When it comes to smartwatches, the Apple Watch, Samsung’s Gear S lineup and Google’s host of Android Wear devices dominate the market in the United States. But outside its borders, smartwatch makers are popping out like mushrooms after the rain.
A good example of such smartwatch manufacturers is Mobvoi with its Ticwatch 2 product which was successfully funded on Kickstarter. The watch offered plenty of features, as well as great aesthetic quality – and to top it all an affordable price tag of only $199.
So far Mobvoi’s smartwatch lineup relied on the custom Ticwear OS, including the international Ticwatch 2. But good news, this summer the company plans to release two new series of smartwatches, the Ticwatch S and Ticwatch E – both of which are going to be powered by Android Wear. The watches will land on Kickstarter soon. Here’s what Mobvoi revealed in an official email:
“This summer, we are proud to present you Ticwatch S•E, our new watch series that represents the whole team’s efforts, as well as responses to your valuable feedbacks.
Powered by Android Wear™, Ticwatch S & Ticwatch E series comes with all the essential hardware design tailored for a sporty active style.
The best of all, you can bring one beautiful new piece home with less than $100 through our Kickstarter SUPER EARLY BIRD SPECIAL. The specific launch date and time of the Ticwatch S & E Kickstarter campaign, as well as more exploding details on the product and the price, will be revealed in the coming emails.”
The two collections have already been listed on Mobvoi’s official website, but they are listed as running Ticwear OS. Even so, the global versions should come with Android Wear out of the box. According to the listed specs, the watches take advantage of OLED displays, MediaTek 2601 SoCs, NFC (so hopefully Android Pay is going to be onboard the models slated for Kickstarter), GPS and IP67 certification.
According to a recent place release, (at least) the Ticwatch S will also be able to accommodate SIM cards in order to allow users to use their watch to call, use data services and receive notifications, even as their smartphone is out of reach.
So what do you think? Would you be interested in funding Mobvoi’s first Android Wear smartwatches?
