Wearables Archives - Argyll Free Press

The Vertu New Signature Touch smartphone makes Apple’s iPhone 6S look like the greatest bargain smartphone on the market.

The British-based smartphone manufacturer that was once a part of Nokia has hinted that they are more than keen to go into the wearable line. During the unveiling of their latest product called the Vertu New Signature Touch device, CEO Max Pogliani said that wearables might be an interesting space for the company.

This probably means a new diamond-encrusted sapphire-polished product line.

However, Pogliani has the task of making the company’s latest smartphone a hit if they want to move forward. A tough goal, considering that the phone costs $10,000. Vertu is slowly reaching brand maturity and they have to capitalize on their position if they don’t want to lose crucial market shares, Pogliani adds.

But Vertu isn’t the only one developing wearables. We have Apple and Samsung, both witnessed a huge popularity in 2015. However, it that has started to dwindle mainly because its novelty wore off pretty quick. Among them we observe countless other heavy hitters form the tech and fashion industry that try to make it in this fairly new market.

Pebble isn’t suffering, or at least the company doesn’t show it.

And on the other hand you have fitness trackers with Fitbit leading the trend.

There are a couple of luxury brands that have formed an alliance with Apple – Tag Heuer and Hermes; but we don’t have sufficient data to say if their strategy was worth it or not.

The big issue here is where would Vertu place their wearable line, Pogliani says. It can’t resemble any other device on the market, it has to have a full serving of design, functionality and materials. Or so Pogliani would like to.

To better understand what Pogliani is trying to achieve, we have to take a look at the company’s latest Vertu New Signature Touch smartphone.

For starters, it runs Google’s Android – we assume that it’s capable of running Marshmallow, if not, at least the latest Lollipop update. It comes with premium materials – alligator skin, sapphire crystal display, and probably the hand of God along with it. But that’s not the highlight of Vertu’s new device. It comes equipped with a one-touch-to-access feature that employs a human concierge to do the user’s bidding.

The company promises users that this service will meet their wildest dream – within common sense and, of course, whatever laws people should abide.

Pogliani adds that while he does wear a luxury smart watch, it’s not a fitness tracker. He sees them as toys – as gimmicky little devices. They are interesting, but at the end of the day, a high-class man, or woman, doesn’t get out of these mediocre devices the highly sought-after elegance they require and need.

The 4k-capable, 130-carat encrusted, 21-megapixel smartphone will go on sale globally from the middle of October.

Is there anyone among us that will buy the Vertu New Signature Touch smartphone?

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The Pebble Time was already a major hit in US, and European markets, but it seems this isn’t enough for the record-breaking company – their Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign is the most funded project to date. So where to now?

The Pebble Time Steel Edition is like elegance wrapped around your wrist. No matter what you’re wearing, the Time will make sure you’re emitting that simple, and respectable vibe.

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room first – the Apple Watch. Can Pebble Time compete with Apple’s wearable? Or is it doomed from the get-go? The huge amount of popularity it has garnered over the past couple of years makes the Pebble smart watch more than a worthy challenger.

It’s way cheaper than Apple’s device, about $249, and most important of all, it doesn’t scream Look At Me. It doesn’t have anything that will make others think you are wearing a smartwatch – and this is the exact thing that Pebble Time fans are looking for, as in not looking like a big show-off.

Pebble Time Steel Edition - Elegance and Simplicity Wrapped Around Your Wrist

Pebble Time VS. Pebble Time Steel

The Pebble Time Steel, like Pebble’s other smartwatch models, doesn’t have a touchscreen, and nor does it feature a heart sensor. It simply pushes notifications on your wrist, amongst other things. The thing is, any Pebble wearable can do this, but the Steel Time edition is the better looking of the bunch.

Stainless steel envelopes the watch’s mechanism, and leather straps latch onto you wrist making you look all grown-up, instead of a man-child wearing a toy-watch.

It has a 1.25-inch display, which is amplified tricking you into thinking that the watch’s display is way larger than previous models – which clearly isn’t.

But it’s not just a more design-polished smart watch. It actually does feel better on your hand, and using it is simple, intuitive, and downright fun. I don’t know if this is the Fata Morgana of the modern tech age, but making something look better, ends with it tricking the user into thinking it actually is better.

But the over-sized bezel is a little bit off-putting, and it may seem like you’re wearing a 90s calculator, but that depends on what model you own. Also, the display gets easily scratched, and more worrying, it can get seriously dented if you don’t pay attention to your surroundings – those awful morning hangovers have received yet another reason for humanity to get off of its ass, and find a cure for, uhm, drinking I suppose.

Expect the Pebble Time Steel Edition to be delivered some time between six to eight weeks.

Image Source: 1, 2, 3

Vertu New Signature Touch Smartphone Price and Availability

Pebble Time Steel – Elegance Wrapped Around Your Wrist

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