Back at the start of August, we learned that HP would be collaborating with designer Michael Bastian to create a smartwatch, but we didn’t know much about the device except that it’d be stylish. Fast-forward to today and the wearable has finally been revealed.
The MB Chronowing is a smartwatch that actually looks a lot like a regular watch. It’s got a round face with a monochrome LCD screen as well as a small clock dial that’ll always show you the time. The watch works with iPhone and Android and will alert you when you get a new text message, email or other notification. It can also display weather, stock info, sports scores and other similar info.
So far the MB Chronowing sounds just like a typical smartwatch. That’s where the similarities end, though, as the MB Chronowing is designed to be much more simple than most of its counterparts. It’ll alert you with a gentle vibration when an alert comes in, but it doesn’t make any sounds, and it doesn’t have a touchscreen, microphone, pedometer, heart rate monitor or any of those types of features.
The MB Chronowing has three buttons on its side that are used to navigate its menus, activate a light and control music playback. It comes with three straps — leather, rubber and nylon — and it’s expected to get around seven days of battery life on a single charge. The device is also water resistant and will automatically sync to any time zone.
So what about pricing and availability, you ask? Well, the MB Chronowing will go on sale through online retailer Gilt for $349. Gilt will also sell an all black, sapphire glass crystal-clad model with an alligator strap for $649. That version will be limited to just 300 units.
While it may not be as advanced as the Apple Watch and Android Wear devices, the MB Chronowing looks like a nice compromise between a smartwatch and a regular timepiece. It looks like a regular watch and won’t be disruptive thanks to its gentle vibrations and monochrome display, but it can still keep you alert when it comes to important notifications hitting your phone.
Via Wall Street Journal, Gilt