After a shy beginning, Android Wear smartwatches are finally starting to gain momentum. Traditional electronics makers such as LG, Huawei and Motorola are leading the way, but conventional watchmakers are slowly entering the smartwatch market, in order to get a slice of the $11.5 billions in sales projected for 2016, and even more in the coming years. One of the most iconic examples was the release of the TAG Heuer Connected, a fully-fledged Android Wear smartwatch by Swiss luxury watch brand bearing the name. Earlier this year, Casio, another traditional watch company, announced their entrance into the market with the WSD-F10 rugged smartwatch during CES 2016, and the Japanese company is set to put their newest wearable on sale from March 25.
Casio is known for their G-Shock line of rugged watches featuring bulky bodies. These are very resistant to shock, water, dust and other situations where you shouldn’t be using a regular watch. The Smart Outdoor Watch WSD-F10 follows the same line and you will get the full experience of Android Wear on your wrist, without having to worry about damaging the watch. It features a circular screen with a resolution of 320 x 300 pixels, and it has a very subtle flat tire. One of the biggest complaints about smartwatches is battery life, but the F10 comes with a dual-layer LCD screen with a monochrome mode that once activated, it turns off all smart features and the watch can last up to 2 months on a single charge, especially useful if you are going for a hiking trip. Additionally, it is waterproof to depths of up to 50m and the device has a nice set of sensors: pressure, compass, and accelerometer – but sadly, no GPS. Casio worked on the software to make it easy for users to access information generated by these sensors, and they can be reached via dedicated buttons on the side. Additionally, the F10 comes with a set of exclusive watch faces.
All the other good sides of having an Android Wear smartwatch are present, obviously, and you will just need to pair it to a smartphone to get notifications and interact with all the apps available for the system. The Casio WSD-F10 will be available in the U.S. and online purchases will start next Friday, March 25th, via Amazon, Google Store, REI Co-Op, and Casio. With a list price of $500, it will be available in Green, Orange, Black, and Red.