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Fixed Mobile Handsets Special Feature

Calling time on the Bluetooth watch

12 October 2006
Telecoms Special Features

Always keen to get our hands on the latest in James Bond gadgetry, we were excited to hear of Sony Ericsson's partnership with watchmaker Fossil.

Sadly all dreams of being able to don a trench coat and trilby in the image of  Dick Tracy while whispering "I'm on my way" into a wristwatch were dashed when we discovered the device is nothing more than a Bluetooth-enabled 'reject call' button.

The MBW-100 analogue watch has a small LCD display which displays who is calling when your phone starts ringing. But the only button option you have is to reject the call. There's not even an integrated microphone and speaker, you still have to fish your handset out of your pocket to answer the call.

The only vaguely useful functions of the device allow you to play, pause and skip to the next track on your phone's music player. There's no word yet on whether this part of the device is only compatible with Sony Ericsson phones but the problem is that if you want to see the name of a track, or alter the volume you're going to be digging in that pocket again.

Then there's the battery. Just when the last thing you needed was something else to charge you have to remember to charge your watch every seven to 14 days.

Apparently the device will run Bluetooth for seven days on a full charge and then analogue watch will work for 14 days. Not the kind of device we would advise for lengthy field ops.

Oh and it will set you back Eur300.

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