Well the title is a bit misleading because the Powerwatch 2 will need charged but it won’t be using a cable. Instead it will use body heat and solar power. Pretty cool!
A little over a year ago I got the first version of the Matrix Powerwatch. This is a watch that uses body heat to recharge its internal battery. The new technology was exciting but what was more exciting was what future versions would bring and now we know – or at least we know what is promised.
Matrix is promising a smartwatch, the Powerwatch 2, that uses body heat and solar power, as stated earlier, to run a full-featured smartwatch with on-board GPS, a heart rate sensor, sleep tracking, notifications, and more accurate calorie burn estimates.
As a new product, the original Powerwatch went through some challenging development periods. Firmware updates have sometimes brought improvements and sometimes screwed things up a bit but the watch still had the most important and unique feature going for it and that’s using body heat to recharge its battery.
I never had to plug it in or worry about how much battery I had left when I used it. It counted my steps and estimated calorie burn. The Powerwatch X version also supported notifications but mine was the original silver edition that didn’t have this feature.
Once in a while I still wear the watch to make sure that the battery still charges but due to its limited features and hit and miss firmware updates, I don’t wear it very often.
Hopefully, the Powerwatch 2 will have smoother sailing and it’s available to back on Indiegogo right now with an estimated delivery date of June 2019.
I wouldn’t be surprised if that delivery date date gets pushed back. Actually, I’d be more surprised if they hit the estimated delivery date because most new tech items on Indiegogo run into some snags but I am confident that Matrix Industries has learned from their first go-around and things will go a little more smoothly this time.
As far as the promised features go, I’m a bit surprised. I knew the second version would likely have a color screen and possibly support a heart rate sensor from interviews I had read but I didn’t think it would also have on-board GPS and use both thermal power from body heat and solar power to charge it.
The Powerwatch 2 will also be water resistant down to 200 meters. That’s pretty darn good.
This is a campaign I will be following and I might even back because it looks like the retail price will be $499. As an early backer you can get it for $199 but just know that the wait can be frustrating and sometimes products are made available to retailers before they’re delivered to backers.
I’ve seen this happen more than once. I’m not saying that this will happen with this watch or company but I wanted to throw that out there. When you’re backing an item, you’re not purchasing it; you’re investing in the company and so you get to go through the ups and downs of production.
Before I back the watch, I’m waiting to see if they come out with a more gender neutral option because it is quite masculine in appearance. We’ll see. I’d still love to review it though, one way or the other.
But if the Powerwatch 2 delivers all that it is promising, it’s a big deal for smartwatch technology. Not having to charge your smartwatch is nice. One of the biggest complaints of smartwatch users is often the battery life. I’m really hoping this turns out to be a great product.
Here is a video of the campaign and the Powerwatch 2:
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