Well you must have heard about smartwatches these days from Motorola, Samsung and various other companies. However this innovation dates back to 2000 when IBM launched its #LINUX powered SMARTWATCH .
In 1998, Steve Mann invented, designed, and built the world's first Linux wristwatch,which he presented at IEEE ISSCC2000, 2000 February 7, where he was named "the father of wearable computing".
In 2000, IBM researchers developed a wristwatch that runs Linux and X11. Their goal was to test the limits of the operating system and explore ways people can interact with tiny electronic devices. So what happened to this Linux-powered wristwatch?
I
became so interested about this watch after googling for some "geeky
wristwatches" because it has some really cool features that I thought
were not possible back in the day. The IBM Linux wristwatch is powered
by a Cirrus Logic ARM-based EP7211 processor, 8MB of DRAM, and 8MB of
flash memory. It also features a touch sensitive display and a
rechargeable lithium polymer battery.
The
ARM processor that powers the watch is RISC based and runs at 19MHz,
which according to estimates is almost equal to a 100 Mhz Pentium. The
motherboard for the watch was assembled at IBM's Japan research center.
The Linux kernel that needed some extensive hacking including the shell
that the watch runs was tweaked at Big Blue's research center at
Bangalore, India.
Here are some other technical specifications of this Linux-powered wristwatch:
* Linux Kernel: 2.2.1
* X11R6 for the GUI env.
* Size: Watch: 56mm wide x 48mm long x 12.25mm thick (2.20 inches x 1.89 inches x 0.48 inches); MotherBoard: 27.5 mm wide x 35.3 mm long (1.08 inches x 39 inches)
* Weight: 44 Gms (Approx. 1.5 ounces)
* IrDA
* Radio Frequency Wireless connectivity
As
reported by FreeOS.com, the Linux watch was conceived at IBM's T. J.
Watson research center where different groups of researchers are
continually exploring the numerous challenges that emerge in the field
of user interface design, power management, input devices, wireless
communication, sensors and models for co-existences for pervasive
devices and wearables. A team of researchers with skills in hardware
design, Operating Systems, displays, electronic and mechanical
packaging, industrial design and user interface design, which was spread
across multiple research IBM sites worked together to develop the wrist
watch that would eventually run Linux and X11. They were led by Chandra
Narayanaswami and worked persistently for about 18 months to achieve
this feat.
[content courtesy: http://www.junauza.com/2010/06/what-happened-to-ibms-linux-wristwatch.html]
