Hot Watch: an iOS-compatible smartwatch with some innovative features

hot watch

If you’re still searching for proof that there’s a market for smartwatches, look no further than Kickstarter. We’ve seen a number of projects surface on the crowdsourced funding site—most of which went on to be successful—and today we have another one for you.

Meet the HOT Watch, by Dallas-based think tank PHTL. Now, don’t let the cheesy name fool you, this watch is packing a ton of features. It has all of the standard smartwatch stuff, like push notifications, as well as innovative stuff like ‘Hands on Talk’ technology…

First, let’s talk about the hardware. HOT Watch utilizes a SHARP 1.26-inch E-paper display, a Cortex M3 processor, and Bluetooth 4.0—all of which help it achieve 7-day standby (with call features disabled). It also has a 6-Axis accelerometer and a built-in gyroscope.

hot watch 2

And now for the features. Have you heard the expression ‘everything but the kitchen sink?’ It’s very applicable here. This thing has literally everything you could want in a smartwatch: pedometer, weather, stocks, calendar, GPS, speakerphone, and the list goes on.

There is one feature, though, that’s worth mentioning on its own: private calling. With HOT Watch’s patent-pending Hands on Talk technology, a user can make and receive private phone calls by simply raising their watch-hand to their ear and cupping their fingers.

Here, you really have to see it in action:

Again, the HOT Watch isn’t available yet. The developers have working prototypes and have taken to Kickstarter to raise money to begin production. If you’re interested, a pledge of just $129 or more gets you on the pre-order list. Full retail price will be $199.

The project has about 30 days left, and PHTL has already nearly doubled its goal of $150,000. So people obviously like the product. I would’ve probably picked a different name, and not tried to cram so many features in. But wow, that Hands on Talk tech is really cool.

It’ll be interesting to see what people think of this thing when it starts shipping in December.

What are your thoughts on the HOT Watch so far?