The smartwatch is made modular by attaching and detaching different modules to the core of the smartwatch, with the core being represented by the center screen. The different modules form together to make the strap on the watch, to put around your wrist. So what exactly do these modules do? Well, some of the coolest modules in my opinion would have to be the battery one, which is essentially another battery pack for your watch, the camera module which seems to put a camera on your smartwatch and perhaps the heart rate module which would measure your heart rate. There are tons of different modules you can equip onto your BLOCKS smartwatch, to see more of these modules please refer to the image below.
It's also great to know that those aren't the only modules we will ever see. In the Kickstarter video, it was outlines that at some point after the watch is released, they will allow for third party development for more watch modules. The fact that the watch even has modules to begin with makes the watch completely tailored towards the person wearing it, and it also offers a lot of future proofing. Most other smartwatches these days pack their watch with as many features as possible, but the problem is that most people won't need all of those features. The beauty of the BLOCKS smartwatch is that it is totally open to make it so that it suits your own personal needs, so no more of those useless features you pay so much for but never use. As mentioned earlier, this watch is also future proof to a certain extent. Just as I mentioned in my Fairphone 2 article, you will not need to buy a whole new smartwatch just to have the latest and greatest features because as technology evolves, the modules you attach to your BLOCKS watch will also evolve.
You won't need a module for everything, as the core of the smartwatch, or more openly known as the screen piece, has a few essential features already built in. Out of the box, the core will include the following features.
- Phone notifications
- Activity tracking
- Voice control
- Color touch screen
- Bluetooth connectivity
- WiFi connectivity
- Haptic feedback
The smartwatch will also have a battery capable of lasting about 1.5 days. The watch is also priced fairly competitively compared to other Android smartwatches and it will start at around $195 USD. The smartwatch is going to be running the latest version of Android and will also support easy app development. It will be compatible with iPhones running iOS 8 or above and Android devices running Android 4.0 or above. May 2016 is the target date to start shipping the watch. In terms of the Kickstarter, with around 25 more days to go, they have raised over 1 million dollars of the pledged $250,000 goal, so you can say things are going extremely well.
What do you think? Are you curious to see what sort of modules people will manufacture? Will you be buying your own BLOCKS smartwatch? Leave your thoughts below!
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