Olio Model One Luxury Smartwatch Coming Next Month

Olio Model One Luxury Smartwatch Coming Next Month

The Apple Watch isn’t the only luxury wearable device hitting stores this spring since the Olio Model One looks ready to give other smartwatches a bit of competition. The first release from San Francisco startup Olio Devices is definitely a step up from the plastic smartwatches now on the market.

Olio was co-founded by Steven Jacobs, a former product designer for Apple and HP whose expertise shows in the classic look of the brand’s premiere timepiece. Along with its sleek appearance, the Olio Model One has the major advantage of running its own proprietary software that is compatible with both Android and iOS phones.

The Olio Model One is a very handsome package with a choice of stainless steel or black steel case, both with a hardened crystal face and back. There are several leather straps to choose from as well as a stainless steel bracelet. The smartwatch can last an impressive two to four days between charges, longer than many Android devices and much longer than the meager one-day battery life of the Apple Watch.

The Olio Model One operates via a cloud-based system that offloads the majority of the processing to the cloud while showing a small amount of data on the screen. That means that the watch shows only messages from the most frequent texters, which could be a feature or a bug depending on the user. The Olio OS also delivers notifications and suggestions according to the user’s location and activity. The user can interact with the smartphone through Siri or Google Now and reply to messages with a group of swipes.

Olio is now taking preorders for the Model One with prices set at $595 for the stainless steel model or $745 for the black steel model with leather strap. Orders will ship this summer for the limited number of 1,000 pieces being made. If those 1,000 units of the Olio Model One go quickly, will the Model Two be close behind?