The long-awaited Blocks smartwatch is hopefully close to completion after a year of pant-stirring build-up, and now its profile has been massively boosted with a clever Qualcomm partnership. So why is this modular smartwatch the most exciting wearable of 2015?
Now that we’re racing towards an official launch, the company behind Blocks has revealed what we can expect from the finished smartwatch. That includes detailed specifications for the unique, modular wearable, which will let users add or remove features from their smartwatch as and when they need them.
Speaking at the massive Computex event in Taipei, the Blocks team announced that they had struck a partnership with Qualcomm, meaning that the Snapdragon 400 will power the device. We already know that the Snapdragon is a good match for smart devices as it’s present in most Android Wear watches, including the LG G Watch R – so this partnership is already off to a good start.
The Block’s core module will be a round watch face but other display options are being worked on, with square and rectangular faces in the works too.
The company also announced it was teaming up with Tateossian, a British jeweller, with a view to the company crafting custom bracelet links which will encase each added module (such as secondary batteries, NFC readers and so on). The links will come in a variety of colours, textures and materials too, so there should be something to suit all tastes.
The added modules, which we haven’t heard much about yet, will bring other features to augment the core functionality of the device.
So if you’re a power user you could add an extra battery to keep your wearable running for longer, a serious bonus considering most smartwatches are dead within a day or two. If you want voice input you could add a microphone and there will be any number of fitness-based features too, to turn your device into a sporty wearable.
The Blocks crew also announced that the watch will run a slimmed-down version of Android Lollipop, but it should play nice with both Android and iOS devices. There was no mention of Windows Phone or WIndows 10 however, but if you’re a Lumia user you’re probably well used to that by now.
There’s currently no firm launch date for the Blocks watch but things definitely appear to be moving ahead apace following the company’s partnership with Qualcomm. There’s a chance you could even have the device on your wrist in time for Christmas.
Check out our everything you need to know about Blocks guide.
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