14 DAY TRIAL // Your wrist has become the battle ground for tech giants around the world, including Samsung, Sony, LG and Motorola. But if smartwatch offerings coming from brand vendors have yet to impress you, you could take a look in the Kickstarter garden, as well.
Meet Carbon, a watch that is friendly towards the environment. The project debuted last month and back then it consisted of a wrist-mounted charger with a simple solar panel mounted on top. A month later, a watchface has been added and thus Carbon was born.
As you might be imagining already, the panel is capable of harvesting solar energy. But here comes the interesting part.
Unlike any other watch we have seen so far, the wearable is capable of providing juice to your smartphone, by virtue of the collected sun power that amounts to an extra three hours of talk time. The watch is capable of achieving this feat via the onboard 800 mAh battery and USB output.
The design of the wearable is very watch-like and, looking at it, some of you might get some iPod nano vibes too.
The watchface has been added as a thin film over the existing solar panel and users can set the time using a recessed crown. The face is powered by the device’s existing battery, but the company behind the project says battery life will remain unaffected, since the addition uses an extremely energy-efficient processor.
Another positive aspect of the Carbon smartwatch, besides it being ecofriendly, is that you can customize it. For example, you can choose between two strap options, including leather and smooth silicone.
The watch is also dust and water proof, so in case you’re taking it out into the wild for an adventure, no harm should come to it.
It is simply a beautifully designed solar-powered watch capable of charging your smartphone. Those interested can currently make a pledge of $95 / €69 and in return will get to choose the watch face color, Carbon charger, black silicon watch strap and charging connectors.