After showing up on Google Play on Friday, it was inevitable that we’d see the Asus ZenWatch available through more traditional channels. Today Asus has announced that the Asus ZenWatch, their first Android Wear watch, will sell for $289 – the same price it’s currently available for on Google Play – at Bing Lee and via the Asus online store in April.
Asus is pushing the craftsmanship angle of the ZenWatch, pointing out the attention to detail employed in manufacturing the watch. The ZenWatch is made of stainless-steel with a rose-gold coloured band inlaid between the layers of steel. The case curves gently to follow the natural curve of the wrist, which is made possible through the use of Corning Gorilla Glass 3 over the 1.63-inch AMOLED Display.
Each ZenWatch comes with an interchangeable 22mm stitched leather band with a unique clasp design. Asus has advised that while the initial watch will be supplied with a strap, there will be more options available through the Asus online store in the future. On the Asus US site, two colours are available for purchase: Dark Brown and Orange, for US$29.99 so you should probable see these available for around AU$40 when they finally arrive.
Internally, the spec on the Asus ZenWatch is fairly similar to other Android Wear watches, with Asus deciding to go with a heart-rate sensor to tie-in with their Wellness app – Asus’ fitness and health related app – that can be paired with the watch.
- 1.63” AMOLED display (320×320)
- 2.5D curved Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3
- 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400
- 512 MB RAM
- 4GB eMMC Flash memory
- IP55 Water Resistance
- 9 Axis Sensor/Bio sensor
- Bluetooth V4.0
- Polymer 1.4Wh Battery
- Dimensions: 51 x 39.9 x 7.9 ~ 9.4 mm @ 50 g
There’s other companion apps available for the ZenWatch too like the Remote Camera app which lets you use the watch as a view finder and remote shutter – including adding a double flick wrist gesture – to capture shots. Also available is the ZenWatch Manager app which is used in addition to the standard Android Wear app to add more functionality such as remote presentation control, the ability to cover the watch face to reject calls and send a pre-defined SMS response, find my phone function and the ability to unlock your phone or tablet with the watch.
The watch will be available from April in Bing Lee and from the Asus online store, keep your eye out for launches of the additional ZenWatch bands in the future too.
