With every new category that reaches the ranks of “smart” devices, there are those who dare to brand themselves as “high-end”. Since 2014 has been rumored to be the year of wearable devices, it is more than natural that we see high-end fashion adopt the “smart” tags, in-fact it should just go without saying. Welcome to the runways, Metawatch.
The name says the “what?”, but where does high-end come in? simply put, it’s all in the materials, as well as the “who”. Like any high-end fashionista or fashionist-o? would tell you, the name behind the product is worth just as much as the materials they use. In this case, we have the former Nokia/Vertu designer, Frank Nuovo. Nuovo has teamed up with Metawatch, to design what they call the “Meta Line” and the theme of the line is ‘Art of the Glance’.
The theme is driven by the idea that we spend too much time looking at our smartphones, and not enough time “interacting with one another.” Which is why the “Art of the Glance” is so important. Allowing us to spend less time looking at a screen, and more time talking to one another. Definitely a much nicer approach to advertising than the creepy Samsung stalker of 2013.
According to Nuovo himself, “fashion takes the edge off of technology,” and he may be right when it comes to the design he has come up with. Nuovo has designed the pivot points of the band closer to the center of the casing. Making it easier to move and flex along with your motions and to adjust. That’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to design, in order to have a high-end fashion piece, you need high-end materials.
The Meta Line smart watches will have leather bands and make use of higher end crystals. Premium metals are a must have, and just looking at the line, you see a huge difference from what has been seen from the company and where they are headed. A very clean and sleek look compliments the fashion end of the wearable technology nicely, but as we all know, looks are just a piece of the pie when it comes to devices.
Not much can be found as of yet when it comes to software, capabilities and functions, though given the tagline, it is safe to assume the answer is not much. It would be mighty difficult to control cameras or respond to texts at just a glance, so these features may be absent. However, if we look at the overall goal of the Meta Line, it seems to be to try and pull us away from our devices, while looking runway ready. Even the promotional material provided by the company seems to be taking you away from the smartwatch itself, and pay more attention to the good-looking people in them, and the Porsche.
Wearable technology is something we will all have to get used to, if we aren’t already in love with the idea. Making it more fashionable could be the key to getting more people on board. Did we mention the Porsche yet?
The watches won’t be available until Spring 2014, if you have been paying attention to our CES articles, so will everything else. Just like everything else, no pricing has been announced, but lets keep in mind that scarves from Gucci range in the hundreds, so if this watch is trying to compete in that high-end of the market, it will be expensive. If not, than this may be a widely bought smartwatch. It is sleek, beautiful and looks functional enough for what it does, again did we mention the Porsche?