OXY, the Open Source SmartWatch

OXY, a new SmartWatch is coming November 15th

Net Architectures ltd., a startup company based in Bristol (United Kingdom) is going to release November 15th on IndieGogo an innovative SmartWatch called OXY™. (http://www.oxytechs.com)
The SmartWatch will be available in two shapes: Round and Square and in two colors: Black and Silver.
OXY is equipped with ELF OS and IWOP (Ingenic Wearable Open Platform), a custom Android ROM based on Android Lollipop 5.1.1 exclusively designed for wearable devices by Ingenic Semiconductors and available for download at http://iwop.ingenic.com.
The platform is 100% open source and it promises to speedup the development process for wearable devices.

The hardware has been designed and produced by Ingenic Semiconductors (http://www.ingenic.com), a Chinese fabless semiconductor company based in Beijing, China founded in 2005.

Ingenic purchased licenses for the MIPS architecture instruction sets in 2009 and design CPU-microarchitectures based on them.
They have created a micro CPU Dual Core called M200 which is powered by a Dual Core 1.2 Ghz processor and is capable to run a full Android Operating System.

We have obtained some previews pictures of how the watches will look like and we have to say that they have made a great job so far.

OXY is willing to target a wide range of consumers, their SmartWatches look clean and the minimal design is willing to resemble the shape of some classic watches. The case and wristband are made of CNC finished 316L Stainless Steel and the display is protected by a Corning© Gorilla© Glass layer to make it resistant to scratches and shocks.

The watch is rooted and the code is Open Source, this means that anybody can download the original ROM and create new customizations and apps for the watch.
A free marketplace will be available later this year and Net Architectures ltd. promises to make available more than 40 different professional watchfaces and plenty of apps.
They also open their door to the XDA (http://www.xda.com) community and are willing to make ELF OS the new Open Source Android ROM for wearable devices.

A powerful hardware on your wrist

The hardware specifications published on OXY Google Plus Page are really interesting. The core is powered by a tiny low-energy consumption MIPS Dual Core and it has a dedicated GPU chipset capable to run video and animations without any hickup.
The hardware is equipped with a wide range of sensors like: Gyroscope, Accellerometer, Heart Rate, WiFi and Bluetooth, Speakers and Microphone and a mechanism to detect gestures.
The square model has a 320 mAh LiPo battery while the round version a 350 mAh. The AMOLED version can run with one charge for more than 3 days while in standby more for over a week.
Below is a comparative table of the hardware provided for each model:

More than just making two shapes (this solution was implemented only by LG in the past) they also took a step further and OXY will be available with two different displays. The most expensive model is equipped with an AMOLED display produced by AUO while the cheapest version will be equipped with a TFT Transflective display. Both displays are protected by a layer of Corning© Gorilla© glass and have a touch sensor, so no need to push any button with OXY.

OXY is willing to settle in the middle tier of the SmartWatches market by providing an high quality watch for a competitive price, the most expensive model equipped with Black Stainless Steel and AMOLED display is going to be priced around 250 USD while the cheapest square model equipped with a TFT transflective display and Silver Stainless Steel is going to be priced at 170 USD. The price will include the watch, a beautiful case, a magnetic charger and 1 year of warranty from their manufacturer.
OXY is not only building SmartWatches but an complete technology brand, they have also created a beautiful and ergonomic Charging Station, some Power Banks and some clothes related to the SmartWatch campaign.

Is OXY going to be the new Pebble? We will see when OXY will open their door on IndieGogo on November 15th.