Smartwatch Qualcomm - Consoleinfo

Qualcomm's long-lasting TOQ smartwatch coming December 2 for $350

Cyber Monday is a great day to find deals online, but one place you won't find a great deal during this year's sales extravaganza on December 2 is Qualcomm's website. While people all over America are perusing Amazon, Ebay, Staples and Walmart for cheap deals, the chip maker will release its previously announced Toq smartwatch for $350.

That's right: We're getting yet another smartwatch that ties into an Android phone. And this time it's just $50 less than an iPad Mini with retina display.

Selling tons of watches doesn't appear to be Qualcomm's goal, however. Qualcomm describes the device, created through the company's wholly-owned subsidiary Qualcomm Connected Experiences, as a "limited edition smartwatch."

As we reported in September, Qualcomm's primary goal with Toq is to show off the technologies and services the company is developing.

"The Toq smartwatch showcases key Qualcomm innovations...that will define the emerging wearable category," Qualcomm's chairman and CEO Dr. Paul E. Jacobs said in a statement announcing Toq's availability.

Qualcomm's focus is markedly different from Samsung, a company that wants to sell as many units as it can of the Galaxy Gear smartwatch released in October. The Gear, which Jon Philips called "an expensive experiment " in our review, sells for $300 and connects exclusively to Samsung Galaxy devices.

Qualcomm's watch will connect to any Android phone running version 4.0.3 or better—though version 4.3 Jelly Bean is preferred.

The Toq features Qualcomm's Mirasol display technology, which the company claims will last for days without a recharge, even though the TOQ's display is in an always-on state. The watch comes loaded with applets from Accuweather and E*Trade, a set of wireless Bluetooth stereo headphones, and will feature Qualcomm WiPower LE wireless charging.

As with other smartwatches, you can use Toq to accept/reject phone calls, view text messages, calendar alerts, and select notifications from other smartphone apps. Toq will also accept alerts from any AllJoyn-enabled device. AllJoyn is a proprietary technology that allows Qualcomm-powered devices to talk to each other.

Toq won't be the end of the smartwatch parade, though, as more devices are reportedly in the works from Microsoft, Google, HTC, and Apple. Sony, a longtime smartwatch maker, recently released its SmartWatch 2.