Ever heard of Blocks Wearables? The UK startup company considers itself to be “The Project Ara of Smartwatches,” doing something similar to Google – except in the smartwatch sector.
Project Ara has been Google’s modular smartphone project that allows you to swap out modules for Wi-Fi, a new touchscreen, battery, RAM, etc., over a period of years. Essentially, you wouldn’t have to buy a new smartphone and pay $650 or so a year to have an updated device: you could buy your phone in, say, 2015, and keep interchanging parts until 2020, for example. Blocks wants to do the same with smartwatches: allow you to swap out parts, rather than keep buying new smartwatches every two years or three years.
Now, we finally have some additional details about the BLOCKS modular smartwatch. First on the list is that the BLOCKS modular smartwatch will have AT&T cellular connectivity, meaning that you’ll be able to access 3G and 4G data on the go without having to pair the smartwatch with your phone. Owning a Samsung Gear S with Verizon from 2014, I can’t tell you enough how freeing it is to not rely on Bluetooth pairing to have phone capabilities on your smartwatch.
Other details about the BLOCKS modular smartwatch include the fact that it will have a circular touchscreen in line with the growing circular smartwatch trend, will run Android Lollipop out of the box (not the latest, Android Marshmallow, nor Android Wear because Android Wear doesn’t allow for 3G/4G cellular connectivity), cost $120 for the touchscreen, with an additional $20 to $40 extra for additional sensors, and ship in May 2016.
What do you think of the BLOCKS modular smartwatch? Does this sound like something you’d be interested in having? Do you think that smartwatches currently are too overpriced?
