AneedA new watch? will.i.am’s dial is heading to the UK
The smartwatch that chats back comes bundled with Bluetooth buds
Will.i.am’s wearable revolution is just that little bit different from the rest of the pack – and now it’s heading to the UK.
Mobile network Three has exclusively bagged Dial, the second smartwatch from i.am+, with pre-orders opening up today.
The always-connected watch has built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and 3G, with Three’s network letting you make calls, send texts and listen to music through the i.am+ streaming service – wherever you are.
Ad-free music comes bundled with the watch, without any extra monthly fees to worry about like Spotify or Apple Music, and a two-year contract with Three includes unlimited music streaming and downloads.
Every dial has a pair of EP Bluetooth earbuds in the box, so you don’t have to worry about cables running up your arm, and you don’t have to stay tethered to a smartphone either.
Instead, it’s got AneedA – an AI assistant that can do pretty much everything through voice commands. Shouting into your wrist to pick playlists, get news headlines or find where to go for lunch won’t exactly be subtle, mind.
It might be more of a smart cuff than a smart watch, but dial looks a lot slicker than i.am+’s first attempt; the Puls was pretty much universally slated by anyone that strapped one on.
Dial’s got a 1.63in AMOLED screen, 32GB of storage to fill with music, and a 2MP camera for taking photos when you’re on the move. So pretty well equipped compared to the cuurent crop of Android Wear watches.
Hopefully dial is on track to fare better than the Puls. It’s up for pre-order exclusively from Three today, with contracts setting you back £22 per month when you splash out £49 upfront.
Tom Morgan-Freelander
Deputy Editor 
