REVIEWED: i’m Watch smart watch
The ‘first real smart watch’ has its own apps, but is no good at telling the time
Buy the i’m Watch smart watch
Price at time of review: £249
This Italian-made watch – one of very few that uses a touchscreen – is all about browsing. Like the Cookoo and G2G, i’m Watch tethers to a smartphone using Bluetooth, but configuring features and apps in its i’market is via the i’m Cloud website.
Displays tweets
Updates are then downloaded the next time i’m Watch attempts a sync, which it does every 15 minutes via smartphone tethering. When it does, i’m Watch shows Tweets (though not pictures), Facebook updates and email on its 1.55-inch touchscreen, as well as a caller display when someone calls.
Tiny speaker
As well as a tiny speaker, i’m Watch has a headphones slot and even its own i’Music service. Though it only costs €9.99 for a year’s access, i’Music offers only playlists themed around an artist or band. Each song has to be physically downloaded, which is a long process; it’s far quicker just to drag ‘n’ drop some MP3s from a computer to the i’m Watch’s 4GB drive using a micoUSB cable.
No hands-free calls
It needs a recharge every day, but in return for what? There’s no option for text message alerts, hands-free calling doesn’t work, and the screen keeps falling asleep; i’m Watch may be smart, but it’s no good at telling the time.