A month after the E-Ink FES concept watch got people excited about an innovative wearable that didn’t care if it wasn’t particularly smart, rumors that Sony was working on a similar E-Ink-based timepiece started to swirl. But according to the Wall Street Journal, Sony was behind the FES watch concept all along, and it’s just one of a few concepts the electronics giant has been working on for future wearables.
As it seeks to differentiate itself in a competitive market, Sony is developing watches and bow ties using electronic paper. A Sony spokesman said the Japanese electronics giant has a project in development called “Fashion Entertainments,” where it is studying how electronic paper can be used to make fashion products. The most notable prototype the team has developed is a watch called Fes Watch, whose wristband is based on electronic paper and changes its appearance depending on the user’s gesture. The watch comes with 24 design patterns which can be selected manually. But keeping the project under wraps has been the team’s strategy; the watch was put on an Internet crowdfunding site in September. It has surpassed its initial goal of raising 2 million yen (US$17,000) in just three weeks and has already attracted 3.5 million yen from more than 150 supporters.
