Sony has released the Fes Watch, an e-paper device, developed by the company to test how well the material would fare with fashion items. With a minimalist design, the watch does not have any advanced features like the Apple Watch.
E-paper, also referred to as electronic ink or intelligent paper, is similar to technology used in e-book readers like the Amazon Kindle. The technology will allow users various options between the strap design and face of the watch.
Stuart Miles from Pocket-lint, a gadgets review website, told BBC he predicts that fashion will heavily influence the tech industry.
“Having a phone that’s big and square is one thing, but if we’re actually wearing things, it has to look good,” he said.
Additionally, United Press International reported that the watch turns on or off depending on its position. For example, the face switches on when a user turns their wrist to check the time. This feature could enable a battery life of up to 60 days on a single charge.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Sony intentionally kept development of the watch under wraps, using Fashion Entertainments, a spin-off division, to work on it.
“We hid Sony’s name because we wanted to test the real value of the product, whether there will be demand for our concept,” a source involved in the project told the Wall Street Journal.
CNET reported that Fashion Entertainments aimed to raise 2 million yen for the development of the watch, but exceeded its goal and raised 3.5 million yen through crowdfunding.
(With reports from BBC, CNET and United Press International)
