Microsoft has begun prototyping smartwatch devices under the Surface team, according to sources familiar with company plans. Microsoft was previously reported to have been testing a smartwatch prototype by the Xbox accessories team, with the original plan of a "Joule" heart rate monitor. It has been confirmed that prototypes include a variety of removable wrist bands in blue, red, yellow, black, white and grey.
AmongTech claims that prototypes are housed in Oxynitride Aluminium, an expensive "translucent aluminium" that is said to be three times tougher than glass. It's believed Microsoft is testing the hardware with a modified version of Windows 8, with plans to integrate the devices with other hardware within the Windows ecosystem. Amongtech also claims that some prototypes include 6GB of storage and LTE support. It has been suggested that notifications and music control support will both be present.
It'll be interesting to see how Microsoft plans to introduce a smartwatch alongside its array of products and what the devices will be able to perform. We've looked at numerous kickstarters for "smartwatches," but we're sure everyone would rather see an official product from Redmond.
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