Nixon’s first ever Android Wear Watch, The Mission (yes, that’s what it’s called) was officially unveiled at Baselworld. The US watch brand joined the Google party with a super-water resistant and GPS rocking smartwatch and you can pre-order now from $400.
It’s an adventurers’ best friend that’s instantly going to get compared to Casio’s rugged Android Wear watch.
Essential reading: Nixon The Mission review
Here are all the nitty gritty details you need to know about the newest member of the Android Wear family.
Nixon The Mission: Design
If you were hoping for something slim to wear around the wrist, then much like Casio’s Android Wear number, that’s not what you’re going to get with The Mission. There’s a 48mm polycarbonate watch case with Gorilla Glass adding an extra layer of durability.
On a more positive note, the full colour AMOLED screen, is in fact a full circle. No flat black tyre at the bottom of the screen to see here folks. There’s also a raised stainless steel bezel in tow to protect the touchscreen from damage.
To add to its rugged prowess, Nixon’s Wear watch is military grade dust and shock resistant. It’s also slapped with a 10 ATM water resistance rating so it can be submerged up to 100m. That’s 50 more metres than the Casio Android Wear watch can manage in the watery depths in case you were wondering.
While it’s a serious piece of smartwatch, buyers will also be able to customise Nixon’s The Mission look with a selection of clip on coloured casings, and a selection of watch faces mirror the company’s line up of analogue watches is available on the digital display, which is a nice touch. There’s also over 20 silicon watch straps and over 15 different bezels to choose from including gunmetal and gold options.
In fact, Nixon claims there are 44,000 possible combinations when it comes to your chosen style.
Nixon The Mission: The sensors
One thing The Mission is not short of is sensors. For starters, it capitalises on the Casio’s lack of GPS, which can be used for surfing, skiing and will work with any Android Wear app, meaning you can hook it up with your favourite running or cycling tracker.
But there’s more. You also get a altimeter, barometer, thermometer, compass, gyrometer, accelerometer and humidity sensors. It’s well equipped for monitoring your terrain and are all accessible by Android Wear apps.
Nixon The Mission: Android Wear
Speaking of Android Wear, The Mission will support Google smartwatch optimised platform including giving you access to download and install apps from the Google Play Store.
Nixon is also bundling a couple of its own bespoke apps to take full advantage of the onboard sensors. The Nixon Mission app will deliver real time surf and snow conditions while the Trace app will let you attach a puck to surf or snowboard to track speed, distance and time spent.
Powering Android Wear will be Qualcomm’s brand new Snapdragon Wear 2100 processor. We’ve already covered in a bit more detail the benefits of the new Wear chipset. Ultimately, it should improve battery performance and sensor performance.
Nixon The Mission: The extras
Another nifty feature is the voice mic, which sits behind a plastic clip on the left of the case to maintain that 10 ATM rating. The company told us that the mic is designed so you don’t have to take your phone out when you’re skiing, risking dropping it, or having the battery annihilated by the cold temperatures.
Nixon has also teamed up with GoreTex to create a water resistant membrane to keep the mic splashproof when you’re using the built-in mic.
“All of our watches have to meet a high standard of durability and water resistance and for many of these participants, a fragile smartwatch is useless,” said Tyson White, vice president of product at Nixon.
Nixon The Mission: Battery life
The Mission. Ultra-Rugged and Waterproof. The World’s First Action Sports Smartwatch Powered by Google Android Wear™ from Nixon on Vimeo.Batte
Battery life is where the Nixon really falls down, as we found in our review. Conservatively, you’re looking at a day and a half, and maybe two days if you’re using it less intensively.
We found that GPS had a big bearing on the battery too. Unfortunately this thing won’t last a day of hiking in the hills.
Nixon The Mission: Price and release date
The Mission is available right now on Amazon and Nixon’s site, costing from $400, which undercuts the Casio by a solid $100.
SOURCE:http://www.wareable.com/android-wear/nixon-the-mission-specs-release-date-features-price-2469
