This article was published on November 28, 2014

Sony crowdfunded a new epaper watch to test the market


Sony crowdfunded a new epaper watch to test the market

As the wearables market heats up with every company trying something, anything to attach their electronics to your body, it’s tough to know what will actually resonate with consumers. It’s so difficult that electronics giant Sony developed a watch then put it on a crowdfunding site to see if anyone was interested.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Sony has a project called Fashion Entertainments that develops electronic paper fashion devices. The first device it created was a watch that changes the band’s appearance and face when you move it. It looks intriguing.

But the real news is that Sony, under the moniker FES, put the watch on crowdfunding site Makuake to see if there was enough interest in the device. Apparently there was because the watch shot past its initial goal. A source told The Wall Street Journal “We hid Sony’s name because we wanted to test the real value of the product, whether there will be demand for our concept.”

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So the next item you back something on a crowdfinding site that item might just be from Sony. But more likely from someone that had a crazy idea while taking a shower and owns 3D rendering software.

➤ Who’s Behind the E-paper FES Watch? [WSJ]

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