World's First Bluetooth Low Energy Watch And Color Touchscreen Control And Display Device For Smartphones Employs Nordic Semiconductor nRF51822 SoCs
Developed by world-leading wireless sports & fitness monitoring developer and manufacturer - Dayton Industrial - its production-ready Portable Control Display Device is designed to be used a secondary bi-directional smartphone and installed app control and display interface using Bluetooth low energy (which includes Bluetooth Smart) wireless connectivity provided by the multiple award-winning Nordic nRF51822 SoCs
Ultra low power (ULP) RF specialist Nordic Semiconductor ASA recently announces that Hong Kong-headquartered Dayton Industrial Co. Ltd - a world leading OEM/ODM (Original Equipment/Design Manufacturer) of wireless monitors and associated products (such as watches and bike computers) for top global sports & fitness consumer brands - is announcing a production-ready watch and touchscreen display device that can control smartphones and installed apps from a user's wrist using Bluetooth low energy (which includes Bluetooth Smart) wireless technology delivered by the multiple award-winning Nordic nRF51822 SoC.
Called a Portable Control Display Device (PCDD), this product will mean anyone that owns a smartphone with the latest version 4.0 of Bluetooth (that includes Bluetooth low energy or Bluetooth Smart as a hallmark feature) will be able to have a secondary bi-directional wireless smartphone control and display interface on their wrist that features a world-class high resolution (240 x 240 pixel) TFT (thin film transistor) full color active matrix touchscreen LCD display and Bluetooth low energy wireless connectivity, alongside auto-activation 3D motion sensing, an auto-dimming ambient light sensor, 3m smartphone range, and support for up to eight ANT+ wireless peripherals.
The nRF51822's class-leading ULP performance (see 'About nRF51822' below) and integration enables the Dayton PCDD to deliver up to two days (43 hours) of operating life from a built-in 3.7V lithium-polymer USB or mains rechargeable battery, and all within a slim (1.35cm-thick) and compact (4.8 x 4.4cm) anodized aluminum watch form-factor casing.
Dayton Industrial says this production-ready product platform features a fully customizable proprietary OS powered by a higher performance ARM9-based embedded CPU core with AVDSP video processing engine and 2D graphics processor that will allow OEMs and app developers to display almost any type of information they wish on the PCDD's display, and offer wrist-based control of almost any smartphone or app feature.
This includes features such as caller ID for incoming voice calls, missed call alerts (name and photo), SMS messaging, calenar and appointment reminders, and music control, through to social media (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp, and QQ) updates, local weather information, financial market updates, sports, fitness and wellness monitoring, and advanced security, proximity, and home automation features (e.g. smart utilities).
"There is no watch form factor control and display device on the market today that includes a high resolution color touchscreen and Bluetooth low energy wireless connectivity to smartphones and other Bluetooth v4.0 enabled devices," states Tony Chung, a Senior Marketing Executive at Dayton. "And we expect the pricing of this device could allow smartphone manufacturers to successfully bundle it with specific models and ranges to support increased sales."
"Until only a few years ago the digital watch market looked to be in terminal decline," comments Geir Langeland, Nordic Semiconductor's Director of Sales & Marketing. "But Bluetooth low energy got a lot of watch manufacturers really excited and this early example from Dayton Industrial of what a Bluetooth Smart watch-based control and input device could be capable of delivering is exactly the reason why. I wish Dayton every success with this product platform and commend them once again for being so fast to market with a production solution that employs class-leading, award-winning ULP wireless technology from Nordic Semiconductor."
Bluetooth low energy has been designed from the outset to extend Bluetooth wireless connectivity to compact, coin cell powered devices such as watches. Nordic has been at the forefront of the group that defined the Bluetooth low energy specification since becoming a foundation member of Nokia's Wibree Alliance in 2006 (the Alliance became part of the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) in June 2007). Nordic contributed decades of expertise - gained in producing successive generations of class-leading proprietary and interoperable (ANT/ANT+) ULP wireless connectivity solutions within a field that it pioneered.
Source: Nordic Semiconductor