Casio Opens New Opportunities for Wearable App Developers

Smartwatches have always had a cool factor, but they’ve struggled to see widespread adoption by casual users as other fitness wearables. Casio is betting that they can bridge this divide with the WSD-F10, a new smartwatch aimed at rugged, real-world use in the great outdoors. For Apple Watch app developers and Android Wear app developers, the new platform could signal a sea change in consumer interest when it comes to timepiece wearables.

Hikers, cyclists, marathon junkies and fishermen will be thrilled with the wide variety of features the watch offers, surfacing a host of sensors for Android Wear and Apple Watch app developers to play with — including air pressure, altitude, and even tide tables.

The only confusion apparent to Chicago mobile app developers with the WSD-F10 is the lack of GPS, although this has a pretty reasonable excuse in light of the phone’s secret weapon — a game-changing 30-day battery life. With more well-known smartphones like the Apple Watch and Moto 360 clocking in at just over a day or two in battery life, Casio’s smartwatch has the potential to bring mobile app developers into the great outdoors. From alpine hiking to hitting the Appalachian Trail, smartwatch app developers are primed and ready to tackle a new frontier in fitness and outdoors-oriented mobile app offerings.

On the aesthetic side, early testers have noted the device is significantly chunkier than the average smartwatch. Considering how chunky most smartwatches feel — particularly to female users — Casio could be taking a gamble here by sizing the product too large for many users. The watch also comes at a steep price point, but considering all the features and the battery life $500 isn’t bad for outdoors-oriented smartwatch app developers who can get their money’s worth out of this unique mobile app platform.