Smartwatch Rewind: From Dick Tracy and James Bond to Sony and Pebble

2-Way Wrist Radio

2-Way Wrist Radio
Written By
Nathan Eddy
Nathan Eddy
Feb 15, 2013
2 minute read
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2-Way Wrist Radio

2-Way Wrist Radio

Debuting in 1946 and quickly becoming the iconic gadget from Chester Gould’s “Dick Tracy” comic series, it kept Tracy in touch with police HQ, and was upgraded with a TV in 1964.


Pulsar P1 Series

2

When released in 1972, the Pulsar P1 was the first LED watch ever sold to the public and, manufactured in 18-carat gold, sold for $2,100.


Seiko M354

3

The M354 Memory-Bank Calendar, used by Bond in the 1979 movie “Moonraker,” is equipped with explosives and a remote detonator, which Bond uses to escape from the Moonraker launch platform.


HP HP-01

4

Hewlett-Packard offered a digital wristwatch, personal calculator, alarm clock, stopwatch, timer and 200-year calendar all-in-one, complete with 28 tiny keys.


Seiko G757 Sports 100

5

Another Seiko, another Bond film, this time 1983’s “Octopussy,” equipped with a tracking device and a color television screen, which Bond employs for less than critical pursuits.


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Fossil Wrist PDA

6

Released in 2003, this watch ran Palm OS and boasted a virtual keyboard and touch-screen, and was able to carry out many PDA functions and applications.
Photo credit: Danski14


LG G910 Touch Watch

7

Released in 2009, this was the first video watch phone to be sold by a major mobile carrier, Orange, and a featured a full touch-screen interface, 3G HSDPA, video-calling capabilities and an MP3 player.


Sony SmartWatch

8

Running Google’s Android OS, the device provides calendar notifications, a variety of email plugins and access to social media sites.


Pebble Smartwatch

9

The Pebble connects to iPhone and Android smartphones using Bluetooth, alerting users with a silent vibration to incoming calls, emails and messages.


Apple “iWatch”

10

While we no idea what Apple’s watch would be called, it would likely run the company’s iOS mobile platform and feature Bluetooth connectivity, among other features.

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