Chip design firm Qualcomm says “me too” to smartwatch market

Chipmaker Qualcomm has said “me too” to the emerging smartwatch market, launching its device on the same day Samsung announced its Galaxy Gear smartwatch.

The company, originally known as a telecoms equipment supplier for CDMA mobile networks, has been best known in recent times for its Snapdragon series of smartphone and tablet processors.

A key selling point of its device is its Mirasol display, which uses microscopic devices acting as mirrors to only reflect a certain wavelength of light, meaning the device should use less power than other devices.

The watch also uses wireless charging and supports wireless headphones.

While the device can run its own apps, it’s primarily designed to receive push updates from an Android smartphone.

Aside from Samsung, which also announced a smartwatch named Galaxy Gear, and Apple, which has long been rumoured to be working on a smartwatch known as the iWatch.

Earlier this week, SmartCompany reported Google has filed for patents on a number of key smartphone technologies, including gaze detection and hinged displays, as news surfaced the tech giant has secretly purchased a smartwatch start-up previously linked to Apple.

Sony, Microsoft and LG are also believed to be working on smartwatch devices.