# MetaWatch



## rationaltime (May 1, 2008)

MetaWatch
Two models: FRAME and Strata

FRAME is a 3ATM water resistant smartwatch designed to complement
your smartphone and give you HANDS FREEDOM™. Supporting a Dual-Mode
Bluetooth connection to your iPhone, or Android smartphone, you can
check messages, see who's calling, control music, view weather, and
more, all from your wrist.









Customization
You can customize the screens on your MetaWatch the way you want,
setting up different widgets where you find them most convenient.
You get a choice of four screens, each with space for four widgets.
You can also invert the screen color for visibility and style.

Notifications
With MetaWatch you can check notifications with just a glance at
your wrist. There are no lock screens or passwords to mess with,
just one look and you can decide whether to respond, or to stay
focused on where you are and what you're doing.









Widgets
You decide what's important to you by selecting which widgets to
display on your wrist. There's a range of widgets for you to
explore and add to your MetaWatch, each providing simple glance
and go functionality.

The open, developer-friendly platform means that new widgets are
being created all the time.

Controls
Control the music in your smartphone, straight from your wrist.
MetaWatch makes music control wireless, elegant and simple, 
etting you can control your music player without having to dig
your phone out your pocket or bag.

Frame Specification
Stainless steel
Mineral hardened glass
Genuine leather
Weight: 77 grams
Strap + Watch Length: 255 mm
Strap Width: 22 mm
Body: 42 mm x 38 mm x 11 mm
Active Screen Size: 25 mm x 25 mm
Display: 96 x 96 pixel sunlight-readable
Reflective mirror display (Polymer Network LCD technology)
Alerts: Vibration
Buttons: 6
Battery Life: 5-7 days
Wireless Technology:
Dual Mode, Bluetooth 4.0 wireless technology (BR/BLE)
Sensors: 3-axis MEMS accelerometer
Ambient light sensor

Frame $229.99

-----

Strata
The 5 ATM water resistant body and strap is formed from double 
injection molded PU, co-molded with a tough PC poly case. The
mineral hardened glass lens has an anti-glare optical coating
and is surrounded by a rich black, ion-plated, stainless steel top ring.









Strata Specification
Weight: 60 grams
Strap + Watch Length: 270 mm
Strap Width: 22 mm
Active Screen Size: 25 mm x 25 mm
Display:
96 x 96 pixel sunlight-readable, Reflective mirror display
Water Resistance Rating: 5 ATM
Alerts: Vibration
Buttons: 6
Battery Life: 5-7 days
Wireless Technology:
Dual Mode, Bluetooth 4.0 wireless technology (BR/BLR)
Sensors: 3-axis MEMS accelerometer
Ambient Light Sensor

Strata $179.99

-----

Thanks,
rationaltime


----------



## Paulo 8135 (Mar 29, 2012)

Metawatch have now renamed their brand just 'Meta' and new watches are expected to come later in 2014, possibly Spring. The design may not be to everyone's taste, but personally I think they look great:










Former Nokia and Vertu (luxury phone brand) designer Frank Nuovo has joined the team and looks to be making his mark.

















I'm planning on ordering a Strata soon as an affordable option to 'test the waters' of Meta's offerings and see if this kind of smartwatch is for me. Having reliable weather information and phone battery life information available at a glance certainly appeals, and even around the house it would be useful to have an incoming call alert as I don't always hear my phone in my bedroom so I get to it too late. If the device works for me I think I'll be taking a good look at Meta's future offerings.


----------



## Jollytron (Sep 27, 2013)

I like the pic in the second post. Something about the ones in the op just look like a cheapo Casio or Timex. Don't get me wrong, I love my Timex, but it didn't cost almost $200. I definitely agree with you about weather at a glance.


----------



## Paulo 8135 (Mar 29, 2012)

Maybe this is the way forward, just some simple but genuinely useful features like weather, but in a watch people actually want to wear.

The alternative seems to be to load it with Android and make it a mini-smartphone, but I'm not sure that'll work because of redundancy with the phone in your pocket, and also the screen is always going to be too small to use comfortably.

Unless someone releases a smart OS designed specifically for the small screens...


----------



## Jollytron (Sep 27, 2013)

The idea of basically a HUD on a watch makes more sense to me than a wristphone. It's all about complementing mech with tech. If the Hyetis Crossbow wasn't so expensive I'd totally buy one. So far it seems like the most reasonable combination of elements (at least for my tastes).


----------



## Paulo 8135 (Mar 29, 2012)

OK I've just ordered the Strata. I'll post some thoughts after it's arrived and I've had it a while. Will be a few weeks though.


----------



## rationaltime (May 1, 2008)

paulopiper said:


> OK I've just ordered the Strata. I'll post some thoughts after it's arrived and I've had it a while. Will be a few weeks though.


I look forward to your report.

Thanks,
rationaltime


----------



## Paulo 8135 (Mar 29, 2012)

Ok, I've had my Strata about a week now, and in a word, I'm...underwhelmed.

The weather feature's OK but I quickly realized I'm just as happy to take my phone out of my pocket. The bluetooth connection cuts out in the one part of my house where I really wanted call notifications. None of the features are killer as in none of them scream out 'hey I'm really useful'. I'm no longer interested in the 2nd gen model and I think I'm now happy to fall into the camp of 'let's see what Apple come up with'.


----------



## rationaltime (May 1, 2008)

Thank you for the report.

If you park the phone in a more central location does it help increase
the coverage area for the Strata?

I did a quick search for Bluetooth repeaters. I think one of those would
work to cover the dead spots in the house. I found a lot of WiFi 802.11
repeaters. They operate on the same band as Bluetooth, but I don't
know if they are protocol dependent. I didn't see any products that
obviously work for your situation. 


Thanks,
rationaltime


----------



## Paulo 8135 (Mar 29, 2012)

Thanks...yeah I could leave my phone in a more central location but that's not really where I want my phone...


----------



## hogwldfltr (Sep 2, 2012)

I got my metawatch in December for Christmas and it has become part of my work attire. I have the Frame and have had no issue with lost bluetooth connection. What I have noticed is that several times it has frozen and required being hooked up to the charger to unfreeze it. If I am getting a lot of email and call traffic than I need to recharge it frequently (I do this now each night when I sleep). I find the mirror display annoying but functional. I believe that they tried to make a display that would work in bright sunlight and came up with one that doesn't work well in many situations. FWIW, I am pleased with it and don't really see another unit out there that would surpass it for use with my iPhone.


----------



## Paulo 8135 (Mar 29, 2012)

hogwldfltr said:


> I got my metawatch in December for Christmas and it has become part of my work attire. I have the Frame and have had no issue with lost bluetooth connection. What I have noticed is that several times it has frozen and required being hooked up to the charger to unfreeze it. If I am getting a lot of email and call traffic than I need to recharge it frequently (I do this now each night when I sleep). I find the mirror display annoying but functional. I believe that they tried to make a display that would work in bright sunlight and came up with one that doesn't work well in many situations. FWIW, I am pleased with it and don't really see another unit out there that would surpass it for use with my iPhone.


That's cool. Have you checked out the new Meta watches? I love the design but I'd be worried they'd struggle to get enough apps on them, given the prevalence of the Pebble...


----------



## Paulo 8135 (Mar 29, 2012)

Anyway, for anyone interested:

http://meta.watch/


----------



## cobrapa (Mar 15, 2012)

paulopiper said:


> That's cool. Have you checked out the new Meta watches? I love the design but I'd be worried they'd struggle to get enough apps on them, given the prevalence of the Pebble...


I think this is a real concern. They've been talking about open software architecture for a year or two now, but it doesn't seem to be going anywhere. I picked one of the older models up a while ago to play with and write some software for, but they don't seem to be actively supporting people adding features to the watch. And unlike pebble, there's no way for end users to add functionality or watch faces (in any easy way. You can take their watch firmware and modify it, but you'll need to be a software developer to go that route.)

Don't get me wrong, they seem like a great group of guys. I've emailed for help and about 50% of the time I get a really useful answer. The problem is it's only 50% of the time and sometimes it takes a couple days to hear from them. I get the impression they have a smallish team and they can't devote much time to getting a community going around the watch.


----------



## Paulo 8135 (Mar 29, 2012)

Interesting to hear all that. Their marketing seems pretty decent to me, although I'm no marketing expert.


----------



## cobrapa (Mar 15, 2012)

Yes, their new Meta campaign is well designed. We'll have to see what they do with the software. I looked at the website for the Meta M1, but while the website is pretty, it gives almost no details about the watch features. No real images off the watch faces and phone apps. Kind of odd. They have great images of the watch and their marketing material, but that's about it.


----------



## Paulo 8135 (Mar 29, 2012)

Yeah, I noticed that too, exactly what would have me worried.


----------

