From the Apple Watch to Google‘s Pixel Watch, many of the world’s biggest tech firms now have their own smartwatches on sale.
Facebook‘s parent company, Meta, was rumoured to be the next tech giant to be developing a smartwatch with two cameras, under the project name ‘Milan’.
But a new report claims that Meta has halted development on the smartwatch and is instead working on ‘other devices for the wrist.’
Facebook’s parent company, Meta, was rumoured to be the next tech giant to be developing a smartwatch with two cameras
The report by Bloomberg cites ‘a person with knowledge of the matter,’ and claims that Meta had been developing the smartwatch for at least two years.
‘The device … was designed to include several features common in other smartwatches, including activity tracking, music playback and messaging,’ Bloomberg wrote.
‘A prototype of the now halted device includes dual-cameras, a key differentiator from market leaders like the Apple Watch.’
A 5MP camera was located below the main display, while at 12MP camera was on the backside and sat against the wearer’s wrist, according to images seen by Bloomberg.
While this might seem like a strange location for a camera, the report claims it would have allowed users to remove the watch face from its strap to quickly take photos.
However, the location also caused issues incorporating electromyography within the smartwatch – a feature for translating nerve signals from the wrist into digital commands.
In a blog post earlier this year, Meta explained how it plans to use electromyography to transform people’s hands into ‘controllers’ for other devices.
The removable watch face had a gold casing, with two buttons on the side – much like the Apple Watch (pictured)
‘This is about decoding those signals at the wrist — the actions you’ve already decided to perform — and translating them into digital commands for your device,’ it explained.
The removable watch face had a gold casing, with two buttons on the side – much like the Apple Watch.
Users would have been able to access popular apps including Spotify, WhatsApp and Instagram Stories, as well as daily activity tracking, workouts, photo gallery, heart rate monitoring, calendar, settings and breathing.
And while Apple Watch users manage their apps through their iPhone, the Meta smartwatch users would have managed their apps through their Facebook account.
Other key features were 18 hour battery life, WiFi, GPS and cellular connectivity via eSIM.
Earlier this year, Meta explained how it plans to use electromyography to transform people’s hands into ‘controllers’ for other devices
The smartwatch was set to be priced at $349, and to be released in spring 2023, according to Bloomberg.
While the Apple Watch rival has been halted, Bloomberg claims that Meta is still working on several other devices for the wrist.
The report comes shortly after Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg shared the first look at his company’s ‘mixed reality’ headset, known as Project Cambria.
In a new video, Zuckerberg can be seen testing a demo called ‘the World Beyond’ on the ‘high-end’ headset, which will come out later this year.
It shows Zuckerberg petting a cute virtual creature, picking up and throwing a virtual ball, and viewing a web browser that appears to be floating right in front of his face.
Mixed reality describes experiences that combine elements of both a physical and virtual environment, allowing real and digital elements to coexist and interact.
