Martian Watch Brings Wristphone Technology to Earthlings

The Martian Passport puts smartphone voice controls and a speakerphone on a wrist.

An outfit called Martian Watches has created one of the most advanced options yet to put smartphone technology on your wrist.

The three lines of Martian Watches control your Apple or Android phone through a Bluetooth connection, but with a difference â€" the device has a microphone so you can speak voice commands to your watch that your phone will carry out.

It also has a speaker, so your phone can read your texts and e-mails aloud to you through your watch.

The combination of speaker and microphone means you can also make phone calls and hear the responses through the watch, like a speakerphone.

The face of the watch has a lot going on. There is an analog clock face that runs on a watch battery, which will last an estimated two years. There is also an LED that blinks to let you know if you have a phone call or message, or if the battery is low. There is also a small OLED screen that shows you texts and e-mails in a ticker-style scroll of up to 40 characters.

The phone functions are powered by a separate rechargeable battery with an estimated two hours of talk time and seven days of standby. It is recharged through a Micro USB cable.

Toggling the two buttons on the left of the watch case lets you see the date or local weather or get to menus to change the watch’s settings.

Clever features include a “leash” that lets you know if your phone and watch are parted, so you won’t mistakenly leave one behind. A “do not disturb” feature lets you set the hours that your watch is active, so you don’t get alerts in the middle of the night or during meetings. And there is a remote shutter control for your phone’s camera.

In use, all of the features worked well, although the voice command feature has the same Achilles’ heel as the one on phones - it is often confounded by background noise. It worked more consistently in quieter places.

There are three models of Martian Watches in a variety of colors. They are priced at $250 to $300 on pre-order from Martian for delivery in about a month.