Deutsche Telekom is launching a new voice-activated smartwatch from US
performer and producer will.i.am. in Germany and some other European
countries later this year, they said on Monday.
The deal for the device called "dial" was announced in Barcelona during the annual Mobile World Congress.
The gadget is will.i.am's second move into the smartwatch market after the celebrity launched "puls" more than a year ago.
Unlike
most so-called wearables such as the Apple Watch, "dial" has its own
SIM card so it can operate independently from another smartphone or
tablet, for making phone calls or connecting to the internet.
The
front man of the Black Eyed Peas launched "dial" through his technology
start-up i.am+ and is tapping into a growing market for smart devices
people can wear rather than carry.
Shipments of wearables are
expected to grow from 84 million units in 2015 to 411 million in 2020,
according to technology research firm CCS Insight. The global market
will be worth $34 billion in 2020, up from $10 billion in 2015, they
said.
Will.i.am's new device is voice controlled and can play
music and surf the internet simultaneously. The operating system
software can recognise and store personal preferences.
The
smartwatch runs on a dedicated platform called AneedA, which includes a
music streaming service, and also works as a voice assistant similar to
Apple Inc's Siri and Microsoft's Cortana.
Will.i.am told a news conference he wanted to add more devices to the AneedA platform, but declined to elaborate.
The smartwatch was launched in Britain last week with operator Three.
Deutsche Telekom said "dial" would be available later this year in its European markets but declined to give more details.
© Thomson Reuters 2016