Neptune has just announced a range of accessories to work alongside its Android Lollipop-powered smartwatch.
The smartwatch – if you don’t recall – launched last month as part of a pair of devices called the Neptune Duo, the other half being a phone-sized portable display.
The Neptune Hub wearable carried the core components and provided the processing heft, connecting with the Neptune Pocket display in case you needed more screen real estate.
The Hub’s components include a quad-core processor, an LTE modem, GPS, health-tracking sensors, a 1,000mAh battery, and a display. It also runs full Android 5.0 Lollipop OS (read: not Android Wear).
Now, however, the company has launched the Neptune Suite, which comprises of four new accessories to pair with the Neptune Hub.
First amongst the new additions is the Neptune Tab, a 10-inch tablet-style touchscreen device.
It’s got a front-facing camera and a 7,000mAh battery, and very little else. Just like the Pocket, the Tab is intended to act as a dumb display for your Hub.
Then there’s the Neptune Keys, a keyboard that connects to the Tab, allowing the Neptune Suite to fill the laptop-shaped hole in your tech life.
Third is the Neptune Dongle, a HDMI-based insert that allows you to beam content from your wrist-borne Hub onto a monitor or TV screen.
What’s exciting about the Dongle is that it uses WiGig wireless protocol to connect with the Hub, which allows for a very formidable 7Gps data transfer.
The finally addition is the Neptune Headset, which wirelessly streams audio from the Hub to the headset’s earbuds. It can also be worn like a necklace thanks to the magnetic clasps, apparently.
The Headset also works as a three-point charging cable, which means you can charge the Hub using the Pocket and the Tab.
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It all sounds a bit mad, frankly. The idea of taking smartwatches – a generally ill-received product category – and putting them front and centre of your tech life doesn’t immediately gel.
There are some clear benefits to the system however. For starters, you won’t need to iteratively upgrade the entire Neptune suite every year, just the Hub. That would save masses of cash in the long-term.
It’s also not hugely expensive; you’re looking at a price-tag of $899, or $599 at pre-order. Remember, that’s getting you a smartwatch, smartphone, tablet, laptop, HDMI dongle, and a wireless headset.
Neptune has now received around $700,000 in funding for the project, which is well over the $100,000 goal.
Shipping is expected to begin toward the end of 2015.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
