Chinese company announces new mobile phone watches

Beam me up Scotty! In an announcement expected to go hand in hand with hover cars and robot servants, Chinese electronics company C-Sky Industrial limited has announced that it will be producing a range of mobile phone wrist watches.

Though not a new idea (see the Samsung GPRS watch phone), these new models (from the pictures at least) stand out from previous failed attempts at converging a watch and a mobile phone due to the sleek design and excellent spec list. Apparently, if these products do ever see the light of day, we can expect Bluetooth, a 1.3 megapixel camera and mp3 playback.

As with many Chinese companies, innovation is the name of the game and what once would have seemed laughable, today seems entirely feasible.

Though many of you will be looking at the watch phone with a large degree of scepticism, what this undoubtedly does go to prove is how far mobile phone technology has come in the pursuit of integrating multiple devices.

Past products which spring to mind in this vein include the Sony Ericsson MBW-100 Bluetooth watch, an incredibly attractive watch which provided owners with excellent features such as caller id and text message alerts on the watch face itself as well as the ability to pair it with an accompanying Bluetooth headset and answer and end calls directly on the watch.

Bluetooth has always been an area of innovation with hundreds of unique applications, from the useful to the downright daft. Now an increase in the amount of fashion orientated products, including Bluetooth wristbands and even a Bluetooth headset styled as dog tags are becoming ever more popular.

Where past ventures have seen mobile phones partnered with fashion houses such as the giants of Prada and Armani, perhaps the manufacturers are now directing the fashion themselves with the products likening themselves more to jewellery. Should we expect a phone co-launched with a major watch brand?

Whether mobile phone earrings, necklaces or bracelets will materialize in the future remains to be seen, but the future design of mobile phones can be viewed with excitement (and a large pinch of salt!). While for the time being watch phones are still niche and viewed with a hint of negativity it is wise to remember how we all scoffed at camera phones!

So hang on to your jewellery and your fashion phones for the meantime, just don’t be surprised if your next handset ends up replacing that Rolex!