The first in a new 'engineered by HP' program for smartwatches
HP is really bucking the trend when it comes to smartwatch design. Last year’s MB Chronowing, designed by Michael Bastian, had a non-touch monochrome display but was packed with smartwatch features. Now, HP has teamed up with Swiss watchmaker Movado for a new collaboration. The Movado Bold Motion smartwatch has a stylish analog face but like the MB Chronowing, is a connected device in disguise.
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Water resistant to 50m, the Bold Motion comes in stainless steel with a black PVD finish, or all black PVD finish. Both models have a black silicone strap lined with 3M reflective material.
Instead of an app-heavy digital display, the Bold Motion features a standard 44mm watch face with LED backlighting in blue or white. You won’t be able to respond to a text or read an email on the wrist worn device. Instead, the LED lights will alert you that you’ve received a notification by displaying a specific pattern with a complimentary haptic feedback vibration.
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For example, the device will blink with a specific pattern to let you know of an event reminder or an incoming text message.
The Bold Motion also includes a step tracker, which displays your daily progress as a ring around the watch face. The battery reportedly lasts up to a full week between charges so it’s more on a par with a Pebble.
You can set up what notifications you’d like to receive, such as social alerts, email, calendar events, etc., and set your daily step goals from the companion app which is compatible with iPhone and Android.
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This collaboration with Movado is the first under what HP is calling its “Engineered by” collaboration program, which allows the company to participate in the smartwatch industry without having to, you know, release HP branded smartwatches that nobody would buy.
The Movado Bold Motion is available now from Movado for $695. There’s also the Movado Motion, with fitness tracking coming courtesy of Fullpower Tech’s MotionX which is also found on Mondaine, Frederique Constant and Alpina MMT watches.