Noodoe: Is this the next swatch?

Moving beyond functionality, the Noodoe watch emphasises self-expression and creativity through gesture controls.

The Noodoe watch is the latest spin on the smartwatch concept. It is a minimalist wristband that shifts the focus away from features towards the things that make us select a certain piece of jewellery or clothing as a way of expressing our style and personality.

The makers of this watch feel that the wearables in the market today are missing the mark. These devices should not be about telling the time, monitoring fitness or sleep, or about looking at notifications. They should be self- expression and creativity, and that is what the Noodoe watch does.

The design and personalisation of this watch is simple and is taken care of with the help of an app on your smartphone (iOS or Android). It has a simple drag and drop interface that lets you decide what will appear on the Noodoe. You can mix text and images, and create creative alternatives to a traditional watch face like playing cards, dice, or a growing tree with its new leaves representing hours.

You can import images that you create in Paint or Photoshop or the ones you make using a basic editing tool in the app. The programming of the watch functionality has been handled well. This enables you to add images and get the effect you want. It is simple enough to be used by people of all ages and you can make a special design in as little as 30 seconds.

The watch has another layer to it. You can dig in deeper and experiment with its coding functions, thereby emphasising its quest for individuality. This remarkable customisation is possible due to a scripting platform called Noodoe Talk.

When you look at it, Noodoe watch looks like an unassuming, black wearable that looks like a thick wristband. It has a monochrome display with a 32 x 128 pixel resolution and it fades into the device when it is not illuminated. The makers like to call it “Lumina Skin”. It makes use of Bluetooth Low Energy to hook up to your smartphone, but it does not need to be connected to your phone all the time in order to work.

It does not have any buttons, dials, and is devoid of any touch functionality. So, how does it work? It works with the help of something the makers like to call “Motion Magic”. Motion Magic is just a fancy term for gesture controls.

The band has an accelerometer that helps you reject an incoming call by flipping your wrist or to see what is next on your calendar. It is a potentially intuitive system that ensures your other hand is free when you are interacting with Noodoe.

You can expect the battery to last for more than a day before plugging it in again. It has its own lightweight OS and the limited functionality ensures the demands on the battery are miniscule. You can purchase the watch from http://www.noodoe.com

This article was first published on The Hindu and is available at http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/noodoe-is-this-the-next-swatch/article7526377.ece