Meta Watch started off by being bought out from Fossil. The smartphone companion watch creator was being bought by an investor group led by previous Nokia executive Juha Pinomaa as well as former Fossil technology heads Bill Geiser and David Rosales. The now separate company would work out of Dallas but appropriately would have a research wing in Espoo, Finland, near Nokia’s headquarters.
The move would give a “head start” in creating watches and “other wearable devices” for smartphones, billions of which are expected to ship over the next decade.
In making the deal, the group also pledged that the first Meta Watch would still be available in September for $200 from the TI eStore. The analog and digital watch faces use Bluetooth to relay caller ID information as well as other information when supported by the phone, such as calendar and e-mail alerts, text messages, and weather. Android is a key initial platform but should expand to iPhones and other platforms.
