If you are searching for a less restrictive smartwatch when it comes to operating systems, you may be interested in the new Bangle.js hackable smartwatch that can easily be customised and is completely open source. Watch the demonstration video below to learn more about the Bangle smartwatch which is this month launched via Kickstarter to raise the required funds needed to make the jump from concept into production.
Designed by Gordon Williams based in Oxford in the United Kingdom the smartwatch has been developed thanks to skills acquired by studying Computer Science at Cambridge University, he worked as a software developer and consultant for companies such as Altera, Microsoft, Lloyds Register, Nokia and Collabora, and now runs his own company developing Espruino.
“You can easily install new apps from the web or develop your own using JavaScript or a graphical programming language (Blockly). All you need is a Web Browser (Chrome, Edge or Opera) and you can upload apps or write code to run on your watch wirelessly! Bangle.js is waterproof and AI enabled and comes with bluetooth low energy, GPS, a heart rate monitor, accelerometer and more.”
Earlybird pledges are available from £47 and worldwide deliveries expected to take place during March 2020. Specifications of the smartwatch include :
– IP68 Waterproof: up to 10m underwater
– 64MHz nRF52832 ARM Cortex-M4 processor with Bluetooth LE
– 64kB RAM 512kB on-chip flash, 4MB external flash
– Nordic 1.3 inch 240×240 16 bit LCD display with 2 zone touch
– GPS/Glonass receiver (UBlox)
– Heart rate monitor
– 3 Axis Accelerometer (with Pedometer and Tap detect)
– 3 Axis Magnetometer
– Piezo speaker and Vibration motor
– 350mAh battery, 1 week standby time
– 5 x 5 x 1.7 cm case, plastic with stainless steel ring
– Can be disassembled with just 4 screws
Software specifications for the smartwatch :
– Easy to code and debug wirelessly using JavaScript or our graphical editor (based on Blockly)
– Pre-programmed with the Espruino Open Source JavaScript interpreter
– Vast majority of JavaScript ES5 features and many ES6 features including: Regular Expressions, Promises, Arrow Functions, Template Literals
– 40kB RAM for program memory/variables
– Bluetooth 4.2 Advertising, Central and Peripheral mode support with built-in Nordic UART service
– Graphics library with Vector fonts, bimap rotate & scale
– Tensorflow Lite for Microcontrollers AI
– Wear-levelled flash filesystem
– Heatshrink compression
– Upload functions written in C or ARM Assembler
– Built-in wireless debugging
– VT100 Terminal support on LCD
– Program with Web-based Web Bluetooth IDE or Node.js-based command line tools
Source: Kickstarter