MWC 2013: Various brands overview

I'm Watch hands-on

Smartwatches are trying to break through in the industry. As smartphones are becoming more and more indispensable in our socially-driven, always-on and always connected lives various manufacturers are seeing the opportunity to ride the same wave and are starting to create products that can integrate with smartphones.

Such a device is the I'm Watch from Italian-based maker I'm. The smartwatch runs on the I'm Droid 2 OS, which has a number of different apps and an app store where you can get more.

The I'm Watch connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth and can let you make calls, display texts, emails, set alarms, you name it. It can integrate with iOS and Android devices and open up apps like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.

The display is a 220 ppi 1.54" TFT unit with a 240 x 240 resolution. There's a built-in 450 mAh Li-Po battery, which is chargeable via a USB cable and a PC or through a power adapter. It has a built-in microphone and speaker so you can go all James Bond and talk directly through the I'm Watch.

I'm Watch hands-on

The phone has an aluminum casing and a number of colorful straps. We saw all the different color options - white, red, yellow, blue, black, pink, etc. On the right side there's a single Back button. On the left there's a tiny speaker grille.

Performance wasn't all that inspiring. It's noticeable on the video that I'm Watch tends to lag a bit on some tasks. It's not lightning fast and that could be a problem for some people.

I'm Watch on the wrist

It fits nicely on the hand. However it's a tad heavy, Lumia 920-heavy actually, at 180 grams. Still, some people like a little heft to their watch so it may not be a deal-breaker for most.

Here's our video of the I'm Watch smartwatch.

To get one, you'll have to part with €250, which is a bit steep.