Right on cue, Neptune today unveiled the Neptune Duo. At first glance, it appears to be the usual pairing of smartwatch and smartphone but Neptune has in fact turned this concept upside down. Whereas the smartwatch is traditionally an accessory to the smartphone, the Neptune Duo has reversed this to make the Pocket screen the optional accessory to the wearable Neptune Hub.
“The current wearables market is saturated with Bluetooth-paired smartwatches and fitness bands,” said Simon Tian. “The issue is that they all depend on the presence of a nearby smartphone in order to have full function. This is mainly because the wearable usually acts as a ‘dummy’ device that tethers to your smartphone, the ‘master’ device. But what if the roles were reversed? What if smartphones were completely rethought to simply become dummy pocket-sized displays, void of any computing or connectivity, that paired with a smart wearable on your wrist instead? That’s what Neptune Duo is.”
The Neptune Hub is billed as “the world’s smartest wearable.” Powered by Android Lollipop, it packs a quad-core processor, support for 3G, 4G, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS and NFC connectivity, a curved display and a 1,000mAh battery. It allows users to place calls, send and receive messages, glance at notifications, track fitness and more.
The Neptune Pocket comes into play when a larger display is needed. “Much like a mouse, a keyboard, or a computer monitor, the Pocket screen is simply an interface for the Hub. It’s not very smart, it doesn’t need to be.” It sports a 5-inch display, a microphone and speaker to handle phone calls (routed through the Hub) and a camera. It also sports a 2,800mAh battery which can recharge the Hub when needed.
The Hub also stores all your apps and files. This makes it easy to replace the Neptune Pocket should you lose it or simply forget it at home. You can even borrow another and have it work with your Hub in a pinch.
The Neptune Duo is expected to launch in late 2015. Neptune is already taking reservationsa and will sell for CA$798. For a limited time, pledge tiers providing a discount are also available:
- Pledge $49 now. Pay $649 at shipment. Save $100.
- Pledge $199 now. Pay $399 at shipment. Save $200.
- Pledge $498 now. Pay $0 at shipment. Save $300.
The Neptune Duo certainly shows a lot of promise but it remains to be seen whether the actual product can live up to the promise.
Do you think that the Neptune Duo could replace your smartphone? Let us know below.
Source : GetNeptune