Sony Ericsson’s LiveView watch/platform was a bit of a bust. It was oversized, slow and relatively complicated, but Sony, in its new incarnation, is ready to make the smart watch sexy again.
The appropriately-named Sony SmartWatch is slim, multitouch-capable and extremely usable: there are over 25 supported apps for its modified Android build, and it supports over 200 widgets, both first- and third-party. Unlike the original LiveView, the SmartWatch should work on all Android 2.1+ devices, though obviously it depends on the Bluetooth stack and OS mechanics.
To my eyes, it’s a sleek and beautiful watch replacement, with a high-resolution display and excellent colour reproduction. Apps like Facebook and Twitter have already been adapted to support the unique form factor, and other developers, like popular fitness tracking Endomondo, have entered into a partnership with Sony to bring the app’s functionality to the SmartWatch.
Sony’s SmartWatch should be available by the end of this quarter for $149. More photos after the break.
