Nokia was just weeks away from launching its first smartwatch device when Microsoft canned its wearable efforts, a new report has revealed.
Dubbed ‘Moonraker’, the Nokia smartwatch had reportedly been in development at the Finnish manufacturer’s HQ for some time when Microsoft bought out the company.
Instead of pushing the device to market like many of the company’s in development smartphones, however, Microsoft scrapped the device in order to focus on its own wearable effort, the Microsoft Band.
Now though details and images of the near completed Moto 360 rival have emerged, showing off a device that looks markedly similar to the Sony Smartwatch 3.
Pairing a square LCD display with a variety of vibrantly hued rubber straps,
With a ‘Metro’ themed tiled design, the software was reportedly tweaked to make use of a number of integrated sensors, allowing users to read texts simply by lifting their arm and turning off the display by lowering it.
Having spotted the leaked images on the Tumblr account of Microsoft designer, Pei-Chi Hsieh, serial tech tipster Evan Blass has claimed the Apple Watch challenger was intended to launch alongside the Nokia Lumia 930.
Related: Apple Watch vs Pebble Time
Given the time that has passed since the Lumia 930’s release, it seems safe to say that Nokia’s Moonraker watch will now never be handed a formal release.
While we might not be getting the Nokia watch, you can check out our Apple Watch video test below to see if smartwatches are yet a thing of necessity.
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Editorial independence
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.
