Sony Ericsson MBW-100 Bluetooth Watch

All Reviews for Sony Ericsson Mobile Phones
Price
AU$461.00
Review Date
Tuesday, 25th of September, 2007
What's Hot
The 'wow' factor, caller ID info is convenient, vibration alert
What's Not
Needs recharging, watch stops working when battery dies, functions are limited, expensive
The Final Word
The MBW-100 certainly wows with its cool factor, but once you look past this, you're left with a device that offers limited functionality, despite quite a hefty price tag.
Note: This product is no longer available directly from the manufacturer. It may be available in retail channels or second hand. The price displayed is the price at review time.
Sony Ericsson MBW-100 Bluetooth Watch - Perspective
Sony Ericsson MBW-100 Bluetooth Watch - Left
Sony Ericsson MBW-100 Bluetooth Watch - Right
Sony Ericsson MBW-100 Bluetooth Watch - Front
Sony Ericsson MBW-100 Bluetooth Watch - Back
Sony Ericsson MBW-100 Bluetooth Watch - Top
Sony Ericsson MBW-100 Bluetooth Watch - Bottom
Sony Ericsson MBW-100 Bluetooth Watch - Perspective
Sony Ericsson MBW-100 Bluetooth Watch - Perspective
Sony Ericsson Bluetooth Watch MBW-100
Ross Catanzariti 25/09/2007 10:35:52

More a piece of James Bond-like gadgetry than a necessity, Sony Ericsson's MBW-100 is a stylish Bluetooth watch that wirelessly synchronises with your mobile phone to alert you of incoming calls and messages. It also enables you to control music without touching your phone.

Designed in partnership with watch company Fossil, the MBW-100 is stylish, but there is no indication that this is an electronic device at first glance. It's available in either silver or black finishes and looks much like a regular, albeit large men's watch. At 187g, it's heavier than most mobile phones on the market and does weigh down your arm, but after a few minutes of wearing it, you won't tend to notice the weight.

The MBW-100 features a hidden OLED display. You are notified when your phone rings, and when you receive a text message. For calls, if the caller is stored in your phonebook, the MBW-100 displays the name; if not, then just the number is displayed. When a new message is received, a small message icon appears on the display. Unfortunately, you can't actually read your message on the MBW-100 - it would have been extremely practical for the message to scroll across the display. Conveniently, the watch vibrates when notifications appear, although this function can be turned off if you wish.

The MBW-100 also allows you to control basic music playback on your phone, although it's quite limited. Pressing the crown plays, pauses and forwards music tracks, though there is no way to skip to previous tracks, nor adjust the volume. Aside from the crown, two selection buttons adorn the right side of the watch; one scrolls through the menu items, the other selects them. Pressing the top selection button displays the date and a battery life indicator, but only for a few seconds - there is no way to have this displayed all the time.

Being a Bluetooth device, the MBW-100 naturally needs to be charged via AC power, though it should last about half a week before needing a recharge. The strangest and most perplexing aspect of the unit though is the fact that when the battery runs out, the watch itself stops working. With that in mind, and combined with the outlandish asking price and limited functions, it will ensure that only those with a lust for gadgets are attracted.

 
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