Microsoft Planning Touch-Enabled Smartwatch?

You may already have a Windows phone or tablet, but what would you say about running your favorite applications on a highly wearable Windows device, such as a wristwatch? As the market for gadgets you can actually wear is expanding, Microsoft is reportedly looking to build a touch-enabled smartwatch.

The reports are yet unconfirmed, but it would make sense for the software giant to follow in the footsteps of its rivals which have announced similar plans. Apple, Samsung, LG and even Google are already working on developing such wearable gadgets.

Microsoft launched a similar smartwatch concept in 2004, but the project was discontinued.

Microsoft is rumored to have asked Asian suppliers to provide the necessary components for such a smartwatch earlier this year. The company is reportedly looking at using a 1.5 inch display for the device. However, it is yet unclear whether Microsoft will move ahead with the project. The company’s previous attempt to launch into the wearable gadgets market, by manufacturing a similar wristwatch device about ten years ago, resulted in failure when sales stopped in 2008.

Either way, there is a growing demand for wearable gadgets and one way or another, a smartwatch could actually be released on the market in the next couple of years, no matter who the manufacturer is. As smartphones are becoming bigger, people will be looking for smaller devices that have the same function but are more easy to carry around.

Smartwatches are however unlikely to function as independent computerized devices in the immediate future. They are more likely to be used in sync with smartphones and other devices instead of replacing them, at least at first.

A smartwatch from Microsoft could, for instance, allow you to connect wirelessly to your Windows devices and receive alerts about incoming emails, Twitter posts or phone calls, practically complementing the gadgets you are already using every day.  Additional features could be added, such as allowing you to send text messages and take pictures. This would make the smart wristwatch a very useful gadget to have, offering wearers higher accessibility and portability than the current handheld devices.

[Images via Microsoft & digitaltrends]