USA TODAY US Edition

Gadget-happy Earthlings might find Martian G2G watch worth going into orbit

- Deb Porterfiel­d E-mail new product suggestion­s to techporter­field@gmail.com.

You don’t have to be an extraterre­strial to appreciate the high-tech gimmickry found in the Martian G2G watch. Designed for women, the surprising­ly comfy Bluetooth watch can communicat­e with both iPhone and Android phones.

Although the voice-command watch has a microphone, a speaker, an OLED display and a micro-USB port, these items are discreetly built into the watch, so it resembles an old-fashioned analog timepiece. With a soft silicone band and a rectangula­r analog face, the watch looks normal enough that most people will be surprised when a call comes in and you start carrying on a two-way conversati­on with your watch.

That’s not to say the watch functions perfectly. Like many ambitious tech products, this model has occasional kinks that demand some pa- tience. For example, even though the watch is supposed to handle text messages, setting it up to do so proved taxing and at some point, not worth the effort.

Even so, the watch has some cool and easy-to-operate features that make it fun to wear and show off. You can snap a picture on your phone via a button on your watch. You also can check the weather or the name of an incoming caller on its display screen. If you misplace your phone, the watch can help you locate it.

The watch’s rechargeab­le battery provides about two hours of talk time and seven days of standby time. Available in blue, green, red, pink and white, the model will go on sale this spring for about $250. Two other models, the Passport Watch and the Victory Watch, also are expected to go on sale later this spring for about $300. www.martianwat­ches.com

 ?? NINON NGUYEN, GANNETT ?? The Martian G2G watch can communicat­e with both iPhone and Android phones.
NINON NGUYEN, GANNETT The Martian G2G watch can communicat­e with both iPhone and Android phones.

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