There’s been a lot of attention around smartwatches lately but popular watch company Casio has been at it for years and offers connectivity to smartphones with its latest Edifice range.
Tech Guide took a close look at the Casio Edifice EQB-500D-1A – a feature packed watch that also has Bluetooth onboard.
It has a stylish steel design and five outside buttons along with a metal link band.
It also has a day and date indicator on the watch face and the device is waterproof to a depth of 100m.
The face of the Casio timepiece has hint of green on the second hand and the world clock hand along with other small markings on the watch face.
The product has a solid feel and has a nice weight to it so the second you hold it and wear it in your wrist, you can feel the quality.
The world time dial at 9 o’clock can be set to one of about 300 cities. It is actually the world’s first watch that can display the time in that many cities.
Also onboard is Tough Solar which converts light from the sun and other light sources into power to keep the device the Casio Edifice ticking.
But it’s the Bluetooth technology under the hood that is really going to catch your eye.
Bluetooth is activated with a single press of the lower left button.
Users can download the Casio Watch+ app for iPhone or Android and access the device’s features and settings.
One handy benefit is the ability to adjust the watch’s time to match the smartphone.
When you arrive in a new city your smartphone’s time automatically adjusts when it connects to the local cellular network.
The Casio Edifice, when paired to your smartphone and the Casio Watch+ app, will automatically adjust to the time on your device.
You can also choose which of those 300 cities’ time you’d like displayed on the watch as well as set alarms and the adjust the stopwatch settings.
The stopwatch data from the Casio watch can be transferred to your smartphone to save or create a log of up to 100 entries.
The smarts also extend to receiving alerts when you receive an email from up to five addresses registered in your contacts.
There’s even a phone finder so you can use the Casio Edifice watch to make your iPhone emit a sound to make it easy to find if you’ve misplaced it.
The Casio Watch+ app also acts as a guide to the watch as, at first glance, it can appear a little complicated.
The app’s guide points out the various modes and identifies what each button does and what each of the dials represent.
VERDICT
The Casio Edifice EQB-500D-1A combines the feel of a classic timepiece with some handy smartwatch features and it does it in style.
Casio Edifice EQB-500D-1A
Price: $649
