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Handhelds Hardware

Tissot's MSN Direct SPOT Watch Reviewed 92

Posted by simoniker from the high-geekery-indeed dept.
bargainPDA writes "Tissot, the Swiss watch maker, has released a new SPOT watch, complete with their famous touch screen technology , and featuring MSN Direct technology - there's a full review with detailed pictures over at SpotStop.com. The $725 watch goes beyond the entry-level geek, requiring a deep pair of pockets to purchase."
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Tissot's MSN Direct SPOT Watch Reviewed More

Tissot's MSN Direct SPOT Watch Reviewed

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  • For $725... (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 26, 2004 @02:30PM (#9804065)
    I could buy 5 shares of Google. I think that's a better investment.

    • Re:For $725... (Score:3, Funny)

      by Kenja ( 541830 )
      "I could buy 5 shares of Google. I think that's a better investment."

      But the watch could tell you right away when the Google stock tanks.

  • OK, This Doesn't Make Sense (Score:5, Interesting)

    by stevemm81 ( 203868 ) on Monday July 26, 2004 @02:32PM (#9804082) Homepage
    You take a luxury item like a $725 Swiss watch with patented touch screen, and you pair it with... MSN?!?!?

    Sig semper tyrannis.

  • Yes... (Score:5, Funny)

    by Pyro226 ( 715818 ) <Pyro226@REDHAThotmail.com minus distro> on Monday July 26, 2004 @02:32PM (#9804087) Journal
    ... but does it tell time?

    (Sorry, had to be said.)

  • MSN Direct technology? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Iesus_Christus ( 798052 ) on Monday July 26, 2004 @02:33PM (#9804096)
    From looking at the links, it seems like MSN Direct is yet another way to get up-to-the-minute information. While I can see how this is useful in some circumstances, I'm also somewhat doubtful. Do you really need to know the exact second that the Yankees get a home run in a game you are too busy to watch by looking at your watch? Or, are you willing to pay $750 for this ability? Some people may find it useful, but the amount of information that is valuable to the average person in real time isn't all that big.
    • Some people may find it useful, but the amount of information that is valuable to the average person in real time isn't all that big.

      That's one reason to charge more for it...get it into the market of people who'd find it useful.
    • It's called a radio. News, sports, weather, traffic. Here in the us, an am/fm radio (headphones) is as low as $7. That's all you need, and you don't look like a complete freak at the airport. Because after all, not looking like a geek is so very important to... geeks.

    • Do you really need to know the exact second that the Yankees get a home run in a game you are too busy to watch by looking at your watch?

      In my country there is a site [montevideo.com.uy] that offer a service like that. They send you an SMS when your favourite soccer team score in a game.
      You can't imagine how many people are suscribed to this service!
      There are thousands! Even Women :-)

    • The only things I could think of wanting to know up-to-the-minute would be:
      • Stock prices (if I were day trading)
      • Weather (for when I commute)
      • Big news (it would have to be BIG for me to care, like 9/11 big)
      • traffic

      Would I ever pay $750 for this? Hell no. And this is coming from a guy who loves to buy expensive gadgets.

      However, another poster mentions to use a radio. Ehh, a radio will provide most of that info, but not when you want it, and maybe not to your area (like my zipcode or county).

      B

  • Is it as cool as the Pulsar? (Score:3, Funny)

    by lofi-rev ( 797197 ) on Monday July 26, 2004 @02:39PM (#9804160) Journal
    I wonder how long till it ends up here? [pocketcalculatorshow.com]

  • $725 (Score:4, Interesting)

    by afidel ( 530433 ) on Monday July 26, 2004 @02:40PM (#9804166)
    requires deep pockets??? My first PC cost $1500 without the printer and that was 1993 dollars. Hell my non-geeky watches usually cost me around $300 for a decent one. My GPS, altimiter, electronic compass one was closer to $500 and that doesn't include email =)

    • Re:$725 (Score:4, Insightful)

      by SatanicPuppy ( 611928 ) <Satanicpuppy.gmail@com> on Monday July 26, 2004 @02:53PM (#9804312) Journal
      For a watch whose big thrill function is that it connects to MSN? I wouldn't pay 72.50 for it.

      You could get a kickin PDA for that...hell the New HP [pdabuyersguide.com] only costs 280.00!

      Just doesn't seem worth it. Get a nice swiss dress watch, a sweet PDA, and a few grams of blow for the same price.
      • Ahh, theres just something about a post recommending you to buy cocain being modded insightful that makes me love /.
        • I was going to say, "A new PDA, A nice swiss watch, a few ounces of blow, and a hooker off whose ass to snort it, all for the same price" but I thought that would be over the top.
          • Over the top? Nah. That would have been modded informative! And thats a moderation I can agree with. Now I just need $725...
      • A nice swiss dress watch will set you back considerably more than 725. Rolex, Vacherin Constantin, or Patek Phillipe watches cost more to service than that...

  • -MSN +Bluetooth = my $ (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Joseph Vigneau ( 514 ) * on Monday July 26, 2004 @02:40PM (#9804168)
    I like the design of this watch. I looked for a long time to find a watch that was modestly priced, and not the standard 20-something standard-issue "got my first well-paying job" watch that everyone [omega.ch] else [tagheuer.com] has. So I got a Seiko Arctura [seikowatches.com]. I would like a watch like this Tissot, but it would be much more attractive for me if it dumped the MSN feature, and added Bluetooth, so it could sync with my calendar, automatically set alarms, display the caller-id from my cell phone, etc...
    • What in the world made you think that spending 400-650 USD on a Watch was a good idea?

      • Omegas, which the grandparent poster has such a distaste for run from $1,500 to $3,000 for the average models. Omegas are an ok mid-grade mechanical timepiece. They're owned by Swatch Group, so you could just buy a Swatch for $500 and be happy. For that matter the majority of mechanical timepieces all have their internals made by Swatch Group.

        A few that don't are Jaeger LeCoultre (JLC), Patek Phillipe, A Lange & Soehne, Rolex, Ulysse Nardin, and I think a few IWC watches.

        The low end of those watches r
    • I looked for a long time to find a watch that was modestly priced, and not the standard 20-something standard-issue "got my first well-paying job" watch that everyone [omega.ch] else [tagheuer.com] has.

      Y'know, I thought about getting one of those for a while. But throughout my life, it seemed like any time I bought an analog watch, it'd get busted inside of a year. Granted, they were relatively cheap things, but I was a bit scared to spend real money on something that'd just get dropped or put through the
      • Y'know, I thought about getting one of those for a while. But throughout my life, it seemed like any time I bought an analog watch, it'd get busted inside of a year.

        You probably mean mechanical watch. From mw.com:
        analog
        c : being a timepiece having hour and minute hands

        Obviously, they make quartz analog watches. There should be no difference in the quality, since there isn't a great deal of difference in the construction versus a "digital" watch.

        Granted, they were relatively cheap things, but I was a bi
        • Actually, engagement rings are an investment. But it is an investment into non monetary things.
          • I'd prefer to use the more common definition (mw.com):

            investment
            Function: noun
            Etymology: 2invest
            : the outlay of money usually for income or profit : capital outlay; also : the sum invested or the property purchased

            All of those items mentioned are investments by your definition. A computer is an investment into your education, for instance. And any material posessions could be an investment into your personal well being or happiness.
    • I dont know a 20 something that wears a watch ... maybe its a California thing? We all have cell phones and PDA's, alot of us have two cell phones (personal cell phone, work cell phone) wtf is the point of a watch?
      • I don't wear one either and I'm in NY. I don't have a cel but at work I carry a pager and a PDA. Everywhere else I simply count on there being some form of time displaying device. My car has one and if I need to be somewhere on time, I'm driving there. If I'm going somewhere and knowing the time will be important, I'll bring my PDA. It'll beep me to remind me of my apointments anyway. If I walked a lot or used a bike for transportation I might be inclined to wear a watch. The PDA would not be a convenient t
        • You know, I can very much understand that point of view. But I think that there is something to be said for the sheer culture and technology of a good timepiece. It represents the hight, in some ways, of the Industrial Revolution, just like a well crafted lighter represents man's conquest of fire.

          That's purely an emotional view, of course, but then again I am a tech fetishist I guess. Then again, I bet most of the people who visit /. are too.
    • display the caller-id from my cell phone

      That would be awesome!
    • Amen to not having the watches that everyone else has.

      Here are to some of the watches that say "I got my first well-paying job, AND I don't follow the unwashed masses".
      Such as:
      Sinn [artoftime.com]
      Zeno [zeno-watch.ch]
      Sector [creativewatch.co.uk]
      Ollech & Wajs [chronomaster.co.uk]

      Just a few ideas :-)

    • Not even having a watch at all!

      If you're really important, you don't NEED to care what time it is. People can wait for you.

      I'm not that important by a longshot, but I don't wear a watch anyway. I used to have a nice altimiter watch but now I really prefer nothing on my wrists.
    • Bluetooth caller ID on your watch would be nice, but you'd still have to reach for your head/handset..

      Myself, I have this watch [skywatches.com.sg].

      The best feature of this watch is that it has both an analogue and digital read-out, with no less than 3 reverse-LCD screens. That's right, just like you used to do with your calculator in high school, the polarity on the LCD screens is reversed so that you get a black background (to go with the black faceplate) and LCD-green digits.

      OK, I probably won't hand it down to my grandc
      • Bluetooth caller ID on your watch would be nice, but you'd still have to reach for your head/handset..

        Or, depending on the caller, maybe not. :^)

        If I went for a Seiko kinetic (for those not in the know - it doesn't need batteries, it recharges off the energy of your daily arm movements), I'd go for an ultra-flat model though, rather than the bling-bling.

        I think most kinetic watches need to be somewhat bulky, in order to hold the weights and power generation gearing.

        • If I went for a Seiko kinetic (for those not in the know - it doesn't need batteries, it recharges off the energy of your daily arm movements), I'd go for an ultra-flat model though, rather than the bling-bling.

          I think most kinetic watches need to be somewhat bulky, in order to hold the weights and power generation gearing.

          That's why the thickness was a big deal IIRC. I think most kinetics are 12 mm in case thickness, and I found for example this one [ashford.com] that's only 9.5mm, which compares favorably with a lo

  • Mirror Mirror on the wall, could a watch server.. (Score:1, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    handle this all?

    It appears not.
  • Someone refresh my memory, how much does this cost a month? Anything above free is too much, I mean, I can get the same services on my cell phone service, without having to contribute money to Micro$oft.

    • Re:725... and how much a month? (Score:4, Informative)

      by SerpentMage ( 13390 ) on Monday July 26, 2004 @03:13PM (#9804486)
      It costs 59 per year or 9.95 per month.
      http://direct.msn.com/about/service.aspx

      I checked it out, and what I find interesting is that there no universal coverage. That is really interesting as it means in most places (not much coverage) your watch is a great wrist weight.

      Gee makes me REALLY want to buy it, NOT!

  • Just in case (Score:2, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward

    If anyone is wondering the proper pronunciation is "Tee-so" the second T is silent. Don't ask me why, its a swiss thing.
    • I would imagine that it is because the name is French. The last letter in a French word is silent unless there is an accent on a vowel.

      Of course, one could just Anglisize the word and piss off the French. "Tiss-sot" :-P

  • Do people still wear watches? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by leathered ( 780018 ) on Monday July 26, 2004 @03:04PM (#9804412)
    I have done without a watch ever since I got my first mobile phone. Many of my friends also no longer have watches and merely pull their phone out of there pocket if they want to know the time. Come to think of it I'm sure I see a lot less people wearing watches than say ten years ago.

    • Re:Do people still wear watches? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Total_Wimp ( 564548 ) on Monday July 26, 2004 @03:34PM (#9804742)
      Wish I had the mod points to give you. I did the same. My phone replaced my watch and my alarm clock (phone was actually louder and easier to use) ever since I got my first Nokia 6160.

      But wait, there's more. Since I have a smart phone now (Nokia 3650) I've also replaced my PDA for email, contacts and calendar, not to mention some cool games. And, back to time, I have a nifty little app that tells me what time it is, and the weather, in five cities of my choice around the world (yes, I do use it).

      Clearly this watch has a way to go to be relevant in the age of convergent phones.

      TW
      • What on earth do you do if you're somewhere where you can't have your mobile phone switched on but you want to know the time?

        I'm NOT thinking of places you can have it on silent. I'm talking hospital rooms, near flamables etc.
        • A reasonable question and probably the biggest reason the newest devices have an "airplane" mode where the radio is turned off, but the device still works.

          But I have no such "airplane mode" with my current device. For me the answer is that I'm not often in hostpitals or on airplanes. I hate to say it, but I ignore the flamables warning because I've not heard of a single case were something has caught fire/blown up because of a cell phone and I also haven't heard of any cases of people actually turning th

    • Same here (Score:3, Interesting)

      by SuperKendall ( 25149 ) *
      There are now so many things around me that tell time that I have not bothered to wear a watch for years and years, I really like having my wrist free.

      I wish my cell phone were one such device though, it seems to like being several hours ahead.
    • I still wear a watch, and probably will until I get one of those nice Neuromancer implants. Here's why:

      The battery life of my watch is 10 years, it's about a week for my phone

      I can see it without fumbling for my phone

      My last phone didn't show the time while scuba diving

      My phone doesn't work too well when I am mountain biking/working out/traveling abroad

      I like the way my watch feels

      Occasionally, I really want to be away from my phone

      My cell phone has completely replaced my PDA, though.

      • This isn't a dig at you, but the one reason I can't replace my PDA with a phone is data entry. Because I have quite a few appointments and a lot made (well) in advance, I have to specify them with qualifiers (14.15 meeting room 2.15 isn't enough). It just takes too long when you have to press buttons twice, thrice or even four times for a single letter (and T9 doesn't work for that kind of thing).

        And that's why I need and probably won't replace a PDA. Plus, try reading books on a cellphone :) Or doing some

  • Another link (Score:3, Informative)

    by huie ( 148646 ) <mhuie@netco[ ]om ['m.c' in gap]> on Monday July 26, 2004 @03:11PM (#9804473)
    Follow the MSN link on the Tissot T-Tactile page [tissot.ch] for the manufacturer's product info page.
  • and it's not bad at all. It was a total impulse buy. But I actually use the weather, calendar and news briefs on it. I don't do much rural travel, so the coverage for me has been pretty good.

    I will mention, though, that if you get on an airplane with it you should turn the radio off, although I doubt anyone would know the difference. It just looks like a big watch.

    Had I known any better I would have opted for the Suunto model - much nicer looking and water-resistent.

  • Battery Life? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by niktesla ( 761443 ) on Monday July 26, 2004 @03:47PM (#9804881) Homepage
    5 Day Battery Life?

    I don't know about yall, but I'd like to not have to worry about my watch battery dying in less than a week. I guess you could just charge it each night, but my good old Timex has had only one battery change in about 10 years!

    • There's almost certainly an internal battery to keep the clock ticking over, but that begs the question can you tell the time while the main battery is kaputt?
    • I don't know about yall, but I'd like to not have to worry about my watch battery dying in less than a week.

      It's worse. I used to have a watch with a rechargeable battery. After at most a few thousand charges they die, meaning that not only do you have to spend the extra effort charging it all the time, but you have to replace it MORE often than a regular non-rechargeable watch battery.
    • Yea, but can your Timex get Spam? Didn't think so.
  • For you and me, the guys that do the desktop support, it might be argued that a $725 tech watch requires "deep pockets."

    However, I have a few friends here at work who are the senior engineer or executive types who are more into timepieces that cost several thousands of dollars [rolex.com], and receive bonuses regularly enough to afford them. (See the "Submariner" series.)

    Just thought I would share.
  • Jebus, can they get any more blatant about their press releases?

    I seriously wish Slashdot would start flagging them as such, but of course they'd never do that. God, just look at the wording used in it, and then, for absolute proof, check where the submitters name links to.

    Yup, http://www.spotstop.com/.

    I'll pass on this watch, no matter how much it might have interested me because of this submission.

  • My Junghans Carbon radio-controlled watch served me reasonably well for almost four years (and three watchbands and two batteries) before dying. That, plus a recent bonus, are my excuses for looking at new watches. Here's what I'm looking for, with attributes categorized by priority:

    MUST HAVE
    * Analog hands *and* a digital display
    * Solar
    * Backlight
    * Radio-controlled time sync

    IMPORTANT
    * Rugged manufacture (steel or titanium)
    * Waterproof
    * Syncs to US and either/both of European and Japanese time signals

    WOUL
  • When I first saw a Fossil watch I thought it was a rip off of a Tissot, because the Fossil logo looks like an upside-down Tissot logo. With this product though, I am not sure why Tissot wants to follow Fossil.
  • I for one have the Tissot T-Touch watch, reffered on /. before [slashdot.org], and believe me, thats one hell of a watch. It was worth every penny.Has a built in comapss in it where the clock hands actually change to a comapss, so not to make the watch bulky, thermometer, barometer, altimeter, you name it.

    Besides dont forget that some ppl are just so fond of watches, they respect a good watch and wish to own it (just like some ppl are fond of cars, or HW).

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