Hard Drive: The Smartwatch Goes Local

Elekta makes its mark by becoming one of the first GCC companies to roll out a smart watch

This week, we get a chance to look at a UAE-based company's latest offering - the Elekta Smart Watch 001, also known as the "EWatch". At first glance, it may seem like just another wearable at the lower end of the spectrum, but by no means is it a pushover.
There are only two physical buttons on it - a volume rocker, on the left, and a power button that doubles as the confirm button, on the right. Below the screen is a touch-sensitive back function. The main watch is a bit chubby, and it's slapped onto a rubber strap with some stitching. Pair the watch to your mobile device via Bluetooth, and install the "AP-Watch" app. Don't fret if you can't find it on your corresponding app store: there's a QR code you can scan in the manual so you can download and install it. You'll find that the EWatch does the basic things - notify you of messages (social media included) and calls. No e-mails, though. There's quite an emphasis on calls here: not only can you place a call using the watch, you can detach the watch's main body and use it as an actual phone, and it automatically answers the call once you place it near your ear. The sound quality may not be that crisp, but at least you won't have to pull out your phone to answer a call this way.
There's a bit of a caveat for iPhone users, though - the AP-Watch app is not yet available for iOS, and that's a problem because the app is crucial if you want to view your messages and other notifications. In other words, iPhone users are restricted to only having access to their contacts and making/receiving calls.
There are also some little things that we have to point out, like the screen responsiveness. While the 1.54" screen is fairly good, it does get a bit clunky when scrolling, say, your contact list. Also, the text size is really tiny, so using things like the dialler or calculator becomes difficult. The watch doesn't automatically light up when you flick your wrist either.

AND SO.

With the Elekta Smart Watch 001, they're trying to keep it simple and still deliver on the essentials. My suggestions? Simply improve the software - and put in a more dedicated app so everyone can enjoy the simple things in life.

 EXTRA BYTE

Making sure you don't run out of storage space? Seagate's Backup Plus Portable Drive is what you're looking for. The 4TB monster can be configured easily enough with the Seagate Dashboard. Once you're in, the homepage will show you backup options for your PC, mobile and social media (yes, social media is included). You can also restore a previous backup. There's an option to add a cloud service as well. It even comes with 200GB of OneCloud service, good for two years after you activate it - you must activate it by June 30, 2017.
Overall, it's a high capacity storage and backup drive with a sturdy build at a rather reasonable price. And you won't have to worry about using it between PCs and Macs, either. Seems like a good deal.
(USB 3.0; 4TB; 541g; 200GB OneDrive for 2 years; PC- and Mac-compatible; Dh799)
alvin@khaleejtimes.com

• Hard Drive