14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is believed to be working on its very own smartwatch, and according to sources close to the matter, the company is very close to unveil it by the end of the year.
But designers across the world cannot wait for the public launch of this new smartwatch and created their very own concepts based on information that reached the web via anonymous sources and pointing to all kinds of features for the device.
The same is the case of this particular design made by Deani Hansen from Copenhagen, Denmark, who created a square-ish case for what could be the very first Windows smartwatch on the market.
As you can see for yourselves in the gallery after the jump, the smartwatch runs a stripped-down version of Windows that comes with the same live tiles as Windows 8, but also with some very popular Windows Phone features, such as personal assistant Cortana.
Maps, Skype, and Messages on your wrist
In addition to Cortana, the smartwatch imagined by Hansen also comes with very popular and essential apps, such as Skype and HERE Maps, while also providing access to communication features, most likely when paired with a phone.
Playback controls are also available, and so are options to track your exercises, including a pedometer and a heartbeat monitor that has already been rumored to be part of Microsoft’s real smartwatch which could debut this year.
Last but not least, the smartwatch concept, which comes with a stylish Windows logo on the case, has its very own email app, but this would most likely be just an interface for the email client available on your phone, as it would be a nightmare to type in a message on such a small display.
Microsoft planning cross-platform support
Word has it that Microsoft wants to make its smartwatch compatible with the majority of mobile phones on the market and although one would expect the device to work only with Windows Phone, that’s not going to happen.
The software giant wants its smartphone to provide support for both iOS and Android devices as well, as it knows that limiting the device to Windows Phone could have an impact on sales given the small market share of its mobile platform.
More on this project, however, should be provided in just a few weeks, as people close to the matter have indicated that prototypes of the smartphone are already being tested by a number of Softies. The launch should happen by December 31, while sales could begin in early 2015.
