Sony may be stripping back its product line-up, but it’s still finding new things to do.
According to Bloomberg, the company is reportedly developing a new smartwatch that will include a watch face and strap made from e-paper – meaning that the whole device will be able to work as a display.
Sony isn’t the first company to hit on the idea; Japanese company Fashion Entertainments is working on a watch with an e-ink face and strap (though it doesn’t have smartwatch functionality). It does, however, point towards what a smartwatch with an e-paper strap might look like, enabling the wearer to change the design – or even receive notifications on the watch strap.
The Sony smartwatch is the brainchild of a new division at the company tasked with bringing promising products to market more quickly – another prospective product is MESH, a set of “technology building blocks” containing sensors, LEDs and buttons that are designed for rapid prototyping.
Sony’s e-paper device faces stiff competition, with Android Wear smartwatches already on the shelves, and the Apple Watch set to hit stores in 2015. Will its unique design be enough to set it apart from the herd? Watch this space.
Source: Bloomberg
