Have any MeFi technophiles tried one of the MSN Direct Smart Watches?

December 5, 2004 5:48 PM

GadgetFilter: Have any MeFi technophiles tried one of the MSN Direct Smart Watches? If so, what were your impressions of the watch & the service? [SImoreDE]

I was interested in these when they first came out, but not interested enough to spend $130 on a watch and $70/year on the service.

Now, however, you can get the watches for $50 and the service for $40/year. That seems like a pretty good deal to me. I thought I'd check here first, though, and see if anyone has had any experience with the technology. Also, it seems possible that the price drops may indicate that the service will be discontinued. Anyone know if that's likely?

posted by Fourmyle to technology (4 comments total)

I realize this isn't an answer to the question, but I'm just not sure I understand how the "smart watch" competes with than the WAP, SMS, and time-synchronization features available with just about every cell phone provider. Lots of phones sync with Outlook, too (and via Bluetooth, to boot). At $40/month, it's certainly not cheaper than a cell phone plan, it doesn't seem to have more compelling content, and it's only one-way. Is it really just that it's on your wrist?
posted by eschatfische at 7:48 PM on December 5, 2004

(slaps forehead) Year, not month. Got it.
posted by eschatfische at 7:49 PM on December 5, 2004

I have. I purchased an Abacus ('by Fossil') MSN Direct Smart Watch for cheap (less than the cost of 1yr service fees), and have been wearing it for about a week or so. I think it's great. I didn't pay extra to recieve MSN or Outlook data (I have a PDA for scheduling, and always-on MSN sort of creeps me out).

I don't think the price drops indicate a discontinuation of service; more like an attempt to clear inventory through Xmas. I heard that MS might make the SDK public soon, or something along those lines, so perhaps 'bigger/better/newer/swanker' devices are in the pipleline?

So far, my only real issues have been the lack of water-resistance and the relatively large size. If you have any specific questions, lemme know, and I'll fill you in.
posted by onshi at 8:27 PM on December 5, 2004

I won't call him out, but one of our mefi own works on the MSN Direct team. Just saying- if you're out there, chime in. ;)
posted by hincandenza at 9:51 PM on December 5, 2004