Timex Datalink

The model 150 with steel bracelet (model 69737) in PC-communication mode. The optical sensor is clearly visible at 12 o' clock on the face of the watch. The Microsoft logo is also visible. The wave pattern below the Microsoft logo indicates that the watch is water resistant. The leather strap version of the watch (model 69721) was worn by commander William Shepherd during Expedition 1 and cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin, Expedition 14, on the ISS.

Timex Datalink or Timex Data Link is a line of early smartwatches manufactured by Timex and is considered a wristwatch computer.[1] It is the first watch capable of downloading information wirelessly from a computer.[2][3] As the name implies, datalink watches are capable of data transfer through linking with a computer.[4] The Datalink line was introduced in 1994 and it was co-developed with Microsoft as a wearable alternative to mainstream PDAs with additional attributes such as water resistance, that PDAs lacked, and easy programmability.[5] The watch was demonstrated by Bill Gates on 21 June 1994 in a presentation where he downloaded information from a computer monitor using bars of light and then showed to the audience the downloaded appointments and other data.[6] The early models included models 50, 70, 150 and model 150s (small size).[5] The model numbers indicated the approximate number of phone numbers that could be stored in the watch memory.[7] These early models were, at the time of their introduction, the only watches to bear the Microsoft logo.[8][9] The watches have been certified by NASA for space travel and have been used by astronauts and cosmonauts in space missions. There had been an evolution over the years as to the number and type of entries that can be stored in the various watch models as well as the mode of data transfer between computer and watch. At the time of its introduction the watch was considered high-tech.[10]

There is also the Timex Beepwear Datalink series, featuring wearable pagers using the Timex datalink platform which also function as electronic organisers.[4][11][12][13][14][15]

  1. ^ Lyle M. Spencer (30 August 1995). Reengineering Human Resources: Achieving Radical Increases in Service Quality--with 50% to 90% Cost and Head Count Reductions. Wiley. p. 39. ISBN 978-0-471-01535-2. Retrieved 18 November 2012. A wristwatch computer with wireless communication abilities, the Timex Data-Link, is already being sold by a joint venture of Timex and Microsoft. Beyond wristwatch computers are computer chips implanted directly into human bodies.
  2. ^ Richard B. McKenzie (11 April 2001). Trust on Trial: How the Microsoft Case Is Reforming the Rules of Competition. Basic Books. p. 137. ISBN 978-0-7382-0481-9. Retrieved 18 November 2012. First business-productivity application to incorporate multimedia 1991 Word 2.0 for Windows: First major word processor to offer drag- and-drop 1 993 IntelliSense: First "intelligent" user-assistance technology 1994 Microsoft-Timex DataLink First watch to accept information from a computer.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference geekwire.com was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b David W. Conklin (20 July 2005). Cases in the Environment of Business: International Perspectives. SAGE. p. 63. ISBN 978-1-4129-1436-9. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
  5. ^ a b "Timex Corporation History". Funding Universe. Disqus. 1999. Retrieved 15 July 2013. The following year, Timex debuted the 150S, a smaller model of the Timex Data Link. This updated version, featuring a software program developed in conjunction with Microsoft, included WristApps, an application capable of downloading data.
  6. ^ "BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY; Timex and Microsoft Team Up on a Watch". The New York Times. 22 June 1994.
  7. ^ Mademoiselle. Condé Nast Publications. 1999. Retrieved 17 November 2012. Timex Data Link system downloads and stores up to 150 names and numbers. See at www.beepwear.com.
  8. ^ Personal Computing History: ...incidentally the only watch that bears the name of Microsoft on its front panel (via Internet Archive)
  9. ^ Slashdot: ...the Timex-Microsoft watch PDA...Microsoft and Timex introduced one of the first consumer PDAs
  10. ^ Hearst Magazines (November 1994). "Popular Mechanics". Popular Mechanics Magazine. Hearst Magazines: 44. ISSN 0032-4558. Retrieved 18 November 2012. among the more high-tech entries is Timex's Data Link. Developed in conjunction with software giant Microsoft and chip-maker Motorola, the Data Link allows you to easily transfer information from your computer to your watch. Specifically, you ...
  11. ^ Fred Fishkin with Bootcamp (February 11, 2009). "Pager & Organizer Built Into a Watch". CBS News. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  12. ^ "beepwear". Timex.com.
  13. ^ Bonnier Corporation (April 1998). "Popular Science". The Popular Science Monthly. Bonnier Corporation: 20. ISSN 0161-7370. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
  14. ^ Hearst Magazines (May 2000). "Popular Mechanics". Popular Mechanics Magazine. Hearst Magazines: 90. ISSN 0032-4558. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
  15. ^ Woodrow Barfield; Woodrow Barfield Thomas Caudell (2001). Fundamentals of Wearable Computers and Augmented Reality. Psychology Press. p. 500. ISBN 978-0-8058-2902-0. Retrieved 17 November 2012.