Kate Spade and Skagen smartwatches join the Android Wear fold – CNET

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Kate Spade smartwatch, anyone?

Jonas Ramos

It’s already hard to keep track of how many Android Wear-powered smartwatches exist in the world. Fossil Group makes many of them: Misfit, Fossil, Diesel, Michael Kors, Emporio Armani and others. Kate Spade and Skagen now join the fold, too.

Continuing Android Wear’s push to fashion watch brands last year, these models seem to promise extra style over new function. 

Kate Spade New York’s Scallop Android Wear watch has “customizable, animated dials that will delight her as she moves through her day. Winking eyes, falling daisy petals and zooming New York City taxicabs keep up the fun with every step. Lastly, exciting weather effects on the dial let the wearer check to see if the weather is sunny, raining or cloudy in her location.” The watch design has a scalloped bezel. It’s a larger stainless steel 42mm watch, with 16mm metal or leather bands, water resistant but lacking heart rate.

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Skagen’s Android Wear watches go for a clean (if thick) look.

Shelley Kautz

The Skagen Falster smartwatch has an extreme minimalist look that seems pretty sharp, and is in keeping with other Skagen watches. Same story: a 42mm stainless steel case, with 20mm leather ($275) or metal mesh ($299) straps, no heart rate.

Neither watch promises any new ideas in particular, or better battery life. Smartwatches might need a little of both to stand out.

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