While Android Wear and the smartwatches that will be running its software are all about quick glances and a somewhat more simplistic approach to the wearables and smartwatch world, devices like The Arrow smartwatch aim to take things in a little bit of a different direction. The first thing you might notice is that the Arrow smartwatch uses a round watch face just like the moto 360, but unlike the 360 and both currently available Android Wear watches, the Arrow smartwatch has a goal of adding in phone call capabilities and camera functions for the ability to take pictures on the fly. While other smartwatches like the original Galaxy Gear and the second generation of Gear smartwatches from Samsung, as well as others already have cameras, the Arrow does things differently by placing the camera on a rotating swivel bezel so that you can easily change the subject of your pictures, whether that be yourself, or something/someone else.
Cameras on smartwatches right now can be thought of at best as a mere afterthought from the consumer standpoint, only using the functionality in a pinch when there is absolutely no other foreseeable option available. With the Arrow though, a crappy camera with horrible resolution could become a thing of the past, as the company behind the watch wants to put an 8MP camera inside that also has the ability to record HD quality video as well. It still won’t replace current smartphone cameras, or actual cameras like a professional DSLR, but then the option wouldn’t be so bad if the quality were better and you had to use your smartwatch to get the image you want.
Right now there isn’t any sort of detail on just what sort of OS the Arrow would be running, but the possibility of Android Wear isn’t entirely out of the question. Other features that Arrow wants to utilize are the Qi wireless standard for charging, as well as GPS, a music player, etc. From the renders the Arrow smartwatch looks pretty impressive and should they be able to keep it under a fairly affordable price point they just might have a real winner on their hands. There’s no time window for launch or a potential cost but you can follow them for details if you want to be kept updated. Check out the short video and other image renders below.
