BoingBoing pal Mike Outmesguine (/OUT-mess-geen/) says:
These are neat rechargeable watches that feed you weather, headlines, etc. just like your alphanumeric pager did back in 1993. Ironically, I saw the ad on Weather.com. Coverage is sparse. It took me a couple tries on the zip to find the coverage near Los Angeles (hint: 91301 bad, 90066 good.) I have no idea what it's like elsewhere. (I hate zipcode lookup applets that don't give you proximity.) Microsoft MSN site showing all the watches: link. Fossil site for the Dick Tracy watch: link. From the website:
"MSNR Direct is a specialized wireless service that delivers personalized information through enabled watches. Smart Watches with MSN Direct provide you timely, glanceable information conveniently available at the flick of the wrist. Receive accurate time and stay connected to the information that matters most to you including news, weather, sports, stocks, personal messages, appointment reminders, and more. Find everything from a stock quote to the latest sports scores of your favorite team all with a simple glance!"
Sparse details on actual services provided (no games, mp3s or ringtones, apparently), Services include news, weather, stock quotes, appointment reminders, and personal messages. I don't know if I'll give up my Tokyo Flash watch just yet. Maybe I can go retro 80's multi-watch.
