It's big, it's bold and possibly the first smartwatch designed for fishing
The Casio Smart Outdoor Watch landed at CES and is the first Android Wear smartwatch to really diversify away from the mainstream. It’s a million miles from another me-too everyday watch.
The somewhat annoyingly named Casio Smart Outdoor Watch WSD-F10 is smartwatch for outdoorsy types who are looking for a waterproof, shockproof and vibration proof wearable that’s certified to US military standards.
Get our early verdict: Casio Smart Outdoor Watch review
All in all, Casio’s Android Wear offering is pretty hardcore. But what about the specifics? Read on for everything you need to know.
Casio WSD-F10: Design
Sleek and svelte clearly aren’t words in the Casio’s dictionary and the WSD-F10 is a unashamedly massive lump of smartwatch. But it’s for good reason. The Casio uses a US military standard MIL-STD0810 of dust and shock resistance and is waterproof to 50m.
It weighs a substantial 90g, which sounds high but is fairly respectable given the size and protection from the elements on offer.
It comes in a quartet of colours including green, orange, black, red – all of which look better than your average outdoors smartwatch.
Casio WSD-F10: Specs
While the design is far from bog standard, the display is nothing to write home about. The 1.32-inch, 320 x 3o0, LCD touchscreen isn’t exactly spectacular, but does the job. It doesn’t feel especially sharp in the flesh, but its 332ppi display puts it up there with the best in terms of pixel density.
However, there is an interesting twist. The screen comes with a second monochrome display, that can be used instead of the colour panel. Why? Well colour displays sap battery life, and instead of the single day usage from the main screen, using the monochrome screen ups battery life to a month.
There is a catch though. When the monochrome screen kicks in, all the cool sensors are disengaged, a power saving that certainly adds to that month of longevity.
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There’s no information on the processor under the hood driving everything, but we’ll update as soon as we get further information.
Casio WSD-F10: Sensors & apps
The Casio is laden with all the sensors you’d need for life outdoors, and there’s little wonder the case is so large. Housed inside is an air pressure and altitude sensor, as well as a magnetic compass.
You’ll also find an accelerometer, gyrometer and magnetometer to boot. What and what are they used for? Well, a dedicated button on the Casio Smart Outdoor Watch WSD-F10 will show charts on your current direction, sunrise and sunset times and tide graphs for adventurers on the go.
Pre-installed Casio apps include fishing, trekking and cycling, there’s a branded companion smartphone app. It is compatible with the ViewRanger GPS app for trekking routes.
Unfortunately there’s no GPS on board, and we’re not clear whether it will be able to piggyback from a smartphone – however, its omission is a real shame, and will be a sticking point for those who enjoy trekking and walking in the great outdoors.
Casio WSD-F10: Price and availability
All that tech doesn’t come cheap: the WSD-F10 will set you back $500. It’s on sale now, and available in four colours – red, green, black and orange. However, it’s only set to be available in the US and Japan, with no plans for release in other parts of the world. We’ll obviously update this if we get new information.
