months’ time.
The firm will then seek relationships with high street retailers for supply.