Watch out for it

Tech-savvy college students from India have unveiled the world’s first fully-integrated smartwatch, ahead of electronic giants Apple, Google and Sony.

Called Androidly, the device comes with a two-inch screen, Bluetooth, GPS, Wi-Fi and a 2MP built-in camera.
 
The BD87 watch, which boasts up to 16GB of storage, can also be used to make phone calls and send texts.

Although other smartwatches, including the Pebble and Sony’s Live Watch, can wirelessly connect with mobile phones, Androidly is the first to come with the operating system fully-integrated.

It runs on an older version of the Android operating system called Android 2.2 Froyo.

The device can also be plugged into a USB socket to be used as a storage device.

Androidly was designed by four students from India – software developer Ankit Pradhan, communications professional Pavneet Singh Puri, lawyer Apurva Sukant and 17-year-old Siddhant Vats.

Apurva said: “There are other such products in the market, but they mostly sync with a smartphone and are not phones in themselves.”

Pavneet added: “We have all been friends for years now. I was a member of my college student council then and was getting a lot of calls regarding the college festival.

“That day, my phone rang at a time when my hands were dripping with chicken curry and I just couldn’t retrieve it from my pocket.

“Later, over dessert, we figured that things can be made much easier if the device is always within reach, accessible and visible, so making it a wristwatch seemed to be the most practical solution.”

The Androidly watch was originally a Kickstarter campaign – a fundraising and investment site.