The Asian edition of the Mobile World Congress, in Shanghai, China, last week, saw the sole Indian mobile phone exhibitor -- Intex -- buck the trend and launch a designed-in-India product before a global audience. The Okhla, New Delhi- headquartered company unveiled -- iRist -- the first SIM-based Android smart watch, from an Indian player. It makes calls, take pictures and track your location -- and your heart rate.
The device with a 3G SIM slot and a 5 MP camera comes with a 3.9 cm screen providing a 240x240 resolution. Powered by a 1.2GHz Dual-core processor and 512MB RAM, the device runs on Android KitKat 4.4.2, with a 4GB memory expandable to up to 32GB. Running on a 600mAh Li-Polymer battery, the iRist promises 240 minutes of talk time.
Armed with an in-built dialler and voice command function, the iRist comes with a full keypad and speaker headset out of the box. One side of the watch features a Micro SIM slot, while the other comes with a camera and feature buttons. iRist is GPS navigation enabled and also functions as a health band that can monitor distance steps and calories. The device also supports HSPA, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
We spent some time with the watch and were pleasantly surprised at the ease of navigation between its core functions of making calls, checking emails and monitoring steps. The small size of the touch-screen takes a while to get used to, and as long as you don't expect to write long emails or surf videos, the iRist is actually an all-round single device you can carry around all day.
You can insert a micro SIM into the watch and operate it as a 3G smartphone. Alternatively, using the iConnect feature you can choose to receive notifications of calls and messages, from your phone, just like a regular smart watch.
The iRist is a true "Made in India" story with features tailored to harsh Indian conditions and usage and: It is water resistant and dust proof. Says Keshav Bansal, Director Intex Technologies: "The device is end to end, the brainchild of our India development team, with minimal hardware fine tuning from China. Integrating a full Android pack on a smart phone was a big challenge and we are the first Indian R&D team to realise a product of this nature."
He adds: "We strongly believe India is poised to be the next big source of wearable technology for local as well as global markets. At MWC Asia, Intex proudly showcased its wearable technology to prove that we can 'make in India' --for the world."
At Rs 11,999, the iRist seems aggressively priced for all of the functionality it provides. You could use it either as an additional calling and internet device or an all-in-one which is ideal for frequent travellers. The watch will go on sale early August, initially through eBay.
Fishy option: Intex has become the first global partner of Finland-based Jolla, to bring the Sailfish operating system to mobile phones. It is touted as a Linux-based, more 'open' and security-focused alternative to Android and iOS for smartphones. The first Sailfish 2.0-fueled smartphone, the Intex AquaFish is to be launched in November. Jolla and Intex jointly unveiled the reference design of the upcoming smartphone in Shanghai last week -- and we got to try it out. It is fundamentally based on swipe navigation; the user interface is smooth and easy to use, with apps and content displayed visually in buckets. Compared to Android navigation, Sailfish organizes the content more vertically than horizontally, which is a refreshing change for regular smartphone users. However, if you do want to invoke an Android app, the device would switch over to regular Android-based app navigation. Intex plans to provide both Android as well as Sailfish apps on the upcoming device. "We want to provide as much choice as possible to price-conscious Indian consumers. To begin with, we will offer choice, and then we will wait and see how they respond to Sailfish." said Intex. The Aqua Fish handset will be priced under Rs 10,000. |
