It’s high times when it comes to smart watches. With the Apple Watch looming for launch in the next month, the race for your wrist is mid-stride. One former Apple designer is taking next month’s release head-on, putting a focus on creating something that is meant to last longer than this year’s product cycle.
The Olio collection of “connected timepieces” is the brainchild of product developer Steve Jacobs. Leaning on his time as a designer, briefly at Apple but also at Google, Amazon and HP, the focus of the Olio smart watch is aimed to be a balance between form and function. Available in both steel and PVD-coated black, it has stylings that lean more towards traditional than modern.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDGRrJEVsMw
Standout features include a completely re-imagined notification center that is cloud based, only pushing out the alerts that come from those that the user interacts with most. Little bars extend from the center of the display towards the numbers on the clock, marking how busy an hour was based on the number of notifications received. It operates with “temporal streams” that show what has happened and what will occur. It of course has all the smart watch add-ons that you’d expect: it can control third-party apps, utilizes swiping to control different action and has customizable watch faces.
Connectivity occurs via dual-stream Bluetooth 4.0 and LE, with the compatibility for both Apple and Android devices. The crystal on both sides of the watch are ensconced in 316L forged stainless steel. The Olio line of watches starts at $595 for the Steel Collection, and going up to $745 for the Black Collection. Olio’s limited edition run of 500 watches is available for pre-order today, with an estimated summer delivery.
[9to5-press-release]
Former Apple and Movado Designers Unveil Olio Model One, a Finely Crafted
Connected-timepiece Designed to Put Time Back in Your Day Through
Advances Such as Temporal Streams and Dynamic Visualization
First batch of 500 piece limited edition watches rethink time to create next generation of
wristwatch–now available for pre-order at OlioDevices.com
SAN FRANCISCO – March 26, 2015 – Today, Olio, a boutique watch company, launched its first two collections of
limited edition connected timepieces that combine the top-of-the-line materials and craftsmanship typically found
in high-end Swiss watches, with a unique user experience designed to save you time by curating and organizing
your digital life.
The team behind Olio has an impressive pedigree. Founder and CEO Steve Jacobs led product development for top
companies like Apple, Google, Beats by Dre, HP and Amazon, and is joined by top talent from those companies as
well as Movado, Pixar and NASA.
“Olio’s Model One is the antithesis of a mass market product, produced to be everything to everyone. Olio was
founded to create thoughtfully crafted products for the discerning individual who wants the latest technology, but
on their own terms,” said Steve Jacobs, founder and CEO of Olio Devices. “What’s more, we understand that the
wrist is a very personal, intimate space, and anything you do there needs to have a purpose.
”
Instead of simply providing another screen to display notifications and apps, the Olio Model One organizes the
long list of notifications we’re bombarded with on a daily basis into a simple and intuitive time-based format—
earlier and later. The earlier stream is a list of notifications that lets you quickly understand everything that you’ve
missed, and the later stream provides all the information necessary to plan the rest of your day, and even offers
suggestions to make it easier. Within these streams, you can easily consume and respond using Olio’s glanceable
and swipeable interface. The more you use your Olio, the better it understands your unique preferences, and like a
good personal assistant, only presents the most important and helpful suggestions to eliminate unwanted
distractions and save you time.
Olio’s features include:
● Dynamic Visualizations: Olio’s interface maps the busiest parts your day, making personal bandwidth
glanceable, while simultaneously creating a dynamic watchface that is unique you.
● Temporal Streams: Access the right information at the right time, with notifications and information
organized into two simple and intuitive time streams—earlier and later.
● Olio Assist: A cloud-based personal assistant that contextualizes and understands your personal
preferences to offer insightful and actionable suggestions.
● Intelligent Actions: You can dismiss or respond to content with a simple swipe, and even have Olio Assist
hold your calls/texts and remind you to respond at a later time.
● Control Hub: Control relevant third party products like thermostats, lights, locks, cars, speakers, and
services like payments, directions and music without searching or wrestling for your phone.
● True Cross Platform Compatibility: Olio is an independent brand and offers freedom to connect with both
Android and Apple phones, as well as a wide range of connected hardware products.
“It was as important to us to create a true timepiece that was as enjoyable and delightful to look at and use, as it was useful in saving you time.” said Josh Chadwick, Olio’s lead designer, “Weight was really important to us–the use of authentic and natural materials that are carefully crafted and hand finished to provide an elevated look that is both enduring and expressive.”
Every Olio watchcase is precision machined from forged surgical grade 316L stainless steel and hand finished with a light brushed texture and polished highlights. The font and rear crystals feature Olio’s custom gravure texture process on ion-exchange glass, resulting in best-in-class impact and scratch resistance. The Olio rear crystal also showcases Olio’s signature Rapid Charge wireless charging coil, a key element of Olio’s unique and proprietary power management system that allows for multiple days of use on it’s custom, low power, high resolution, full color display.
You can reserve one of Olio’s limited edition timepieces here: www.oliodevices.com
About Olio
Co-founded by Steven Jacobs, Evan Wilson, and AJ Cooper, Olio combines high-end materials with proprietary hardware and software to create finely crafted connected timepieces for the busy modern lifestyle. The company is headquartered in San Francisco. To learn more visit: www.oliodevices.com or follow @oliodevices on Twitter.
[/9to5-press-release]
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