Remember the first time you heard the term "smartwatch"? What did you think? Definitely something straight from a James Bond/Sci-Fi movie such as a watch that could double up as a telecommunication device or as a navigation aid or what not. By that standards, today's wearable gadgets have kind of been a disappointment, haven't they? Well, wearable gadgets have not been as popular as they were expected to be. One of the chief reasons behind this may be the fact that these devices rarely work as "standalone" devices and very often need to be connected to smartphones to function optimally. It seems that all we want is a watch which offers numerous functionalities. One man aims to design just that. Gábor Balogh, a freelance designer from Hungary has designed a smartwatch - a watch-like-watch that happens to be smart.

Neither big buttons nor Pebble-esque 'blocky' design, nor touchscreen controls, nor voice recognition or any other 'fancy/typical' smartwatch features, Balogh's prototype will simply be controlled by the bezel of the watch. The bezel could be used for scrolling through a message or for selecting apps or for changing to the next song track in the playlist, etc. Thus, this spares two buttons on the side of watch for more 'watch-related' functions like date, time, alarm and switching between modes. The smartwatch, when connected to a smartphone would make the appropriate app icons along with notifications appear on display, with maps and music streamed from the phone to the watch.
Removing the touchscreen feature will reduce inhibitions on the size of the smartwatch, i.e. it could be made in a size similar to that of an ordinary watch. This would also assist in minimising the smudging of screen resulting in low visibility. Balogh envisions this device as a piece of jewellery more than as a piece of technology and to that effect, he thinks that the watch does not need to be made more smart. And when not connected to a smartphone, the smartwatch would look and behave, well, as a watch.

Balogh has used the Swedish watch manufacturer Triwa's Havana Timepiece to illustrate his concept. Though the technical details of the watch haven't been ironed out, the design is a treat to eyes nevertheless.

The designer explains that the inspiration behind this design was the need to make devices that operate discreetly. He also mentioned Apple's Airport Express and Nest Thermostat as the prime applications where they quietly made life easier for the user. It is highly unlikely that Balogh's idea will make it big in next 2-3 years, but as the market for wearable gadgets expands, one can expect devices similar to Balogh's idea, at least in the design department.

Images and News Source: This is the smartwatch Apple or Google needs to make - The Verge