A Montreal teenager’s success in raising funds for his smartwatch project is showing no signs of slowing down, as Simon Tian's Neptune Pine has attracted $269,000 in pledges over the Kickstarter site as of Friday evening.
The funding represents almost three times what Tian and his associates had initially been shooting for, as over 1,000 investors have stepped to the plate to respond to his pitch, which included the boast that the Pine is, "the only device you'll ever need."
Tian - who quit CEGEP to develop the project - claims that the Neptune Pine is different from other smartwatches.
"They’re usually sold as Bluetooth accessories for a phone, either for fitness tracking or as some sort of notification centre. We believe that a smartwatch should be a truly stand-alone device."
He had the idea for his smartwatch, called the Neptune Pine, last year and visited factories in China to investigate what he could have built.
"What I learned is that in 2013 it's actually possible for small startup companies like us to develop products as competitive as what the big guys are coming up with, because material costs have been going down for years and they've been made accessible -- all the different chips and components -- not to only large orders but to small orders as well," said Tian.
"So that's what's really permitting us to develop this product."
The first thing that stands out about the Neptune Pine is its 2.4-inch screen, which he admits looks large on a wrist.
"Obviously the initial reaction will be, 'Oh, it's big for a watch!' but we think a paradigm shift is going to be required in the future."
He decided a big screen was crucial to make a truly useful smart watch that could browse the web, launch Google Android apps and make calls. The watch also takes its own SIM card so it's not dependent on a smartphone for a wireless connection. It can also connect to WiFi networks.
"Right now the biggest issue with smart watches is screen size, the form factor is limiting it from replacing a fully functional smartphone," Tian said.
"(Current smartwatches) are all very good at specific things, like peering with your phone for notifications or tracking fitness data, but there's no one single smart watch that can sort of do it all."
He believes the future of smartwatches lies in using flexible-screen technology, which many companies are working to commercialize.
"It would basically circle around the wrist and when you remove it you would have a three- or four-inch screen that would be entirely large enough for smartphone functionability," said Tian.
He plans to produce at least 2,500 units of his Neptune Pine smartwatch by January. A model with 16 gigabytes of storage will sell for $335, while it will be an extra $60 for double the storage.
Tian is following the lead of another young Canadian entrepreneur who found success in wearable technology. Last year, 26-year-old Eric Migicovsky raised more than $10 million on Kickstarter for his Pebble watch, which connects wirelessly to a smartphone to display message notifications and launch apps.
-With a file from The Canadian Press
