The Fossil Abacus tries to make the ultimate convergence product a fully featured PDA within a watch, based around a Motorola Dragonball Super VZ 66Mhx processor and 8mb of inbuilt ram the Fossil has the basics to run the operating system 4.1.2. and limited programmes.

We fired up Zagat to Go and found that it ran pretty well as did AvantGo but the limitations of the 160 x 160 pixel screen really start to show up when trying to read the BBC's pages through Avantgo, the pages normally optimised for a multiple inch screen struggle on the watches tiny face.

The processing power seemed much reduced from the Zire PDA's we've tested before and selecting applications with the tiny on screen buttons needed a cocktail stick or pinpoint accuracy using the supplied miniature stylus. That said Avant Go in its biggest font size was just about readable and the calendar style notes and basic PDA features like a contacts list worked well. Don't go getting ideas about running web browsers or email clients as the Fossil Abacus only has USB and Irda connectivity, the USB is used to charge the watches battery and can be used to get data onto the unit.

The clever ones in the office used infa red for this top up as the USB connection felt a bit clunky and as if we were filling up a cars petrol take with a fire hose!

The battery life gives around 3 - 4 days use from each charge, a bit limiting and not what you'd expect from a watch, we found it was easy to forget to top it up and then not only did you have a flat PDA but also a dead watch, perhaps in retrospect a separate battery for the basic watch features would have been a good plan.

Perhaps we are being a bit hard on the abacus which makes a good attempt to get some PDA features into a watch, it is certainly stylish in a geeky kind of way and looks a bit like those large LED watches from the 80's, you may not want to try and use it as part of your pulling technique unless you want to attract the sandal wearing chap from the IT department.

Overall it' s a pretty cool device, a watch PDA combo that shows a lot is possible but its use is held back by the small screen, retailing at £79.99 this model the PPAH0348 would make a great gift for any Geek or Techie who appreciates a concept more than it's actual performance.

Published - 25/10/2005

More PDA Reviews-

[ Up ] [ Sony Clie TH55 ] [ iMate Pocket PC and Phone ] [ HP 2210 Ipaq ] [ PalmOne Zire 72 PDA ] [ Palm Zire 31 ] [ Tungsten T5 Review ] [ Acer N30 PDA ] [ Tungsten E2 Review ] [ Dell Axim X50 ] [ Fossil Abacus Review ] [ PalmOne TX Review ] [ Nokia N800 Review ] [ Dell Axim X30 ] [ Sony Clie TJ35 ] [ Dell Axim X3i PDA ] [ Lifedrive Review ] [ HP 4150 PDA ] [ Palm Tungsten E ]