🇺🇲 Dive into the past with the IBM WatchPad, an early glimpse into the future of smartwatches!
⌚️ Back in June 2000, IBM unveiled a groundbreaking prototype—a wristwatch powered by Linux. Initially boasting just 6 hours of battery life, this tech marvel was later upgraded to a respectable 12 hours, featuring 8 MB of RAM and running on Linux 2.2.
⚙️ As innovation surged, so did the WatchPad's capabilities. With additions like an accelerometer, vibrating mechanism, and fingerprint sensor, IBM teamed up with Citizen Watch Co. to unleash the ultimate wearable tech—the "WatchPad 1.5". Sporting a 320 × 240 QVGA monochrome touch-sensitive display and running Linux 2.4, it also packed calendar software, Bluetooth, 8 MB of RAM, and 16 MB of flash memory.
💰 With hopes of targeting students and businessmen alike, Citizen set the retail price around $399, making the WatchPad a tantalizing glimpse into the future of wearable tech. Would you have splurged on this piece of history?
