The smartwatch scene has reached fever pitch lately, with news of Pebble’s new app store, Motorola’s screen patent, Samsung’s watch efforts, and continued rumors that Google and Apple are both secretly working on their own watches. Not to be left out of the party, longtime classic watch maker Martian recently released their own smartwatch, the Passport (pictured above), available now for $249. It combines an ultra classic, analog watch design with some smart brains to provide a blend of both worlds. The watch features a small OLED screen that displays notifications beneath the traditional watch face.
Now, Android Central is reporting that the company is set to announce more news at CES next month. Martian will reportedly take wraps off a new watch model, which is said to have new voice recognition and voice command features. The current model also features voice commands, giving users the ability to check weather, create calendar appointments, set alarms, etc. by talking to the watch. It uses Bluetooth to maintain a link to a smartphone, just like the existing smartwatches do, but is decidedly more traditional in appearance.
Martian also provides some nifty features built-in that other watches either don’t have, or need to be obtained via third-party apps, including remote camera triggering, and disconnect alerts for letting you know when you’ve left your phone behind. Martian bills the Passport as a “hands free solution,” with features like the voice commands allowing users to do more than simply view notifications.
The current Passport has very high reviews on Amazon, and would definitely appeal to those wanting the features of a smartwatch while maintaining the look and feel of a classic analog watch. If you’re a fan of classic timepieces, there’s no denying that Martian’s smartwatch definitely looks very good.
The company’s new design will reportedly be similar to the current model with a traditional analog watch and smaller OLED display for alerts and notifications. Not much else is known about the design or what the new voice commands will be.
CES is only a few more weeks away, so if you’re interested in what Martian has in store for this new product, be sure to stay tuned!