If 2015 was the year of the smartwatch then 2016 is the year where smartwatches take things to the next level! The release of the Apple Watch last April brought smartwatches to the attention of the cool crowd who hadn’t yet made the jump to the new technology. While it’s fair to say that smartwatches haven’t yet caught on as quickly as smartphones did after the first Apple iPhone, they are becoming more and more popular.
In late 2015 Casio announced their intention to release a smartwatch in conjunction with Google. It’s now 2016 and the time for Casio’s first Android Wear smartwatch to hit the shelves is almost here! The unveiling of the Casio WSD-F10 took place at CES 2016 and we’ll have a look at it in today’s post.
It’s Not Compact, But It’s Build To Last!
In a world where every technology manufacturer seems intent on making things as small as possible, Casio have decided to head in the complete opposite direction. The size of Casio’s first Android Wear smartwatch on smaller wrists has been described by some people in the press as being “almost comical”. Admittedly, if your arms aren’t as big as Arnold Schwarzenegger – it is going to look big, but this gigantic smartwatch is the most rugged smartwatch you will ever find.
The metal casing of the watch and rubber strap have been put through their paces by the US Department of Defence in order to pass the MIL-STD-810G standard. This watch certainly feels like it can take some punishment, it is also waterproof to 50 meters, which makes it incredibly durable for a smartwatch. None of this is surprising when you consider that this watch comes from the same people who created the G-Shock series.
While you won’t want to risk dropping the watch because you want want it to end up getting scratched, if you do end up dropping it – it will survive the fall!
It Has a Super Battery Life
One big problem that most smartwatch owners have experienced is a disappointing battery life. Apple Watches last less than a day and most Android Wear devices don’t last as long as most people would like them to. Only Pebble owners will have experienced a smartwatch with a long lasting battery life.
Of course if you run Casio’s first Android Wear smartwatch with all of its smart features on a colour screen you will drain the battery quickly. But if you switch to “Timepiece Mode” it switches to a monochrome display and shuts off some of the smart features to give you a 1 month battery life. Pretty good if you don’t want to use the smart features all of the time as it can save you the hassle of constantly charging it up.
Awesome Android Features
Non-Android Casio smartwatches are well designed, but they lack a lot of the great features you find on Apple and Android Wear smartwatches. But Casio’s first Android Wear Smartwatch doesn’t have this problem as it comes with the Play Store allowing you to enhance the experience with all of your favourite apps.
Unusually for an Android Wear smartwatch the Casio WSD-F10 has three buttons on the side of it which allow you to access different features on the watch. Alongside the power button you have an app button and a tool button. The app button loads up your Android Wear apps while the tool button loads up the custom Casio apps designed especially for outdoors people. If you like outdoors activities like hiking or fishing then you will definitely find something useful for you on here.
Conclusion
We were excited on First Class Watches when Casio’s first Android Wear smartwatch was announced and the unveiling has done nothing to dampen that! If you can handle the size and you want a smartwatch that is built to last then this is exactly what you are looking for. The release date has not been announced yet but keep an eye on the First Class Watches blog and we will keep you completely up to date with the latest announcements from Casio.
Images: Cyberpower678
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