Apps cannot be installed on the Vivowatch, unlike Android Wear devices, because it lacks a mobile processorAsus has launched its Vivowatch (Asus Claims 10-Day Smartwatch Battery) in Taiwan, with its own ‘Kood’ OS. Kood is said to have lower power requirements than Android Wear, leading to a longer life for the 123mAh battery (Asus’ Zenwatch has a 369mAh battery and lasts for up to two days). The Vivowatch has a 1.28″ monochrome memory LCD display from Sharp and an optical sensor from Osram, to measure biometrics. It also sacrifices a mobile processor for a microcontroller from STMicroelectronics. The Vivowatch costs TWD4,370 ($140) ex VAT.
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We heard recently that several smartwatch vendors were moving away from Android Wear and developing their own systems, due to low consumer sales (Wearable Vendors Disengage From Android). (TA)
