#chooseblocks

The first Blocks watch face will use a circular colour touchscreen,  this “core module” will include processor, Bluetooth, WiFi, motion sensor, microphone and the main battery. The core module will perform most functions of current smartwatches, such as notifications, activity tracking and voice commands. The circular face will be available during the crowdfunding campaign, whereas other two screens will be available soon after shipping. 

The modular architecture will allow to extend smartwatch functionality with a variety of hot swappable modules that can support location tracking, cellular connectivity, contactless payments and other sensors. 

“The wearables market is in an incredibly exciting phase and will see a diverse range of forms and functionalities. Their one commonality is that all will require ultra-low power intelligence to ensure battery life is attractive to end users. Blocks’ modular approach is a great example of the creativity and innovation that is possible on the ARM architecture.” said Ian Ferguson, vice president, segment marketing, ARM. 

Blocks will run a special version of Android Lollipop OS and it will compatible to both iOS and Android smartphones. Thanks to these optimizations, Blocks will have a longer battery life, a custom graphic for the circular display and the ability to hot-swap modules without having to power the device off. 

Thanks to the partnership with Tateossian, a British jewellery and accessories brand, Blocks will have customisable removable shells for each module, allowing a mix of different colours, textures and materials. 

Blocks has, also, signed a manufacturing deal with Compal, one the world’s largest manufacturers of laptops, smartphones and smartwatches.

We all remember watching Dave’s video last year introducing the world to an amazing concept: a modular smartphone! It made perfect sense; why buy a whole new device every year just because only one part becomes outdated!? Modularity was the perfect answer. Now imagine Phonebloks applied to wearables. Blocks which you snap together to create a personal, unique smartwatch. Blocks. Yep, Dave had even inspired our name!

Wearable devices are very personal devices, so naturally being able to customise yours would be amazing, as you could make it unique to your own lifestyle! Also, because smartwatch technology is so new, there are new versions of products being released every few months, so the sustainability angle that modularity brings would also be a huge plus After months of research, we finally managed to prove our modular concept in one weekend. Not a normal weekend due to the extreme lack of sleep, but time well spent on proving it worked. We had built simple display, processor, motion sensor and temperature sensor blocks, and we could connect them in any combination we liked!

Sustainability and customisation. Both huge reasons to go for a modular device, but modularity brings an even bigger plus to devices: an open platform. A blockstore, just like an appstore, where any company or individual could build blocks with awesome tech we can’t even imagine! That’s where the big vision of blocks lies. We are not creating the perfect device, we’re making it possible for you to create the perfect device.On top of that, we’ve ended up taking modularity a step further. Why? Because wearables are not just devices, but are also fashion pieces. As a result, our modules, are now modular. Yep, modular modules! What does that mean? Well, each block now has removable covers, meaning the look of your device is now also customisable! And don’t forget, that also means we can set up an open design store.

Open software. Open hardware. Open design. We’re setting an unbeatable whole new level of open-source technology. We are already in talks with a few big companies to build a fitness block, a contactless payment block, and even a sim card block! And we are slowly gaining more interest by the day...

Want to hear some awesome news?

Over the past 8 months we’ve been working non-stop on our next prototype, and we decided to take part in Intel’s Make It Wearable challenge. Out of 400+ applicants, we ended up as one of the top 10 finalists. Not only did that bring us $50,000 funding from Intel, but also provided us with with their latest processors!

So, what’s next in our plan?

Having gone very far with the hardware and design of Blocks, we’re now focussing more on the software side. We're currently aiming to base our OS on Samsung & Intel's Tizen OS, and are working towards supporting Android, iOS and Windows Phone. Our team, originally 4, has now expanded to 16 extremely passionate developers and designers...and still growing!

I personally spent the past week putting together an epic promo video for Blocks, focussed entirely on sharing how awesome modularity truly is. Be sure to check it out!

Blocks antaa sinulle mahdollisuuden valita älykelloosi vain osia joita tunnet tarvitsevasi, ja voit päivittää älykelloasi koska tahansa uusilla osilla. Osat yhdistyvät toisiinsa kätevästi 3.5mm plugeilla, ja täten niitä on helppo vaihtaa. 

Blocks projekti on vapaa ja kuka tahansa voi kehittää sen ohjelmistoa ja jopa tehdä omia osiaan kelloon.

Mikäli kyseinen kello alkoi kiinnostaa, kannattaa käydä kirjautumassa Blocks:n sähköpostilistalle ja varata omansa heti 14. päivä niin saat tuotteen ensimmäisten joukossa ja erikoishintaan. Enää 6 päivää julkaisuun.