The folks over at SpotStop picked up on a new article on howstuffworks.com which does a pretty good job describing how SPOT watches work. It’s a good and thorough orientation because it starts out describing SPOT (Smart Personal Object Technology) at a high level, and ends by actually dissembling an Abacus SPOT watch and labeling all the components. Here’s a taste:
SPOT works using FM broadcasting, like the kind picked up by a radio, to deliver Web-based data to Smart objects. Smart Watches receive more than 200 channels of information that are broadcast on a radio spectrum leased by Microsoft.
I’m a pretty big SPOT watch fan myself, and I wear one often (usually the Swatch Paparazzi). I have extremely eclectic tastes in watches, and I might start the day wearing a Rolex or an automatic Seiko, and finish the evening wearing a Casio G-Shock or some sort of SPOT watch. It all depends on what I’m doing. The SPOT watch actually suits my lifestyle well as I live in San Francisco, and I’m constantly on the move. SPOT watches give me access to vital information like weather, stock quotes, and soon traffic conditions at a quick glance (as opposed to having to pull out my cell phone and navigate through several menus and screens) — something I tried to accomplish years ago with my Timex Internet Messenger, but never quite got right. SPOT watches are actually very feature-rich digital watches, as well, even without the data service, incorporating alarms, a countdown timer, chronograph, and other digital watch essentials into a good, intuitive interface.
The other reason I really like SPOT watches is that, with the exception of Casio, I think the SPOT watch manufacturers (Fossil, Tissot, Swatch, and Suunto) are really the only folks out there pushing the boundaries of digital watches right now. Mechanical and automatic analog watches are endlessly fascinating with their complications, features, and designs. We need things like atomic, solar, and SPOT to keep digital watches interesting, as well.
By Christian Cantrell