Motorola Confirms Development Of Another Smartwatch

Motorola held a decided low-key press conference today at Mobile World Congress. It was a snoozer. But! But Rick Osterloh, Motorola SVP, confirmed that the brand is still working on smartwatch development and there is another one on the way.

Motorola was in fact one of the first firms to attempt a smartwatch. Way back in the balmy days of 2011, Motorola released the Motoactiv GPS and fitness watch. It was rather bulky, think iPad nano on a wrist band, but Motorola packed it full of features geared towards the fitness crowd. The damn thing could even play Angry Birds. The product was discontinued in 2013.

It’s unclear from today’s event when Motorola’s next smartwatch will hit stores although the executive stated that the company is targeting a 2014 launch. It’s conceivable that the watch is shelved until Motorola Mobility is completely under Lenovo’s control. A lot is riding on this device as the war over wearables heats up.

When it launches, Motorola’s watch will face stiff competition from the Pebble Steel, new Samsung Gear watches, and even more traditional fitness trackers such as the Fitbit.