While browsing over to Sic!’s site recently to pick up a copy of their freeware FTP client for S60 devices, I stumbled across this new application, called ‘BT Watch‘. This freeware application allows the Sony Ericsson Bluetooth wristwatches to communicate with your S60-powered smartphone, offering some enhanced features over normal wristwatches. I quickly got ahold of a Sony Ericsson MBW-150 on loan from Sony Ericsson to test out with this newfound application.
I’ve already unboxed the Sony Ericsson MBW-150 Classic Edition for you previously, and have spent the past week or so wearing this stylish timepiece, connected to my Nokia N95-3. The watch itself looks just like a normal watch. It’s nothing fancy, though slightly thicker than most normal wristwatches. In addition to an accurate clock, the MWB-150 features a set of 5 buttons and a small display across the bottom of its face. The watch is able to connect to your phone via Bluetooth, and features both vibrate and audible alerts. A charger is included in the sales package, as well. You can read the full review of the MBW-150 over at MobileBurn.com.
The Sic! BT Watch application is what allows the watch to be used with any S60v3 smartphone, such as my Nokia N95-3. Once you have Sic! BT Watch installed, you simply open the application, and leave it running in the background. Then go into your Bluetooth menu on the phone and pair with the watch just as you would any other Bluetooth accessory. On the watch itself, on the right side are two buttons surrounding the standard wristwatch thumb-knob. The bottom button allows you to scroll through the options of Bluetooth (on/off), message alerts (on/off), Connection (on/off) and Pairing. Along the left side of the watch are three dedicated music playback keys, though I was unable to get these to work with my Nokia N95-3. They would normally allow you to pause/resume playback, as well as adjust the volume and skip tracks.
So, once it’s all paired and setup, does it work? Absolutely! When a call comes in on my phone, the watch not only shows the caller ID on the screen, but also vibrates gently and silently. The caller ID shows whatever the phone shows, so if you have the name saved, it will show the caller’s name. Otherwise, the number is scrolled across in easy to read characters.
Messages come across the same way, and reveal the first few lines of the message, allowing you to easily determine if you need to reach for your phone to respond or not. I can, unfortunately, confirm that using the Nokia Email Beta, while the watch will vibrate on incoming emails, there is no visual indicator or scrolling preview. Calendar appointments behave the same as a text message, vibrating silently and showing the title of the event.
Another great feature is the alarm clock, which vibrates the watch, as with the other notifications. This can be extremely helpful if you have a habit of sleeping through your alarm, as it vibrates your wrist. The top sidekey is used to mute/reject notifications easily. In addition, there is a vibration notification if you move out of range of your phone, which can help keep track if your phone is stolen, though the thief would have a ~10m head start on you, which may be too much.
Updates I would like to see for the Sic! BT Watch application would be the ability to use the music playback keys, as well as integration with 3rd party email applications. I was also frustrated with the time/date being read off my phone. For some reason, the MBW-150 did not correctly read and display this information, despite being set correctly.
I’ve been considering purchasing a wristwatch for several months now, but did not see the point, as I already have a clock on my phone. However, after a week with the MBW-150, I’m convinced this is a great solution for several different types of people. For a business person, it’s a killer solution, as they can keep their phone in their briefcase or pocket and still be able to politely see who’s calling them in the middle of a meeting. Also, obviously this would be a great solution to deter thieves, as you would not have your phone out constantly.
The price is a bit off-putting, though, with the MWB-150 priced around US$400 on Amazon. Hopefully, though, Sony Ericsson will continue to introduce new versions and models, with various other fashion-oriented models that may be more affordably priced.
Update: Sony Ericsson has now also announced the MBW-200, a series of Bluetooth watches for a more female audience. These watches should work with Sic! BT Watch just the same.
