Let's Talk Tech
It’s in my hands!
One of the gadgets I’ve been most excited about this year is finally here! Qualcomm is delivering a really interesting smart watch solution, with a fantastic display. Also exciting, as this is the first product from Qualcomm where they’re trying to speak directly to consumers.
I’ve barely gotten it out of the shipping box, but let’s take a look at this sexy little piece, some of the set up, and a run down on the feature set!
I normally don’t pre-announce my videos and reviews, but I’m too excited not to share this one!
The Qualcomm Toq is on my wrist, and I’m super stoked to break it in and share my experiences using it. Part of why I’m excited is in watching a company like Qualcomm make such a direct move to interact with customers directly. Chances are your phone or tablet is using SOMETHING built by Qualcomm, but they don’t have a lot of consumer mind share.
Toq aims to change that.
My first impressions video will be posted tomorrow! Spoiler Alert: this thing is one sexy piece of smartwatch.
The smartwatch market is growing ridiculously quickly. From early novelty with niche players to seeing big boys like Samsung enter the field. We can’t go a week without another Apple or Google smartwatch rumor. Qualcomm’s entry into this field is particularly exciting as it marks their first direct-to-consumer endeavor.
If you know about Qualcomm, it’s likely because you know what kind of processor is in your phone. They aim to change that relationship with Toq, their first smartwatch, which we covered following the announcement back in September. While the watch looked cool, and we were happy to hear about broad phone compatibility, we didn’t have a release date or pricing information. Now we have both.
Toq will be available JUST in time for the holiday gift buying season, and starting December 2nd you’ll be able to pick one up for $349.99. As the Galaxy Gear will only work with select Samsung phones, Toq could be an interesting alternative for those wanting a bleeding-edge smart experience strapped to their wrist. We’ll find out more early next month!
You can find out more info on Toq at: http://toq.qualcomm.com/
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Well Qualcomm. The one piece of advice I might give is to not announce your new smartwatch at the EXACT same time as a Samsung press event. That said, with Toq they are launching an interesting alternative to the other smartwatches we’ve seen so far.
First off the display uses Qualcomm’s Mirasol tech which reflects light around it to enhance view-ability. Not using a traditional backlight should also reduce power consumption, a nice side effect for a gadget which should last all day and all night with you.
Unlike the Galaxy Gear, Toq will be compatible with every Android handset using 4.0.3 or higher through their Toq app in the Play store. The idea here is for sleek simplicity and at a glance functionality instead of Samsung’s approach which is almost a proper phone replacement. Toq will have simple controls for interacting with notifications and controlling apps like music playback. Plus you’ll have the ability to see caller ID to accept or reject in coming calls. No other buttons or controls. Qualcomm is keeping this set up simple.
As an optional accessory, Toq can pair with a set of truly wireless bluetooth headsets. No cable or band connecting right ear and left ear any more, these are truly wireless. They link up and are controlled through Toq for all your audio needs.
A wireless charging base comes with Toq which can also juice up the bluetooth headsets. Again, simple and clean presentation, Toq looks like any other watch in a nice stand or case even when charging. No “geeky” cables or flaps hiding USB ports. Hopefully his should mean decent water resistance.
Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, this is one of Qualcomm’s first forays into the consumer space as its own brand. The techiest of folks might know which phones use Qualcomm internals, but few consumers probably have Qualcomm on their radar. This is a big step for a company which formerly operated in a somewhat “behind the scenes” fashion, and will likely be the beginning, the first product in a chain of future releases as they try to form relationships with consumers directly.
More info on the official Toq site, and intro video below.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzTrqifCOhs&w=640&h=480]