CNXSoft – Embedded Software Development

The first time I heard about NFC was when it was implemented in Android 2.3, and the Google Nexus S featured it, but it’s quite older than that, as the initial specifications were published in 2006, and the very first phone to feature the technology was Nokia 6131. If you’ve ever been to Hong Kong, you may have used Octopus cards which are used for contactless payments for public transport and shopping. Those cards use Felica RFID technology which is part of NFC, and has also been included in some watches (since 2010), so you can easily pay for subway or bus by hovering your watch on the card reader. I’ve been wondering why I could not see more of those, and I think NFC may be a feature of upcoming smart watches, so I started to look for existing solutions this morning, and found Payper NFC Watch designed by LAKS, and first announced in 2011.

This NFC watch (or others) can be used for time registration, ticketing, admission control, loyalty and E-purse.

Payper NFC watch as the following specifications:

• Contactless Interface – Mifare S 50, Mifare S 70 or Legic Prime MIM 256embedded PCB/tuned, UID chip number etched on watch case optional
• Operating Distance – Read/Write Range up to 5 cm
• RFID Antenna – Integrated coil antenna
• Water Resistant – Up to 30 meters
• Watch Movement – Seiko Epson with Date Function
• Watch Battery – 1,5 V SR 621 SW; approx. 3 Years, changeable
• Dimensions – 255mm (L) x 36mm (W) x 9,6MM (H)
• Weight  – 20 gram
• Operating Temperature – -5 C to 50 C

The company also provide NFC readers, together with an SDK, and a web-based based Terminal Management System to remotely monitor and update the readers. You can find more information on Payter Watch page.

This is not a model individuals can buy directly, since the system needs to be customized to be compatible with the local payment systems. As I complete this post, I found the Rumbatime Go NFC watch which, despite an interesting concept, had a failed Kikcstarter campaign in 2011. You could configure this watch to be used with Visa credit card, and use it to easily pay on Visa Paywave terminals. The service has however been discontinued due to lack of adaption.

Apart from Hong Kongers, can you use NFC watches to make contactless payments in your country?

There are already some watches such as Texas Instruments ez430-Crhonos and MetaWatch that are used as development platform and let you develop software yourself. Some hardware documentation is usually provided as well, but Energy Micro forums’ member hairykiwi is trying to go a bit further. He created a watch based on EFM32 Cortex M3 MCU and already released the KiCad schematics and gerber files, with 3D printer files and firmware source code to be released once they are ready. The project is called “Open source Time Machine #2″ (OTM2).

Early Prototype of OTM2 Watch with 3D Printed Case

The project makes use of the following components and features:

• EFM32LG332F256 – Energy Micro Cortex M3 Leopard Gecko MCU with 256KB flash and 32KB SRAM
• A 128×128 pixel (23.2 x23.2mm visible area) ultra low power Memory LCD from Sharp Microelectronics,
• Recharge and programming via Micro USB connector. JTAG programming is also available.
• 150mAh Li-Po Battery + on-board battery fuel gauge IC.
• Vibratory Motor.
• Piezo Electric diaphragm.
• ADXL362 / ADXL346 accelerometer.
• Five miniature right-angle tact switch buttons
• Provision for a LED based planar light-guide type back light (utilizing a 0.4mm high right-angle Avago ChipLED and laser engraved light guide.

The watch may be improved at a later stage with the addition of Bluetooth LE, ANT+, GPS, etc…

He has just assembled the first PCB as of last week, and it looks pretty neat.

There are no videos of the watch yet, especially since the device may not have booted yet, but if you want to see what the display is capable of, you can watch the video below with the Sharp display and an EFM32 devkit.

This open source hardware project is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License and, will be open source firmware, probably released under the GNU Lesser General Public License v3.0.

Schematics and gerber files are available in the project’s github repository, and others files (3D parts & source code) will be available as the project progresses. There are a few more pictures, and a lot more explanations about the assembly in the forum post.

There’s currently a lot of articles about Apple, Samsung, and Google smart watches rumors in the blogosphere. I’ve written about other smartwatches in the past with products such as the Pebble or Wime Nanowatch, but those are based on low-end hardware that do not run Android directly, but instead communicate with your Android or iOS device via Bluetooth. The only watch I know that runs (a customized version of) Android is the “I’m Watch“. You’ll need relatively deep pockets to purchase it as price starts at 249 Euros / $349 US and goes up to $19,999 if you purchase the version with white gold and diamonds. So I decided to have a look if there are lower cost Chinese Android smartwatches around. The Z1 Android Smart Watch Phone showed up everywhere in my searches. The product is not new, as Charbax first discovered it in January 2012 and it was showcased by “Phaeton DVIP” at CES 2012.

Here are the specifications of the device:

• Processor – Mediatek MT6516 ARM9 processor @ 426 Mhz

• Memory – 256 MB RAM
• Storage – 300 MB internal memory and up to 8GB via microSD card
• Display – 2.0″ Capacitive Touch Screen (320×240)
• Connectivity:
  • WiFi – 802.11 b/g/n
  • Bluetooth 2.0
• Ports/slot/external sensors
  • 1 SIM card slots
  • Micro SD card slot
  • Microphone + Speaker
  • 2.0 MP Camera
• Network – GSM frequencies 850MHz, 900MHz, 1800MHz, 1900MHz
• Battery – 800 mAh – Standby-time: 36hrs /  Talk-time: 4hrs
• Dimensions – H: 58 mm, W: 45 mm, D: 13 mm

The watch comes with a 800mAh Battery,  a USB Cable, a charger and a user’s manuel in English, Russian, Spanish and German. The Z1 runs a barely modified version of Android 2.2 operating systems, and thanks to the internal SIM card slot, you can just insert a SIM and start to make and receive phone calls via your watch.

There are several reviews of this phone watch, including a three videos by mistasawedoff, where he has a closer look at the device. to summarize he feels the device is innovative, call quality with the provided headset is pretty, but the sluggishness of the device if unbearable, Google Play does not work (there’s an alternative store though), and overall he cannot recommend the device. I’ve embed the first video below if you want to know more.

Z1 smart phone watch is available from $209 on online stores such Pandawill and Aliexpress. Back in January 2012, the company had plans to design and manufacture an upgraded version of the watch with MT6573 (ARM11 @ 650 MHz) and Android 4.0, but it looks like the device never saw the light of the day. I could not find other companies selling new smart watches either, and I would assume it’s because there’s not enough demand for this type of device. We’ll have to see if large companies such as Google and Samsung can make smart watches successful.

WiMe (pronounced “Why Me?”), a Taiwanese company, showcased an Android watch that can also be used as a phone (a Nanophone as the company calls it) at CES 2013. The NanoWatch runs embedded Linux, and features a 1.54″ Touch screen display, 256 Mb ROM, a 4 GB internal microSD card, and a SIM card slot.

NanoWatch Specifications:

• Processor – Unknown
• System Memory – Unknown
• Storage – 256 MB ROM, 4 GB internal microSD
• Display – 1.54″ resistive touch display – Resolution 240×240
• Network – GSM/GPRS Quad Band: GSM 850/900/DCS 1800/PCS 1900 MHZ. Data :GPRS
• SIM/UIM – One standard SIM card
• Connectivity – Bluetooth 2.1
• USB connection – micro 5pin USB, USB 1.1
• Video, photo and audio formats – AVI/MP4/3GP, jpg/gif/bmp, and MP3
• Battery – 300 mAh Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery. Talking time: Approx. 4 hours. Standby time: Approx. 120 hours
• Misc – FM Radio, Voice recorder
• Dimensions – 51.6 mm x 38 mm x 10.2 mm

The package contains the NanoWatch, a headset, a wristband, a micro USB cable and a clipper. The device can be worn as a watch, but you could also hang it on your neck, or clip it on your shirt.

This is rather a low-end phone, but if you mainly listen to music (via a Bluetooth headset) and make/answer phone calls, this is less cumbersome than handling your phone. Alternatively, it can also be paired to your Android smartphone to sync emails and contacts, and make / received phone calls.

You can watch Charbax’s video shot at CES 2013 to get a bit more information and see the device.

The product is available now, and should sell for $99 retail. You can find more information on WiMe NanoWatch page.

I think there is a TI deal about once a month, and today Texas Instruments sells (via Digi-Key) a Pebble Watch clone device similar to Pebble Watch called MetaWatch which is based on TI MSP430 MCU and CC2560 Bluetooth host controller and was released last year.

Digital and Analog MetaWatches

There are two models:

• Metawatch Analog ($139)
• Metawatch Digital ($149)

Both models regular price is $203. The discounted price also includes free shipping, but you need to follow the instructions carefully. Although the Metawatch is supposed to currently support both Android and iOS, the model sold is the original one that only supports Android.

Here are the specs of the digital Model:

• Compatibility: Most devices with Android OS 2.3 and up. Potentially any programmable device supporting Bluetooth 2.1 and up device with Serial Port Profile (SPP) connectivity.
• Case / strap: 3 ATM water resistant stainless steel, black or white replaceable genuine leather strap
• Display: Mirror polymer network LCD (96×96 pixel). Fully reflective for direct sunlight
• Lens: Scratch-resistant, mineral hardened glass
• I/O: 6 fully programmable buttons, 3-axis accelerometer, vibrating motor & ambient light sensor
• MCU: TI MSP430 micro-controller (MSP430F5438A)
• BT Radio: TI  CC2560 Bluetooth transceiver
• In Box: One development system watch, one charging / programming clip, one micro-USB cable

Bear in mind that the Metawatch is not supposed to be an end product, but only a development kit, in a similar fashion to TI Chronos Wireless Watch. You may have to use the development tools and source code to build the software yourself, which can, depending on your point of view, also be an advantage compared to the Pebble Watch that is not hackable AFAIK.

If you want to buy this watch, go to TIdeals.com and to learn more about this wearable development kit, you can visit MetaWatch website.

SCUBAPRO-UWATEC and Energy Micro have unveiled the SCUBAPRO Meridian dive computer powered by Energy Micro EFM32 Gecko MCU. Meridian is a sophisticated dive computer in a watch design, powered by a CR2032 lithium battery.

SCUBAPRO UWATEC Meridian Dive Watch

The companies claim the Meridian is the world’s first 32-bit dive watch-computer. It can operate at depths of up to 120 meters, incorporates an advanced diving algorithm, performs multi-gas decompression and features an heart rate monitor that enables adaptive workload calculations.

The watch computer can be used both during diving, configured to display a variety of dive information including depth, dive time, decompression status and water temperature, and above the surface where it handles remaining desaturation time, no-fly time. Its built-in thermometer and altimeter can also be used for mountain treks.

The MCU used in the Meridian is the Energy Micro EFM32G890 Gecko, a 32MHz 32-bit MCU based on ARM Cortex-M3 consuming 180µA/MHz is active mode and less than 1 µA in sleep modes. The Meridian features a sealed 316L stainless steel housing and sapphire glass. It operates in three modes – Apnea, Scuba or Gauge – and can store over 50 hours of diving data which can be downloaded, edited and reviewed on a personal computer via the LogTRAK software available for Windows and Mac.

The Meridian dive computer is available now for 649 USD.

You can find more information on Scubapro Meridian page.

Pebble, an E-Paper Watch for iPhone and Android smartphones, is a new project on KickStarter with over 11,000 backers and over 1.5 millions US dollars raised for production. The Pebble Watch connects to iPhone and Android smartphones using Bluetooth, and can alert you with a silent vibration to incoming calls, emails and messages.

Pebble Watch

The Pebble watch has the following specifications:

• ARM Cortex-M3 MCU
• 144 x 168 pixel display black and white e-paper
• Bluetooth 2.1+ EDR
• 4 buttons
• Vibrating motor
• 3 axis accelerometer with gesture detection

The developers also claim a 7-day use on a single battery charge.

Pebble can be customized with Apps with will take advantage of the BT connection with smartphones and allow pretty nice applications such as:

• Bike Computer – Cyclists to use Pebble to display speed, distance and pace data by accessing the smartphone’s GPS .
• Running Watch – Joggers and runners can also use the watch to display speed, distrance… data on their wrist.
• Smartphone Remote Control – Pebble can control the music control app to play, pause or skip tracks on your phone with the touch of a button.

You can also customize the look and feel of your watch thanks to different watchfaces as shown in the picture above.

If you wish, you can receive the following notifications on the Pebble as long as it is paired to a smartphone via BlueTooth:

• Incoming Caller ID
• Email (Gmail or any IMAP email account)
• Calendar Alerts
• Facebook Messages
• Twitter
• Weather Alerts
• Silent vibrating alarm and timer

Android smartphone owners can also receive SMS on their watch, a feature not available on iPhones (Take that, Apple fanboys! ) due to API limitation.

Have a look at the Pebble introduction video below and see it in action.

The Pebble’s developers will release a Pebble SDK so that other developer can build applications and upload them to Pebble app store. Pebble’s app development SDK will be completely free and based on a GCC toolchain.

The Pebble watch was available for 99 USD for the first 200 backers (sorry, too late!), and it is now available for 115 USD for a Jet Black Pebble Watch for free shipping in the US ($10 for Canada and $15 for other international destinations). Following the project success on Kick starter, the watch will now be waterproof and you’ll be able to shower and swimming with it, but not diving.

You can get more information (and possibly buy one or more) on Pebble Kickstarter page.