I guess the midnight queues for Windows phones answers that question for you.

Archos smartwatches to launch at CES 2014 at under £50

http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/new-product/ ... ily%20news

I've so little need for a smartwatch that I wouldn't buy one at 50p, but each to their own.

Same here. I might be getting a proper watch at some point but really do not need a smart watch of any kind.

Pebble have announced they're doing a live streamed conference at CES this year (Monday I think). Rumour is it'll be some kind of announcement around Pebble mark 2, but they're keeping things very close to their chests.

I have to say I'm not convinced by some implementations of the 'smart watch' idea, but Pebble's relatively straightforward implementation - basically a 'second screen' with most of the work still being in your phone - works really well. I don't want to be able to make calls by talking to my wrist. I don't want to be able to take stalker-ish low res photos or video of people without them being aware of it. I don't want need it to tell me my weight, horoscope or any other rubbish. However, when I'm walking along and get the text/email alert from my phone, being able to just look at my wrist rather than having to fish my phone out of my pocket is useful. Equally, if I was a runner, being able to control my music and get useful data without having to muck about with a touchscreen is useful. And so on..

Pebble works not because it does everything a phone can but because it does a small number of useful things a phone doesn't do because it has to be a phone. Unless the other makers of smart watches figure that bit out, their products are always going to fail. And I include Apple's much rumoured iWatch in that. if they try to make an iPhone replacement, it will never work. if they make something that works with an iPhone to increase convenience, people might buy into it.

I agree that unless it complements the smartphone it becomes a duplication of the smartphone and then overly expensive. Telling the time and notifications of emails voicemails and SMS would be good but as you said specific to a special task like runners and it all becomes overwhelming.

Well that kind of stuff can be there as downloadable apps if you want to use them. The core functions - the second screen stuff to the things all smartphones do - is the important bit. Extend rather than replace.

I could see a semi-serious athlete with a smartphone linked to an accessible display (e.g. a watch) and a bunch of wearable sensors (heart rate etc) as being useful in training. But for the majority of people it would be overkill, yes.

And runners would be a niche market. It would be handy to have a second screen to my pedometer. It could notify me of steps taken and battery state. A way to alert the user to reminders without having to get the phone out would be more useful.

The real problem will be development of apps for the smart watch and who will pay for them or buy them? It could be expensive for a developer of say a fitness app to create a smart watch version and then the market might be too small to cover costs. It might make sense if say the API was such that the data could be automatically be part of the main watch app and users could select what apps they wanted data from.

Samsung chairman to employees: ditch hardware focus, innovate non-stop

http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and ... op-1211982

Yes, I'm sure they were holding back on the innovation before and needed their CEO to tell them to get on with it.

I guess that will be a hard sell to get the users to switch their apps to a Tizen system.

Audi wheels out Sport Quattro concept with laser eyes

http://www.techradar.com/news/car-tech/ ... es-1212554

Samsung tablets to go big in 2014 with multiple 12.2-inch slates leaked

http://www.techradar.com/news/mobile-co ... ed-1212384

Sharp's Aquos Quattron Plus TV plays 4K content without the 4K

http://www.techradar.com/news/televisio ... 4k-1212679
...


First wireless controller for iPad and iPhone unveiled, on sale now

http://www.techradar.com/news/gaming/fi ... ow-1212651

Quite apart from it being a combo of the big three's controllers, that price is laughable.

While I use my iPad as a TV replacement is actually a good compromise in terms of size. Much bigger and it will start to become a brick to carry. It makes long term holding up tough for most people. I use mine on a stand but only holding it in your hands can get tiring.

Oooh.. Pebble steel - a Pebble watch that doesn't look quite so... kiddy. Just announced pre-ces. $249.