Despite the Withings Activité having transformed the wearable market with its simple elegance, the French manufacturer has confirmed it is looking at producing more mainstream smartwatches.
According to Withings CEO Cédtic Hutchings, the company is even pursuing the option of following the likes of Samsung, LG and Motorola in creating an Android Wear powered wearable.
However, despite Hutchings’ Google-themed admission, don’t expect to see an Android Wear Withings watch anytime soon.
According to the exec, Google’s wearable OS is currently too restricted, with its power-hungry nature and lack of customisation options deterring Withings from immediate adoption.
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He added: “Definitely we are looking at it but we are trying to build in some differentiators and be very careful on the battery life and make a different proposal on the UI.”
Although the Withings Activité and the subsequent – cut priced – Withings Activité Pop have refreshed the wearable space with classic watch designs and simple activity tracking features, Hutchings has said Android Wear could help the company bring further features to its wearable offerings.
Referencing features such as call handling and social interactions, he claimed Withings is looking at all possibilities for future devices.
“Today we are not doing something where you will get your Facebook notification on to your wrist, this is a different product,” he told us.
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Despite Withings looking at Android Wear for future products, Hutchings hasn’t been shy in slamming the current breed of smartwatches on the market.
Speaking at CES 2015 earlier this month, he stated: “
Highlighting the need for daily recharges and a fleet of clunky interfaces as the primary drawbacks, he added: “Samsung and other phone companies are subsiding their equipment and we are seeing a lot of products drop.
“I think we have quite a unique approach, to make a genuine, true watch that has all these sensors but appeals to people who are looking for a watch.”
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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.
