We've come a long way from calculator watches. Casio has unveiled a rough-and-tumble Android Wear watch at CES, one that isn't ugly by any means, but which leaves the precious glossy sheen of some smartwatches at home.
The Smart Outdoor Watch WSD-F10 – a name that doesn't exactly roll off the tongue – is a watch to wear when you're camping, mountain biking and generally roughing it. It's built to do so: Casio tested it to a US military standard for outdoor performance. It's also water resistant up to 50 meters.
With various sensors and a compass, the watch can tell you things like air pressure and altitude, sunrise and sunset times, and tide graphs, as well as your own activity stats. Changes in the natural environment or your activity level pop up, too.
The screen is a 1.32-inch dual layer affair with a 320 x 300 pixel density. It's battery will last longer than a day of normal use, but in Timepiece Mode (when you're just keeping time), it will last roughly one month.
Sync it with the Casio Moment Setter+ app for your phone, and you'll get timing and 'opportunities' for activities like 'trekking, cycling and fishing'. It sounds like if you need to hit a certain goal for the day when doing an activity, the WSD-F10 will let you know how to do it.
It also has access to Android Wear apps like the ViewRanger GPS app, Runkeeper and MyRadar. You'll need an Android phone running 4.3 or higher or an iPhone with iOS 8.2 and up to sync the WSD-F10 up with.
The Smart Outdoor Watch WSD-F10 can be your camping buddy for about $500 when it goes on sale in the US in April. It will launch in Japan in March. You'll have a several colors to choose from, and a number of original watch faces designed for everyday or outdoor use.
