Happy 2014! There is no better day to launch a new website than January 1st, so we're doing just that. Today we welcome Smartwatch Fans to the Mobile Nations family!!
We're incredibly excited to launch SmartwatchFans.com. We actually entered 2013 thinking it was the year we needed to go beyond phones and build a new "connected accessories" community to join the ranks of Android Central, CrackBerry, iMore and Windows Phone Central. As we discussed throughout Talk Mobile 2013, mobile is about so much more than just phones these days. The problem is, with the "internet of things" growing so big, so fast and penetrating into every area of life, it's really hard to define the scope of where a new community like that would begin and end. As we've learned over the years, a successful tech community needs a focus.
Just as Mobile Nations was there at the beginning of the smartphone era over a decade ago, we've been part of the modern smartwatch era since its earliest beginnings too
With 2013 winding down and no new site launched yet, it was actually CrackBerry's Managing Editor Adam Zeis who lost patience with the indecisiveness and took the initiative and got the ball rolling with Smartwatch Fans. Thinking on it now, it was really a no brainer that our next community be focused on smartwatches. It just makes so much sense.
Just as Mobile Nations was there at the beginning of the smartphone era over a decade ago, we've been part of the modern smartwatch era since its earliest beginnings too. Most pundits look at Pebble's amazing Kickstarter debut in 2012 as the starting shot that set off the smartwatch race we're witnessing now. In reality, Eric Migicovsky, the founder of Pebble, was working on a version years earlier called the inPulse Smartwatch. And it was back on CrackBerry in 2009 that we worked with Eric to bring the first photos of the inPulse smartwatch to the world. Like I said, we've been thinking about smartwatches at Mobile Nations since the beginning. And even more important, we already have a bunch of watch fanatics on the team across our existing sites. We just needed a place to all get together.
Adam Zeis gets the honors of being Chief Smartwatch Fan and will be managing the daily beat on the blogs. With a lot of smartwatch fans on the team, you can also expect to see regular contributions from your other favorite Mobile Nations personalities. Expect to see many new faces too!
The site is already off to a great start and the forums are buzzing, so be sure to drop by SmartwatchFans.com and say hello!
Grand Opening Contest - Win a FREE Smartwatch of your choice from Smartwatch Fans!
In true Mobile Nations fashion, to celebrate the launch of Smartwatch Fans we're kicking things off proper by holding a contest to win a free smartwatch of your choice. To enter, all you need to do is visit the contest post at the link below and tell us which smartwatch you'd like to win!
Take note, if you're already a member of Android Central, CrackBerry, iMore or Windows Phone Central, you can login to Smartwatch Fans with your existing username and info. If you're already logged in to one of our other sites, just jump over and click Login and you'll be registered on the fly. It's that easy.
Reader comments
Welcome Smartwatch Fans to the Mobile Nations family!
No style in these watches and I'm out of high school for a few years now. Big colorful, Tyco toy plastic wristbands don't cut it for grown folk. I'll wait until some with style show up. I hope Microsoft doesn't follow the trend with these watches.
+920
What i would like ia a website called wearables.com which covers all wearables, mpt only smartwatches
You people make me sick
Best of luck, Mobile Nations, on your new venture!
Crackberry still exist....why ? It''s a dead OS
Lol they say the same thing about us.
Blackberry has less than 1% of the market and Windows Phone has more than 4% of market.
Sadly, I suspect it will eventually be shuffled off to the Island of Misfit Phones, along with Webosnation, which hasn't seen an update since July, despite the release of the Android Compatibility Layer beta, and a host of LG webOS news.
Waw
Agent for me, its heart is .net powered ;)
And has Qi charging :)
I'm just a bit disappointed that the .NETMF 4.2 doesn't support generics... >.
This is due to their footprint size on the compact framework
huh i dont think we really need this, why there isnt a tablet focused community? because they belong to the same 4 communities we already have heh, we dont have smartwatches from apple/microsoft/google/bb yet but you know for sure thats gonna happen and they're going to kill all this junk from 3rd parties, things work like this now, every "smart" device needs a home and thats one of the 3 big guys, everything else is useless, we just need to cover those upcoming windows watch 9 devices here, like we already do with tablets and even laptops, this is an ecosystem's world, not a lonely-disconnected devices thing anymore
Put me in for an Agent Smart Watch! Look forward to 2014 and your sites!
Again, not my thing but good luck. I'm sure you'll make a good job.
Check out kreyos.
It will just be a passing fad. We saw phones shrink to 1" screens and then gradually get bigger again as media and content became richer to what... the 1520. Why anyone wants a Nokia 8210 on their wrist again is beyond me.
Haha... "Smart"
"Why can't they make it for MY watch. Stupid 30MB RAM"
Other storage is eating up 10MBs!! My watch storage is nearly filled!
At least until Nokia comes out with a windows based watch ;)
Which will only work with Nokia Lumia smartphones!!
Yesssssss!
Isn't April 1st 3 months away?
Kreyos meteor can't wait!
^This... ;-)
Come on Microsoft. Unveil the Xbox Watch already!
Its surface smart watch from what I heard last time, and it was ages ago. Sadly no news as of lately. That's the one I'm waiting for, ill pass on 3rd party, unless its something awesome.
I don't think this tech is ready for mass usage, but hey, good luck.
Nah your alright
Nice, anyway, when will the header and footer and login page be updated with the new logos of the mobile nations websites? Silly old logos....
Can't remember the last time I saw someone wearing a watch.
That's what I was thinking. I guess I just don't get the whole "smart watch" thing.
I wear a watch, a superb watch I might add, just not a smart watch. I like my Tag Heuer too much!
I have an Omega that I wear on a regular basis and a Tag Heuer (crap). I don't care for the smart watches or really understand the need.
In the same way a lot of people don't understand the need for a watch. My phone has a clock, a watch is redundant :P
Well let's say you're having a meeting, you know you're waiting a very important call but you can't throw your phone out if you don't know if this is the call you're waiting for: you're just looking at your watch and you know wether you will discard the call or take it
Let's say you're a moto rider, you don't want your bluetooth set to be on "auto-answer" mode, when you get a call, you can just choose to take it simply by touching your watch.
As for the fact that a phone display the time, I don't think this is the same usage as a watch, I like having to turn my wrist to instantly know the time rather than having to pull a big phone from my pocket and wake it. Now if my watch can also give me a hint about the weather and the number of unread email I received while I was in the transportation, it'd be cool too.
I need one since it can be a little cumbersome to take my 1520 out my pocket to check the time.
What watches are compatible with WP8?
None yet, that are popular. :-/
I thought Pebble was. There is a 3rd party app for that in WP store.
The agent smart watch, it was scheduled for December release but looks more like a march release now :)
I'm on the waiting list for 'The Agent' and can't wait to get one. I like the wireless charging, long battery life, and that it doesn't try to replicate your phone, instead working in conjunction with it. Plus its stylish and looks a thousand times better than some of those honking big, flashy Dick Tracy watches imho. If people haven't heard of it it might interest them to Bing it...
I am too. The Agent smartwatch is definitely the best looking smartwatch so far, and WP8 is a priority for them so that's awesome. I just wish I had it by now. Oh, well, I can wait.
I found out about the Agent smartwatch when I was browsing around for some cool hardware to program. Pretty cool stuff!
None. As far as I know, all smartwatches released so far all run Android or are only Android compatible.
You don't know much, then. Plenty have iOS compatibility.
The Kreyos Meteor and the Agent Smartwatch will both be compatible with WP8... Both are due very shortly... I am getting a Kreyos. (^_-)-☆
First I've heard of the Kreyos... Might be my next watch. But the Agent would sure be fun to tinker with.
That's exactly what I was thinking, even the Samsung Galaxy Gear is only compatible with their Android devices and a select few Android devices at that!!
We really need one
:D
Any chance of a Windows Phone App for Smartwatch Fans since there doesn't appear to be a mobile site?
There is. :)
There is an app?
There will be soon i just made an app for Windows Phone that pulls from their RSS feed will be submitting it soon. it also has the ability to tip them on news i will add more features later but its a start
Submitted should be in the store sometime this week or next week
title is Smartwatch Fans News