When is a watch not really a watch – when it’s a speaker! You heard me correctly; Bem Wireless will be releasing a $70 device this December that you wear like a wristwatch, but is really a portable Bluetooth speaker that you wear on your wrist, called a Speakerwatch. I had never really heard much about Bem and as I tried to find out more about them, Bem seems to say it best:
BÄ“m Wireless was formed in 2012, bringing together the collective of entrepreneurial spirit and know-how, plus the track record for successful engineering execution, held by its principals. Our purpose: to present fantastic products direct to consumers at a terrific value. Here at bÄ“m, leading the way in wireless with the perfect products for our prospective customers is both an art and a science…and our pleasure.
Beginning with our audio line, including mobile speakers and wireless headphones, and quickly moving on to the development of video and a host of other lifestyle-enhancing products, bÄ“m is tireless about keeping wireless portable, affordable and accessible. You see, “About Us” is really more about you.
We are just getting over the onslaught of smartwatch news over the past couple of months, with rumors of Apple, LG, Microsoft, and Sony all working on new smartwatches, and Samsung finally unveiled its Galaxy Gear at IFA a few days ago, and now we have a new company, Bem Wireless, ready to deliver us a wireless Speakerwatch. That’s it, nothing more than a plastic speaker attached to a watchband to wear around your wrist, and to call it a “speakerwatch” is a stretch since it doesn’t even tell time – there is no watch face on it or digital readout. It is simply a way to take a speaker with you that plays music stored on your smartphone or to use as a speaker for incoming phone calls; maybe it should be called a “wristspeaker,” that happens to come in a variety of fun colors.
Bem’s cube speakers are receiving great reviews, we did one ourselves back in April and found it to be quite good for $70, a price they seem very comfortable with. The $7o Bem Speakwatch has a much smaller speaker, but hopefully with the quality of sound of its larger sibling, but we will have to wait until the device is released and we can do a proper review. It doesn’t appear that the sound could be much louder than from the speaker on your smartphone, but we will reserve judgement. Do you see yourself wearing a speaker on your wrist to take sound with you wherever you go, ala Dick Tracy?