Fossil's latest SPOT watch, the Abacus AU4003, isn't cut out for black-tie events but offers better looks and more features than the previous generation.
Review summary of the Fossil Abacus AU4003:
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 Price: $129.
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Full review of the Fossil Abacus AU4003:
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Fossil's Abacus AU4003 is one of a new line of updated Microsoft SPOT capable watches that the company released late last year. The new line of watches take all of the functionality of the old watches and update the look with softer contoured, more attractive surfaces. We even see leather in the bands now.
 | Fossil's Abacus AU4003 certainly looks better than its predecessor
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See SPOT Run
First introduced at in early 2003, Microsoft's SPOT service is a one-way FM radio based system that distributes user personalized data to small, normally unconnected, devices such as - case in point - watches. Microsoft's MSN Direct service delivers an ever-expanding number of services to SPOT subscribers, ranging from weather forecasts through sports news, movie listings and more.
Additionally, there are a few other important channels. The Messages channel lets you give your MSN Messenger buddies the ability to send messages directly to your watch - though you can't respond to them. Probably the most important channel that MSN Direct offers is the Calendar channel. Microsoft provides a plug-in for Microsoft Outlook so you can receive your upcoming appointments and and alarms on your watch. Assuming that your PC is connected to the Internet, it can be configured to automatically keep your watch in sync or only sync when you choose to do so manually. If the watch did nothing else but tell time, I would consider this Channel compelling enough to subscribe to MSN Direct.
The Watch
The Fossil Abacus AU4003 is a good looking watch that wouldn't look out of place anywhere outside of, perhaps, a black-tie formal event. The new look, with its rounded and polished face and leather inlaid band, should please most people - especially when compared to the much more conspicuous first generation of Fossil SPOT watches. But as attractive as it is, it is also large. The face measures about 42mm square and is a whopping 17mm thick (well over a half inch). That is pretty bulky for a watch, and proved to be a problem with most of my shirts with cuffs on the sleeves. The AU4003 often just wouldn't fit.
The AU4003's large LCD display is where all of the information from the MSN Direct service is displayed. While the backlghting is is even and bright, the LCD display itself appears to be a bit darker in the corners. One of the cool things about having a LCD watch face is that you can choose from a wide assortment of face styles. A number of traditional looking face styles are pre-installed in the AU4003, and a Watch Faces channel on MSN Direct lets you choose 2 from a changing assortment of faces that can be uploaded to your watch. Microsoft often offers seasonal watch faces, such as the special Halloween and New Years faces offered at times this past year.
The Abacus AU4003's band is major step forward from older models when it comes to offering a watch that looks "normal". The brown or black leather on the band's outer surface adequately masks the fact that the band is made up of a rather thick piece of black rubber. Inside that rubber is the watch's FM antenna, necessary in order to receive SPOT data.
The new style clasp on the watch, while both good looking and very adjustable, is a bit of a problem. The dual-latch mechanism seems prone to wearing out, allowing it to spontaneously pop open. The first AU4003 I had was not wearable after a few days, the replacement I later received is still working adequately after 4 weeks, but does show signs of the same problem. The latch design obviously needs work and is probably the only glaring problem with the AU4003. But considering that the bands can not be changed by the user, that one problem is a potentially huge one.
The Abacus AU4003 has 5 buttons on it; 2 on the left side, 3 on the right. The center right button is the select button. The top and bottom right hand buttons handle the previous and next functions, used for scrolling through options. The lower left button is the channels button, which allows you to switch to any of the channels you indicated you wanted on the MSN Direct website. Holding down that button for a couple of seconds will always bring you back to the time. The upper left button is for the backlight.
The AU4003 has a typical set of watch functions: alarm, timer, chronograph, date, etc. Even without an active MSN Direct account, you also get the ability to have the time and date constantly updated, and even have the watch automatically change time zones as you move across the country.
Availability
The Fossil Abacus AU4003 is at the time of writing available for $129 USD, with varying subscription prices. The service is available in major metropolitan areas of the US and Canada, and Microsoft has also hinted of planning service for the UK and mainland Europe.
Price and availability
The Fossil Abacus AU4003 will start selling for $129 () in December 1969.
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