Will.i.am has launched his very own cuff-like wearable device, and it’s called the i.am.PULS.
The award-winning musician’s virginal offering to smartwatch-dom sports a 2-inch display and its own voice-controlled digital assistant.
It’s also capable of sending texts, making calls, and using GPS completely independently of a smartphone, should you be willing to fork out for a bonus SIM card.
Will.i.am says he wanted to ‘create a new breed of wearable device’ with his new toy.
“Puls represents my passion for, and my mission to marry design and advanced technology,” says the musician.
He reckons Puls ‘leapfrogs what is currently on the market.’
While we do know that the device will have a Qualcomm Snapdragon chip tucked away inside, we’re not yet sure how much processing heft will actually be available.
The rest of the spec sheet reads as follows – 16GB of built-in storage, 1GB of RAM, GSM 3G capability, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, a GPS unit, a pedometer, and an accelerometer.
The hefty internal storage is important, because Will.i.am’s fledgling smart-cuff can play music saved to the device.
The Puls’ Siri-kicking AI, tagged up as AneedA, will let users dictate text messages, make calls, and post to Facebook.
All sounds good so far, right? Perhaps not – the i.am.PULS promises a 5-hour charge life that’ll make it about as useful as a Ferrari running on AAA batteries.
So far the only UK network provider promising to stock the device is O2, with AT&T set to flog them over in the US.
“Music and technology are in O2’s DNA which is why we’re so excited to be giving O2 customers the opportunity to exclusively get their hands on the Puls in the UK,” says Nina Bibby, O2’s marketing director.
“We’re committed to bring our customers the latest and most innovative devices and with Puls they will be able to explore a whole new level of connectedness.”
There’s no UK pricing available just yet for the Puls, but we’ll keep you posted should you be keen to charge up your watch five times a day.
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