Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/439817
C o n s u m e r E l e c t ro n i c s D a i l y N e ws Tu e s d a y, J a n u a r y 6 , 2 0 1 5 4 8 MARTIAN WATCHES TEAMS UP WITH GUESS FOR AWARD WINNING SMARTWATCHES WITH FLAIR AND FUNCTIONALITY After a successful sales year for Martian Watches with its Martian Notifier, a styl- ish entry-level smartwatch which debuted last year at the 2014 International CES ® and will sell through over 100,000 units worldwide by early 2015, fashion giant GUESS has taken notice and entered into a joint venture with Martian. The partnership puts Martian's voice and notification technol- ogy into a new line of GUESS smart- watches scheduled to launch in 2015. The resulting "GUESS CONNECT Watch Powered by Martian" has been named a 2015 CES Innovation Award Honoree. Martian Watches CEO Jeffrey Hsieh is pleased about the joint venture. "They were looking for a means by which they could maintain their distinctive design while incorporating Martian's unique technology. That meshed with Martian's goals, so it was 'an instant collabora- tion,'" he said. "It's an exciting alliance. Their watch design is absolutely stun- ning, and we're very proud to be working with them." One of the challenges in designing the new line was that, for many people, watches aren't simply a fashion accesso- ry – they become so much a part of the wearer's identity that they're required to last for many years, possibly even to last long enough to be handed down from one family member to another. Technology, on the other hand, evolves rapidly, and the necessity for a smart device is to keep up with technologi- cal advances. Making a watch that satis- fied those two diametrically opposed imperatives involved a modular design with compo- nents that insert into the back of the casing along with the watch movement, so that the watch maintains all of its aes- thetic excellence, build quality and durability, and updating the electron- ics requires a simple replacement of the Martian module rather than the whole watch. The Martian technology in the GUESS line means that wearers will be able to use their smartwatches to control a full range of commands for their smart- phones – everything from using voice to send or read a text message, get direc- tions, set a reminder or even activate the camera shutter on their smartphone. With near-term advances in voice command technology, they'll soon be able to tell their watch to secure the house, and the smart home will dim the lights, lock the doors and turn down the thermostat to conserve energy, and they'll be able to do that with GUESS style. While the GUESS CONNECT Watches pow- ered by Martian aren't available for purchase just yet, CES attendees have a chance to win a Martian Notifier smartwatch or a GUESS watch by visiting Martian's booth in the Sands. Martian will be giv- ing away more than 100 watches as well as more than a thousand other prizes dur- ing the show in booth #70843. For more information and to enter your name for a chance to win a Martian smartwatch, visit booth #70843 in the Sands. After the show, find out more by visiting www.martianwatches.com or calling 949-727-4288. Best of Best of Show 2015