New LG Watch Urbane: Beyond functionality, a fashion statement

Before Peter Henlein, a 16th Century German locksmith, sprung his invention to the world, clocks of the time were notoriously unreliable. Most towns relied on the sun or church bells to keep track of time and as a result, time would vary greatly from one place to another.

Considered as the inventor of the watch, Helein is said to be one of the first craftsmen to make small ornamental portable clocks which were often worn as pendants or attached to clothing. Today, his invention is nothing to write home about.

A departure from Henlein’s drum-shaped portable time pieces with balance springs and one hand that were only used to tell time is today’s smartwatch which can make calls, send messages, remind people of calendar events, check how many calories one has burned,among other functions.

However, beyond ergonomics, manufacturers are now more than ever keen to rollout watches that add both style and high-tech flairto customers’ everyday lives.

This has been necessitated by a shift in how customers appraise products. A while back, emphasis was mostly on function, with form becoming only important later. But this rule of thumb is slowly becoming less true over time, especially as personal tastes in technological devices become almost as important to one’s self-identity as the clothes they wear or the music they listen to.

Gone are the days when simply offering a product with superior functionality would lead to increased sales. Now, devices have to look great for them to fit users’ personalities. They also have to function flawlessly with usability-enhancing design elements.

This is true if the just unveiled world’s first LTE-enabled smartwatch from LG, the LG Watch Urbane LTE is anything to go by.

As its name suggests, the smartwatch is designed for a sophisticated and cosmopolitan wearer and delivers unparalleled technology and performance. It follows closely in the footsteps of the LG Watch R, the first smartwatch with a full circular Plastic OLED (P-OLED) display, which LG launched in October 2014.

While the LG Watch R was designed with the active user in mind, the LG Watch Urbane is more formal with a thinner profile making it perfect for either men or women. Resembling a luxury timepiece, LG combined a classic design and innovative features to add style and convenience to everyday life while raising the already high standards set by its predecessor.

The LG Watch Urbane is crafted around the same 1.3-inch full circle P-OLED display as the LG Watch R but features a narrower bezel that gives it sleeker lines. The LG Watch Urbane has all of the hallmarks of a fine watch, making it the perfect fashion accessory. Its stainless steel body is available in polished silver and gold finish and is complemented by a beautifully stitched natural leather strap for a more fashionable look.

It offers the style and sophistication of a real analog watch and adds to this the highest level of microtechnologycentered around a 1.3-inch Plastic-OLED display. Under the P-OLED display, the LG Watch Urbane LTE packs all the communication capabilities of a smartphone in a curved, polished and fashionable metal wristwatch.

It can make and answer calls as well as send and receive text messages. With carrier support, the smart watch offers push-to-talk (PTT) capability with other devices on the same cellular network, so customers can use their LG Watch Urbane LTE as a walkie-talkie with unlimited range to talk to multiple parties at the same time.

In addition, the connectivity options offered by the LG Watch Urbane LTE are light years ahead of the competition. NFC technology means wearers will have a virtual wallet on their wrist at all times. Users can make payments for meals, movie tickets and even transit fares faster and easier with their LG Watch Urbane LTE without ever taking out their wallets. Imagine being able to purchase movie tickets with the LG Watch Urbane LTE and then receiving a reminder of the movie a few hours in advance, all based on the payment information.

Even with all this technology, the LG Watch Urbane LTE isn’t afraid to get physical. A built-in heart rate monitor and advanced motion sensors make tracking fitness goals easier than with a smartphone. In addition to the standard fitness coach, the LG Watch Urbane LTE also includes specialized features for golfers, cyclists and hikers.

Whether working out or inside a room, access to several thousand watchfaces ensures that the LG Watch Urbane LTE can always be personalized to suit one’s taste and style of the moment, from the shape of the watch hands to the background, which can even be customized using photographs from a smartphone or tablet.

This exemplifies the strides that LG has made in stylish, context-driven wearable technology.