My last article took a bit of a gouge at Apple, I took some cheap shots at them and brought a lot of bias into the mix. Here’s the thing though, Apple deserve the treatment, they treat us all like thieves, so will use that reasoning to justify exorbitant costs on their own first party cables, while trying to put as little cross-platform capabilities on their devices as humanly possible, they are basically isolating their devices from the rest of the competition, and the only way they can support such irrational behaviour is because we the consumers keep buying into their bullshit. Sure, I shat on the Apple Watch (I have to keep reminding myself that this isn’t the iWatch), only because of the price point… I can at least respect that they have enough consumers to remain a powerful and relevant company; I just highly doubt anyone could replicate those same results in the modern day without coming across as hardware compliance Nazi’s.
If you’re like me, you’ll be wanting a device that serves the gimmicky functionality of the Apple Watch, but you don’t want to spend even a quarter of the asking price at retail, nor do you want to buy a second hand watch out of fear of your friends calling you poor. Well friends, I have a solution! Our pals at Razer have been creating their own ‘smart’ wrist device, and are planning on shipping it by the 2nd of December 2015. It will be called the ‘Razer Nabu’, and serves a similar purpose to most smart watches, just with a low profile design and a lot of the big gimmicks cut out from the concept, sure 3rd party developers would be able to make some truly bizarre software applications for the Nabu, but it seems Razer is playing it smart, and are focusing on the things that actually make sense, before trying to put in more fluff.
Just think about what you actually want your Apple Watch to do first… Okay good? Chances are you probably thought about Phone Calls, Email, Text, and other messenger applications all unified on one small device, perhaps a fitness tracker with GPS capabilities, or a device that can interface with other programs on your phone for easier control, at the very least you’d have thought about the device at least connecting to your phone… but I doubt you’d have considered much else outside of these features. The Razer Nabu plans to deliver on all of these, and isn’t restricted to only one platform, the companion App should be available on any modern smart phone, regardless of brand, and are planning on releasing it for ~$110 AUD.
The Nabu will be made out of a combination of plastic, and the kind of rubber that most sports wrist bands are made out of. With the mechanical components, display and battery all packed tightly within, the battery can last for up to 7 days before it needs recharging, here’s a list of further detailed specs.
Specifications:
Product Specs
- Private message screen: 128×32 pixels OLED screen
- Lithium-polymer battery with 5–7 days battery life*
- Accelerometer
- Cylindrical vibration motor
- IP54 water resistant*battery life varies by use and configuration
Available Sizes
- Medium-Large 81.0mm L × 63.4mm H × 13.6mm W
- Small-Medium 75.3mm L × 59.1mm H × 13.6mm W
Compatible via Bluetooth LE with
- iOS devices – iPhone 5, 5S, 5C, 6, and 6+
- Android 4.3 phones (or higher)
Other Features/Uses:
PROGRAMMABLE GESTURES:
When you’re halfway into a burger, fumbling with buttons on your smartphone isn’t something you want to be doing. Program your Nabu to recognize your gestures, such as dismissing active notifications with a shake of your wrist, or enabling sleep mode with just a snap of your fingers, so it knows exactly what to do, even when you have your hands full.
DUAL SCREEN:
Nabu subtly vibrates as the Public Icon Screen displays the nature of the notification, and if you need more details, turning your wrist will instantly activate the Private Message Screen — so you can stay updated discreetly and get right back to what you were doing in a second.
INTERACTIVE ENVIRONMENT:
Connect Nabu to GPS-enabled maps apps for turn-by-turn updates on your wrist, or review location-specific stats of yesterday’s bike ride. What’s more, when you let Nabu know your preferences and neighborhood, this iBeacon-ready smartband can notify you of location-based exclusives – so you never miss out on what matters to you.
SECOND SKIN:
Nabu’s soft-touch form feels natural against your skin, allowing you to wear your Nabu day and night, to sleep and even into the shower.
The partner Apps are already available on multiple store fronts, and each device is it’s own development platform, meaning that on release there will be an exclusive Razer Nabu app store, with developers already working on these apps so that they are ready for release.
DISCOVERY:
Nabu utilizes Pulse, Razer’s proprietary band-to-band communication technology, to detect other nearby Nabu wearers in your social circles – people on your Friends list like old high school buddies, or even family. Then, use social discovery apps that work with Nabu to meet, flirt, and strike up a conversation with new people who share your interests.
A WHOLE NEW PLAYING FIELD:
With the global network of Nabu wearers, it is now possible to play large-scale games which combine both on- and offline action. Venture into new neighborhoods to conquer new territory or defend your favorite hangout spots as other players try to steal them. With Nabu, keep tabs on the competition as you strategize to beat your entire city in a game where the stakes are high.
If you were wondering where to grab those Apps, here are the links below.
Apple:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/nabu-utility/id895754325?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4
iOS:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.razerzone.android.nabuutility&hl=en
If you’re one of the lucky bastards who managed to get their hands on the $49 early development model, I sure am a big mix of Jealous and Salty, I mean seriously… this thing at such a price point is amazing, also considering that everyone is currently getting wet over the idea of owning an Apple Watch. I can get the same functionality from this device, and only spend $100 or so in the process… I know without any doubt what product I’ll be waiting for in the way of smart wrist wear.
Obtuse Bastards 