Smartphone independent device will be out in time for Xmas

Musician Will.i.am has announced a new smartwatch called Puls, which is smartphone-independent. Will.i.am stated he hopes the smartwatch will bring him credibility in the technology arena so he can be a more positive role model for young people.

The touchscreen Android device contains its own SIM so can be used to send text messages, make calls, and connect to social networks, said The Wall Street Journal. It can also be used for location tracking on maps, and playing music, and includes a voice controlled digital assistant called Aneeda.

The international performer announced the device at Salesforce’s Dreamforce conference yesterday in San Francisco. While the release date for the device is not yet known, it will be out in time for Christmas, Will.i.am told The Wall Street Journal.

Will.i.am is keen for the device to be a success so he can become a better role model for young people in his hometown of Los Angeles, The Wall Street Journal quoted Will.i.am  as saying. He encourages young people to become the next Bill Gates rather than aspire to become a musician.

Will.i.am told The Wall Street Journal: “We all are moving to encourage kids in inner cities to take an interest in STEM [science, technology, engineering and mathematics]. And it’s hard because they don’t really have someone to model themselves after. Or they don’t know, with that STEM education, where it’s going to take them. So for me to tell a kid to take an interest in computer science and I’m nowhere in that field—that’s a tall order. “This is the beginning for me and more importantly there’s purpose behind it,” he added.

See The Wall Street Journal story here