14 DAY TRIAL // The world of gadgets spreads far and wide, and not even Android-loaded wrist watches are unheard of. Still, the new such watch from Neptune deserves a special mention for being independent.
Some people might be tempted to say that the Neptune Pine, as the new smartwatch is called, is nothing special, not after all the fuss raised around the Pebble, for example.
Listeners, those in the know at any rate, would just take that as a chance to point out why the Neptune Prime is so much better.
While it is, like Pebble, an Android-running wrist device, it isn't one that needs a smartphone to utilize out its more unusual capabilities.
Instead, it is fully autonomous, from the normal time showing function to the Internet surfing by means of Wi-Fi and 3G.
Indeed, not only does Neptune Pine have full Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n connectivity, it also gets 3G broadband support, GPS and Bluetooth 4.0.
A micro-SIM card is used to tap into the 3G network, while an ARM Cortex-A9 processor, with a clock speed of 1 GHz, runs everything.
Furthermore, 512 MB of RAM (random access memory) are crammed into the gadget along with all the other components, as is an 800 mAh battery.
Finally, the Neptune Pine Android smartwatch has 8 to 32 GB storage, a 5-megapixel camera, audio jacks and USB 2.0 connectivity, just in case it needs to read a flash drive or link to a PC for some reason. All in a 2.5-inch frame.
The operating system hasn't been revealed, beyond saying that it will be Android. That means Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) or Android 4.1+ (Jelly Bean).
Buyers of the Neptune Pine will be able to receive phone calls, take pictures, check email, browse the web and basically do everything a phone is supposed to do, like access Google Play app store.
Sales will begin in the third quarter of the year (Q3 2013), for $355 / 265.68 Euro.
