Microsoft is planning to enter the wearables sector with the launch of its very own smartwatch, according to a new report from Forbes.
Citing its own “sources”, the publication claims that the new device will be compatible with Android, iOS and Windows Phone smartphones.
Additionally, it is rumoured that the new device is at an advanced stage of development and could be launched as soon as this summer as Microsoft aims to beat Apple’s iWatch to the market.
The report also divulges some interesting design details for the new wearable, stating that the watch’s display will be placed on the inside of the wrist in order to make it easier for users to keep their notifications to themselves.
That display size, the report asserts, will be the size of “half a stick of gum,” while the battery will last for two days.
Microsoft has reportedly enlisted its Kinect engineering team to work on the device, which will feature a continuous heart-rate monitor among other advanced sensors.
The Kinect team has also developed software to harness the data served up by the device’s sensors in a manner that sounds similar to Samsung’s newly announced, open-source Simband platform.
No details regarding pricing for the smartwatch as of yet, seeing as Microsoft has yet to confirm the rumours.
Speculation surrounding a Microsoft smartwatch has been building since patents for a wearable by the software giant were spotted online recently, despite being filed with the US Patent Office in 2012.
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