14 DAY TRIAL // ASUS appears to be prepping a host of exciting products for the upcoming IFA event. And last week, the company’s CEO himself confirmed for the masses that the first ASUS smartwatch was scheduled to be announced on the grounds at Berlin.
ASUS is known for its slogan “In search of the incredible,” and in a few weeks the magic is going to strike again at IFA.
To keep all eyes on them, ASUS has posted a teaser on Facebook and Twitter employing the services of Lebanese artist, poet, and writer Khalil Gibran to drive the point home. In a mysterious, metaphoric way of course.
The teaser goes like this: “Time has been transformed and we have changed.” Naturally, we’re also shown a darkened picture of the smartwatch that looks like it’s covering a shining star or the sun itself.
Fans have high hopes for the upcoming smartwatch, which has been called a “hero product.” That’s because, according to sources familiar with the matter, the device will sell for a lot less, compared to the existing Android Wear products available on the market.
It appears that the ASUS watch could be sold with price ranges between $99 / €73 and $149 / €109. That’s quite a price cut, considering that the LG G Watch can be yours for $229 / €167, while the Samsung Gear Live will be sold for $199 / €145.
Since a lot of people have been complaining about how expensive a smartwatch is, ASUS’ new effort might be met with a lot of interest in some circles.
But pricing alone won’t help the company win the mighty smartwatch battle. For example, HP is working on a luxury smartwatch that will be developed in partnership with a designer, so we hope ASUS thought about a similar clever trick.
Judging by the teaser image, we think it’s safe to say that the company is going to roll out another smartwatch with a square design. So, for the time being, the beautiful round Moto 360 will remain the only product adopting this form factor.
This is as good a place as any to remind you that ASUS won’t be the only company launching a smartwatch at IFA.
Even if it rolled out an Android Wear smartwatch just two months ago, LG is ready to unleash its second smartwatch product at the same event.
A while ago, it was rumored that the device would come with phone calling capabilities, so users won’t need to pair it with a smartphone, but who knows. We'll just have to wait and see.
Something #Incredible is going to happen at #IFA2014, see you there! pic.twitter.com/1Dr2zAo06I
— ASUS (@ASUS) August 19, 2014