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Overview
I am a fan of technology wristwatches. I
even have a site dedicated to Wrist Technology called
Wrist Dreams.
In 2002 the Fossil announcement clearly excited me. Now in 2005
finally getting my hands on the Fossil Wrist PDA FX2008, my
excitement has waned. Do not get me wrong, Fossil did a great job integrating a fully
functional Palm PDA in a wristwatch, but PDAs itself are not hip
anymore. Smart phones are the new PDAs. There is just no need to
have a PDA for the usual personal digital assistant functions.
People still buy PDAs because they try to replace a notebook for
remote access or to run advanced software applications on the road.
Most road warriors have now Treo
phones or Windows Smart phones for their
PDA needs. What is missing is a killer application. The
MSN Direct
Wristwatches try to offer real-time information as killer-app,
which is at least something, but again news and the weather are also
available on mobile phones.
On the other hand, the Fossil Wrist PDA is the most advanced
computer you can get for your wrist. Programmers can develop special
applications for the watch as Fossil allows to install applications
on the watch. Only the
OnHand
wristwatch allowed that so far. The FX2008 has much better
specifications than the OnHand and it runs a very common OS. If you
know about a killer application somebody developed for the Fossil
Wrist PDA, please
email me.
Lets Have a Look at the Watch
The style of the Wrist PDA with its leather band and brushed metal
case is appealing. The size is no issue as there are even bigger
wristwatches en vogue now. The FX2008 is comfortable to wear.
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Yep, this is how running Palm OS running on a Wristwatch looks
like. |
I have worn the Wrist PDA for a couple
of days and did test the PDA functionalities. I synchronized my MS
Outlook with the watch, which works exactly like with any other Palm
OS PDA. The entries for contacts or calendar are actually easy to
read and had no issues using them. The Navigation with the buttons
up, down, enter (right side) and back (left side) work nicely. I
rarely use the stylus that is hidden in the clasp. The 'toothpick'
does work well on the screen. I just did not need it much for the
standard PDA functions. One tip, disable the alarm on calendar
entries once you are in a meeting. Else you have to fiddle during
the meeting to disable it and everybody stares at you.
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You can actually read text on the Wrist PDA reasonably well
see
hi-res photo. |
The Watch connects via USB to the PC.
The bundled USB cable also connects to AC, which is good for
charging the watch while connected to the PC. To continuously enjoy
the Wrist PDA it needs to be recharged regularly. After about 4 days
the power is gone and with it the time display. The Palm Watch needs
to be completely restored again after a complete power-loss. This is
a bit of a pain, if I would only use the PDA functions once in a
while and would use it more as a watch.
It would be of course much nicer if the
Wrist PDA would sport a color screen. Any gadget these days should
have a color screen.
Conclusion
Two years ago the Wrist PDA would have
been awesome. Today only fans of Wrist Computers get excited about
it. Fossil did a great job engineering the world's smallest Palm OS
PDA, but forgot that PDA functions itself are not a killer
application anymore. The Mobile phone owns those functions now. It
also owns displaying time by the way.
How to Buy
The
Fossil Wrist PDA FX2008 sells for $249 on
Fossil.com (currently Free Shipping).
More Photos
Hi-Res Photos in the
Fossil Wrist PDA Photo Gallery
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Hey, the Wrist PDA is also a 80s
Calculator Watch. |
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Great place to hide a toothpick.
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One of the 12 built-in watch
faces. |
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side view with the enter button
and forward and backward.
More photos |
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Specification of
Fossil FX2008 Wrist PDA
| OS |
Palm OS 4.1 |
| CPU |
Motorola Dragonball™ Super
VZ 66MHz |
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| Memory |
8MB (RAM), 4MB (Flash)
(approximately 7.7MB RAM available) |
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| Display |
• 160 x 160 pixels
• 16 level grayscale
• EL backlight
• Touch Screen |
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| Applications |
• Address Book
• Date Book
• To Do List
• Memo Pad
• Calculator
• Time |
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| Third Party support |
Will run most Palm OS®
applications
(We recommend you use applications designed to take advantage of the
special features of the Wrist PDA® such as the Rocker Switch and the
larger font sets.) |
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| Infrared Red |
IRDA (v1.2a)
(communicates with all Palm OS® devices) |
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| Battery |
Approx. 3-4 days
(Based on an average use of 30 minutes per day, with no backlight or IR.
The battery life varies depending on the temperature and conditions of
use.) |
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| Power |
AC power Adaptor (100V -
240V)
DC output (6V)
Lithium-ion rechargeable battery (internal) |
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| Warranty |
90 day factory warranty |
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Buy the
Fossil Wrist PDA FX2008 for $249 on
Fossil.com (currently Free Shipping).
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