The Cookoo Watch – A Smart Way to Stay Connected

The Cookoo Watch – A Smart Way to Stay Connected

The return of the wristwatch is at hand! At least, that’s what Cookoo wants us to believe with its new gadget designed for Bluetooth Smart Ready-enabled devices. And after playing with their “Connected Watch” for the last few days, I’m inclined to agree!

A New Twist on an Old Classic

Okay, so the Cookoo device isn’t exactly a wristwatch, but it still resurrects a certain sense of applicability we haven’t seen in wrist-accessories for quite some time. Ever since the advent and rise of cellular telephones, the need to determine the date and time has fallen more to our trusty mobile devices and less to petty wristwatches. These days, a watch serves as little more than a fashion accessory than as anything else more useful.

What exactly does “the Connected Watch” do? Well, it does just about anything your Smartphone can do – at least in terms of alerts and notifications.

Imagine a situation. It’s one we have all been in at some point in our lives. You know, that situation when we set our phones down in one room, then something in another room suddenly requires our attention (i.e. the baby’s crying, FedEx is at the door, or the cat’s throwing up in a place that will almost certainly require a ShopVac to clean). Our phones are inevitably forgotten where they were placed as we see to whatever unexpected task has arisen, at which precise moment we miss that important phone call, text message, or e-mail that we had been waiting all day to receive.

It’s a rotten situation to say the least. But with Cookoo’s watch, circumstances such as these can be just as outdated as the timepieces on which we once relied.

Think of “the connected watch” as an extension to your Smartphone. Whenever you have an incoming call, receive a text message, or get a Facebook alert, Cookoo’s watch lets you know – regardless of where you are! So, if you find yourself in one of the aforementioned situations, no longer will an alert go unnoticed. Whether your phone is charging two rooms away or has been left unattended someplace else, Cookoo’s watch will alert you in real-time of whatever notification your Smartphone is trying to send you, helping you to avoid missing any important notice and enabling you to remain tuned in to everything going on in your world.

And that only taps the surface of what this neat little gadget can do.

The Pros

With over 12 unique notifications, Cookoo seems to have thought of just about everything its users might need from a Smart watch. Using their trademarked free app, COOKOO CONNECTED, users can customize their alerts to meet their individual needs. So, if you’d like to be notified of text messages, incoming calls, Twitter mentions, and calendar events – but you’d prefer to opt out of getting alerts for Facebook posts, voicemails, e-mails, and alarms – all you have to do is indicate in the app which alerts you would and wouldn’t like to utilize. Your Cookoo watch is then instantaneously updated to reflect the changes, allowing you to carry on with your life without missing a beat in what is most important to you.

Of course, these examples don’t even mention the Cookoo’s unique feature of allowing its users to snap photographs and manage their music, which can be done with the simple press of a button from the convenience of a device strapped right upon a wrist.

The Cons

So, that’s a lot of pros for the product. How about the cons, right? Well, I could only find one real hitch in the Cookoo watch. I feel it is a big one, though – it is only supported by Bluetooth Smart Ready-enabled Apple devices (sorry, Droid users). What’s more, it will only work properly with the iPhone 4S or higher, the iPad mini, the iPad (3^rd and 4^th generations only), and the iPod touch (5^th generation only).  It doesn’t mean the Cookoo’s any less ingenious, but it’s a drawback that is definitely worth mentioning.

The Next Generation in Smart Watches

Sure, Cookoo’s isn’t the first Smart watch we’ve seen in recent months. Fossil, Apple, and Blackberry have all revealed to us their own versions of a Smart watch. However, Cookoo is the first to offer a compelling sense of convenience in regards to battery life, and it’s quite a bit kinder on the pocket than any of its competitors, too.

Before now, most Smart watches required a daily charge in order to function, much like any other mobile device. They would also cost you around $149 for just a barebones model. Cookoo’s rendering runs on two standard watch batteries (one a model CR2032 for the technical functions, the other a smaller model SR626SW for the general analog movement) and can be expected to last as long as any other wristwatch might. And at a retail cost of only $129, the Cookoo’s Connected Watch, its fashionable design, and its amazing functionality can be yours at a fairly reasonable price.

The Cookoo watch currently comes in five standard colors and one limited-edition color. Each is just as trendy as the other and offers a chic style that can fit any look.

What is your opinion of the Cookoo watch? Join the conversation and tell us what you think!