Qualcomm Announces $300 ‘Toq’ Smartwatch

Better than Samsung’s, because it has an always-on display:

The watch, which is pronounced “talk” and is expected to sell for around $300, uses Qualcomm’s Mirasol display — a screen technology that combines the long battery life of E-Ink-style displays with color and other features usually found on an LCD display. It also packs Qualcomm-backed WiPower LE wireless charging, and connects to an Android phone via Bluetooth.

But it’s not even a serious consumer product:

“We expect to make tens of thousands of these, not hundreds of thousands,” Qualcomm executive Rob Chandhok said in an interview. “A success, for us, looks like our partners picking up and running with this. Qualcomm isn’t turning into a consumer electronics company.”

Bottom line: if your “smartwatch” is no more elegant than a previous-generation iPod Nano snapped onto a watchband, don’t even bother.

★ Wednesday, 4 September 2013