Get text messages and alerts on your wrist with the Allerta inPulse watch, but don't talk back.
The long-rumored watch accessory for BlackBerry devices has finally surfaced, and it's being made not by RIM, but by a nearby neighbor in Waterloo, Canada, Allerta. The Allerta inPulse watch is a BlackBerry accessory, not a phone in its own right. You pair the watch with your BlackBerry device over Bluetooth, and your phone can send alerts and information to appear on the inPulse's screen. The inPulse can show you incoming caller ID info, as well as text messages and simple e-mail headers. You can also receive calendar alerts on the watch, and Allerta reps note that if you receive Twitter updates over SMS, you'll be getting your Twitter feed on your wrist with the Allerta inPulse.
The Allerta inPulse doesn't have phone capabilities, so you won't be able to make or receive calls with the watch. There's no speaker or microphone, so if you notice an incoming call on your wrist, you'll have to unholster your BlackBerry to start talking. That's fairly disappointing, and with new devices like the Kempler & Strauss W Watchphone and the much more expensive LG GD910 watch phone hitting the market soon, we can't help but wonder if prospective buyers won't be disappointed by the lack of features on the Allerta inPulse.
Even so, Allerta didn't skimp on the display technology with the inPulse watch accessory. The device uses a 1.3-inch, color OLED display, and in our experience, those color OLEDs look great. The internal 150mAh battery is rechargeable via microUSB, and Allerta says the battery will last, under normal use, about 4 days between charges. The Allerta inPulse isn't waterproof, but it is somewhat splash resistant, so light rain shouldn't be a problem.
The Allerta inPulse is controlled by the BlackBerry device, which makes it an easy watch to customize. You can set the time from your BlackBerry, or set up calendar alerts and alarms on your smartphone. Of note, Allerta's corporate site touts their upcoming "smartphone" accessory, and doesn't specifically mention BlackBerry, so there's no reason to think that the device couldn't become available for other smartphones, but the company's close physical proximity to RIM's HQ in Canada probably indicates a close, if not familial, relationship between the two companies.
Allerta is currently taking pre-orders for the first round of inPulse devices to be produced. The Allerta inPulse costs $150. It will be available first directly from Allerta, but should show up on online retail sites like Amazon in the near future.
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