Microsoft smartwatch will be available “within weeks”

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Way back in April 2013 we heard that Microsoft was beavering away on a wearable device – and now, according to one report, its labours are all but complete; the company’s smartwatch may be mere weeks away from release.

Forbes claims the as-yet-unnamed device will work across all major smartphone operating systems (sorry, BlackBerry owners!), will feature a heart rate tracker and will offer longer battery life than some competitors.

READ MORE: Apple Watch: hands-on review

Better battery life

The report says Microsoft has managed to tune its watch to deliver two days of use per charge, putting it a notch above one-day wearables like the Moto 360 and Samsung Galaxy Gear. Apple is yet to reveal the battery life of its upcoming Watch, but the company is believed to be working hard to push it beyond a day of use per charge.

Those of you with good memories may recall that Microsoft actually launched a crude SPOT- and FM-compatible Smart Watch (yes, that was actually its name) several years ago, only for it to fail shortly after. The market is in a very different place now, with each of the major tech players (and, er, Will.i.am) seemingly intent on selling us at least one kind of wrist-mounted smart device.

Microsoft hopes to have its smartwatch in the shops in time for the lucrative Christmas period, according to Forbes’ story. If true, that means we’ll be hearing a lot more about it very, very soon. Stay tuned.

[Source: Forbes]

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Tech journalism's answer to The Littlest Hobo, I've written for a host of titles and lived in three different countries in my 15 years-plus as a freelancer. But I've always come back home to Stuff eventually, where I specialise in writing about cameras, streaming services and being tragically addicted to Destiny.