SPOT Watches

I'm a fan of SPOT - the technology behind the watches that use the MSN Direct service to receive information such as news, weather and even instant messages. This week saw the launch of a new channel of information – movie times. This is much more up my street than sports or lottery information. I like to see movies pretty much spur of the moment, and now I’ll always have the latest times for my local theatres on my wrist. It’s genuinely useful information.

In more SPOT news, Fossil and Swatch both announced new watches, and they look great: very much a refinement of the existing watches. Maybe Santa is reading this and will get me a new Fossil Abacus with a brown strap. The good news is that each MSN Direct account suports up to two watches, so you don’t need to pay another fee to have a second watch.

The SPOT service has changed too. Now, out of the box, the watch picks up basic information such as news headlines. Good news for new customers, although I doubt that anyone buying a SPOT watch wouldn’t sign up.

Perhaps my only complaint is that the service is still limited to the US and Canada. When I travel to the UK, I have to weigh the hassle of bringing the charged (the watch needs juice twice a week) and the fact I get no new content, against the fact that I like wearing it and enjoy the dual timezone display.

Some SPOT links for you: