Facebook Rebranding Exercise: Facebook changed the name of its parent company to “Meta”.
Meta Platform Inc., Co. First Facebook Inc. was known asThe tech giant is developing a smartwatch with a front-facing camera and rounded screen, according to an image of the device found inside one of the iPhone apps.
The photo shows a watch with a screen and cover that is slightly curved at the edges. The front-facing camera – as you see on a smartphone – is visible at the bottom of the display, and on the right is a control button for the watch.
The image was found inside the company’s app to control its new smart glasses launched in partnership with Ray-Ban. The photo was found by app developer Steve Moser and shared with Bloomberg News. A Meta spokesperson declined to comment.
Facebook… I mean Meta casually left this image of their ‘matching’ smart watch in their ‘Facebook View’ app. Now notch joins the conversation with the meta lower rungs.
front camera
Stainless Steel
looks detachable https://t.co/T3xw4mzvTx— Steve Moser (@SteveMoser) October 28, 2021
The watch has a detachable wrist strap and what appears to be a button on the top of the watch case. Its larger display is designed for Apple Inc., rather than the more basic fitness trackers sold by Google’s Fitbit and Garmin Ltd. Imitates the style of a watch.
The leaked image shows the watch with a screen and a slightly curved casing at the edges. (credit: bloomberg)
The camera suggests that the product will be used for videoconferencing, a feature that sets Meta’s device apart. Apple’s smartwatch doesn’t have a camera, and neither do rival products from companies like Samsung Electronics Co.
Facebook is planning to launch its first watch in early 2022, but according to a person with knowledge of the matter, a final decision on the timing has not yet been made and the launch could happen later. The person said the company is working on three generations of the product, aimed at different release time frames. The device in the image may ultimately represent a version that has never been released, but it is the first evidence of the company’s work on the project.
The Verge previously reported on Facebook’s Watch plans, saying that the device could also include a heart-rate monitor.
The presence of the image in the Glasses app, called Facebook View, may indicate that the watch will also be managed on iPhone and Android devices using that app. The code inside the software indicates that the clock can be labeled “matching”. The code also states that the camera will be able to capture both photos and videos and download them to the phone.
A smartwatch will be a new major hardware category for Meta, which currently sells virtual reality headsets and Portal video-chat devices. On Thursday, the company said it is working on a new high-end headset called “Project Cambria” that mixes virtual and augmented reality. Meta has said that the watch of the future could serve as an input device or accessory for its headset.
If Meta launches the watch next year, it will go up against the next generation of Apple devices. Bloomberg has reported that the company is planning three new Apple Watches for 2022, including the Apple Watch Series 8 with a body temperature sensor, a new low-end Apple Watch SE, and a rugged model geared towards athletes.
A move to smartwatches would exacerbate the rivalry between Meta and Apple, who have battled changes in App Store policies and privacy to the iPhone operating system. Apple also plans to launch its first mixed-reality headset as early as next year, which will compete with the upcoming high-end Meta headset.
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