So THIS is Sony's e-ink FES smartwatch
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Just days after reports claimed Sony is working on a smartwatch covered in e-ink material, images of its device have emerged.
The Fashion-Entertainments (FES) watch is currently raising money on crowdfunding site Makuake, and was said to have been created with help from the Japanese tech giant.
Sony confirmed its involvement with the startup to the Wall Street Journal, and people involved in the project admitted the tech firm's name was kept a secret to see if there was demand for the gadget.
This demand has been proved by the fact the campaign surpassed its fundraising goal of 2 million yen (£10,700/$17,000) in three weeks, with 140 supporters.
According to the campaign page, the watch features 24 design patterns that can be selected at the touch of a button.
It has a basic design and is said to last up to 60 days on a single button battery.
The watch weighs 50.6g, its dial is 1.5-inch (4cm) in diameter and the case is 0.2-inches (7mm) thick.
Bloomberg first reported on the rumours earlier this week when sources 'familiar with the plans' revealed details of an e-ink device.
The report didn't reveal any more details about the watch, nor what it would look like, but said Sony was focusing more on style over substance.
The campaign surpassed its fundraising goal of 2 million yen (£10,700/$17,000) in three weeks, with 140 supporters. The FES watch (pictured in its 24 guises) weighs 50.6g, its dial is 1.5-inch (4cm) in diameter and the case is 0.2-inches (7mm) thick
An official release date has not been announced, but customers can pre-order a FES watch (pictured) from Makuake, and the device is expected to ship internationally in May. The concept is one of the first products to be developed since Sony's boss Kazuo Hirai took over the firm's product strategy division
An official release date has not been announced, but customers can pre-order a FES watch from Makuake, and the device is expected to ship internationally in May.
The concept is one of the first products to be developed since Sony's boss Kazuo Hirai took over the firm's product strategy division.
The division has been tasked with making innovative and breakthrough products.
Pavel Alpeyev and Grace Huang from Bloomberg also reported that the division is working on technology that should help people make prototype devices faster.
The MESH project, for example - which stands for 'make, experience and share' - has built a collection of sensors, LEDs and buttons into blocks that are linked wirelessly and can be controlled by a tablet.
Cambridge-based Plastic Logic works with e-paper on a number of its products, including the popSlate phone case concept unveiled last year.
This added a second, e-ink display to the rear of a phone that can be used to save energy when the battery runs low.
In addition to saving energy, e-ink displays produce less glare meaning they can be read even in bright sunlight, which would also give it the edge over other smartwatches and phones.
E-ink lacks colour and video, but as a result, uses much less energy than traditional LCD displays. It gets its name because it resembles the text and colour scheme of newspapers and books, which is why it's popular for e-readers, such as Amazon's Kindle (pictured)
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