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High Tech on Your Wrist is a Hard Sell

Techstination feature for Wednesday, May 26, 2004

High tech on your wrist is a hard sell. Bloomberg Boot Camp, a report on today's technology. At first Microsoft called it SPOT…smart personal object technology. Smart watches, using the technology, went on sale earlier this year from Fossil and Suunto. The watches receive wireless updates and can display news, weather, stocks…the scores of your favorite baseball team…and best of all…your calendar from Microsoft Outlook. But Suunto President Dan Colliander says…

"Sales are sort of a little slower than expected. But we think how we had pictured it together with Microsoft is that we're really working our way through a funnel. And as you're creating a new space, you'll have to make improvements along the way in both the hardware and the service or the software."

Colliander says there will be improvements later this year…when he hopes sales will pick up….

"One, we need to build awareness of this service so people can actually try it and use it. Hopes for us participating in this, that it will significantly add to our user base in the United States and have people one, understand who we are, but what we're about."

The history of the Finnish instrument company dates back to 1938. The Suunto N3 smart watch sells for about 300 dollars. The wireless service for data costs about five dollars a month and is availablein about a hundred metropolitan areas….and soon Canada. Bloomberg Boot Camp, I'm Fred Fishkin.