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Glance
Instead of a smartwatch, what about taking your existing watch and smartening it up a bit? That’s an interesting proposition, in theory. Glance, by Kiwi Wearables, is trying to do that with its new Bluetooth accessory, which launched its own Kickstarter campaign today. It works with iOS, Android, Windows 7 or Mac via Bluetooth LE (with aims for Blackberry and Windows Phone support), comes in gold or silver-colored aluminum, and weirdly clips right onto the side of your own watch like some sort of wearable growth.
Look at the video above and you get the idea. Glance basically acts as a separate waterproof clip-on that fits on a watch wristband to act as a glanceable screen, or use its built-in motion sensors to track activity, count steps, or use arm gestures to turn your hand into a giant clickable air-mouse.
Kiwi Wearables
The proof’s in the wearable pudding, of course, and there’s also the question of who would actually want to make their existing watch smarter versus buying a smartwatch. The Glance looks chunky, and can act as its own watch: it comes with a leather wristband. So, why attach it to another watch at all?
Kiwi Wearable’s first developed product, the Kiwi Move, is a clip-on motion tracker that aims to connect to various apps and smart appliances. I’ve never used one. The Glance feels like an extension of the same philosophy, but with a watch-specific angle. Judge for yourself. I applaud the idea of smart-ifying your own accessories, but this may not be the perfect way. However, make these types of clip-ons small enough and smart enough, and maybe a larger watch may never be needed at all.
