There's A Windows 10 Smartwatch You Can't Have

Two of the three (or four) major software platforms are on smartwatches. There's Android Wear and there's Apple watchOS. For years, Microsoft fans have been waiting and crying out for a Windows-powered wearable. After the short live of the Microsoft Band, that possibility seemed dead in the water. Well, not anymore. Sort of. The good news: there is indeed an existing and, more importantly, working Windows 10 smartwatch. The bad news: this TrekStor IoT Wearable is not something you'll ever be able to buy off the shell.

OK, so it's actually Windows 10 IoT Core, not Windows 10 per se, but it's close enough. IoT Core is Microsoft's attempt at staying relevant in a fast growing market that targets tiny computers and appliances. Devices you wouldn't normally think of running Windows 10 on. Already available to tinkerers via the Raspberry Pi, Microsoft has shown how well its IoT Core can integrate with the rest of its Windows 10 and Cloud ecosystems.

It isn't saying much about this wearable from TrekStor, other than having a 1.54-inch screen. From the photo released by Microsoft, it has more in common with something like the Fitbit Blaze than, say, an Apple Watch. It is described to have Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and enough processing power, storage. and battery life to perform its functions.

Those functions, at least in this context, are limited business scenarios, like inventory management, hospitality guest services, patient care, and the like. As such, the TrekStor IoT wearable is more of a B2B product than a retail one, so Windows 10 fans will have to continue dreaming for a bit longer.

This low-key revelation could inspire some hope in a Windows 10 presence in such kinds of devices. It is, however, but a part of Microsoft's bigger IoT push, which also includes mixed reality, admittedly a more interesting and potentially more lucrative endeavor.

SOURCE: Microsoft