| |  | Electronics : Fossil Wrist Net Smart Watch for MSN Direct (FX3001) |  | | | | | | | | | |
Binding: Electronics
Brand: Fossil
EAN: 0796483963955
Label: Fossil
Manufacturer: Fossil
Model: FX3001
Publisher: Fossil
Studio: Fossil
Variation Description: Round Face
Features:- Stocks, news, personal messages, and more--delivered wirelessly to your watch
- One of the first devices to use MSN Direct, a wireless subscription service
- Automatically updates to the correct local time when you travel
- Customizable data channels and watch faces
- Syncs up with your Outlook calendar
Accessories:Related Items:
Editorial Review:
Amazon.com Review:
It's a great idea, and, for the most part a great product: a watch that keeps time with atomic clock accuracy and displays useful, timely information. The Smart Watch gives you stock prices, news, and weather, and personal messages, all right on your watch face. You get all that stuff on your cell phone already, right? But the idea of the Smart Watch though is that it offers this information in glanceable form, and on a device that is always at hand. Simplicity and unobtrusiveness are key--you can rapidly navigate through all the different types of information quickly, and immediately read your text messages the moment they arrive with a discreet little beep.
MSN Direct is the subscription service that broadcasts data to the Smart Watch via an FM signal. The first thing you have to do when you get your watch is set up an account and customize your information channels. It's a fairly quick process, though you have to jump through a few Microsoft hoops (like getting a .NET Passport). Immediate gratification junkies should be warned, however, that you most likely won't start getting any data until about 12 or more hours after set up. Also, the channels are very much a work in progress--the news I was getting initially had a random quality to it, but more recently the watch's timeliness has compared favorably with CNN.com in breaking major stories.
Information delivered to your watch includes:
 | Stock quotes: Get updates on the stocks you care about, as well as information on the major high-volume stocks and indices. |  | News: Get headlines and the full text of local, national, international, business, entertainment, sports, health, and travel news stories. |  | Time: Wrist Net watches display the current time, automatically updated for different time zones, and include a chronometer, an alarm, and a timer. You can choose from a wide variety of watch faces for just the right look. |  | Weather: Get the latest reports for cities all over the world. Local city weather information includes current conditions, a three-day forecast, sunrise and sunset information, humidity, barometric pressure, and ultraviolet (UV) index. |  | Text messages: Receive messages from friends and family through MSN Messenger version 6.0 or later. |  | Sports: Continuous sports updates keep consumers current on game times, scores, pre- and post-game stories, and standings for their favorite collegiate and professional sports teams. |  | Daily Diversions: Currently, consumers can select from Word of the Day, Quote of the Day, Born on This Day, and This Day in History. |  | Horoscope: Consumers can receive a personalized horoscope based on their specific time and place of birth. | | | |
The need to recharge frequently--a single charge will last two to seven days, depending on usage--has some users unhappy, but for me it is a non-issue. You charge the watch by simply placing it on its cradle, so if you set the cradle up wherever you stash the watch at night, the watch will always be charged.
There are a few real drawbacks, however, most prominent (literally) being the size of the watch, which is on the humongous side of fashionably chunky. Another downer is the strap which is hard to close and, since it contains the watch's antenna, tends to spring open. The most serious complaint however is that reception can be sporadic--there were entire days that I got no new data at all. When MSN Direct improves service--and it has shown signs of doing so since the watch launched--they will have a truly revolutionary product on their hands (and the nation's wrists). --David Stoesz
Pros - Geek factor is through the roof
- Intuitive navigation
- Recharging is a snap
Cons - It's HUGE
- Coverage can be sporadic
- Strap is unwieldy
Amazon.com Product Description:
The Wrist Net watch with MSN Direct receives information wirelessly, so you’re in the know while on the go. Find everything from stock quotes to the latest news, all at a glance. Along with a glanceable, seamless connection to your world, there are tons of watch faces to choose from, for just the look you want. Set-up is easy: simply charge up, activate your watch online, and set up the content channels you want. A subscription to MSN Direct--available in top cities across the U.S. and Canada--is required to take full advantage of all watch features.
FAQ
What's included?
Wrist Net Smart Watch, Reference Guide, Quick Start Guide, Charger, and AC Adapter.
What is MSN Direct?
 MSN Direct is a new, specialized wireless service that delivers personalized information through an FM network. Watches with MSN Direct provide you timely, glanceable information conveniently available at the flick of a wrist. Stay connected to the information that matters to you most, including news, weather, stocks, personal messages, appointment reminders, and more. Find the latest info and get a subscription at www.msndirect.com.
How do I set the time on my watch?
MSN Direct uses an atomic clock (an extremely precise timekeeping device that uses atomic measurement for absolute accuracy) as its time standard, and broadcasts this time to your watch over local FM radio waves. You do not need to set the time your watch will automatically receive the time and remain accurate. If you travel to another time zone, your watch will update to the correct local time, as long as you are within an MSN Direct coverage area. If you are outside an MSN Direct coverage area, you may need to manually set the time on your watch.
How will I know when my watch is activated?
To activate your watch with the MSN Direct service, go to the MSN Direct Web site -- www.msndirect.com -- and click Activate. Follow the instructions on your screen to activate MSN Direct and personalize the content you want to receive. Once you complete this process, the service will send a Welcome message to your watch. When you receive the Welcome message, your watch has been activated. After the message arrives, your watch will continue to receive other configuration information to complete its initial setup. The activation and configuration process is complete when the channels on your watch match those you have selected on the Web site. This initial process may take several hours to complete. To see the available channels on your watch, press the Channel button repeatedly.
How do I replace or recharge the battery in my watch?
The battery in your watch is rechargeable, not replaceable. To recharge your watch, simply place it on the charger supplied by your watch manufacturer. For more information, see the user manual that came with your watch. Recharging your watch may take up to 2 hours. For best results, we recommended that you recharge your watch daily.
How often do I need to recharge my watch?
Your watch battery will run 3-7 days on a single charge, depending on usage. For best results, we recommend that you recharge your watch daily. You can recharge your watch at any time. There is no need to wait for the battery to drain completely. For more information about your watch battery capacity and recharging your watch, see the user manual that came with your watch.
What happens when I leave an MSN Direct coverage area?
When you travel to a different MSN Direct coverage area, your watch is automatically updated to the new time zone and information such as local news and weather are updated for your new location. And no matter what, your watch will always work as a watch, continuing to tell time. Information you already received will remain on your watch.
How do I view more information on a news story?
On the MSN Direct Web site, click the Channels tab, click News, and then click View Latest News. To view an entire article, click Read Full Article for the article you are interested in. To sort alphabetically by headline, click Headline at the top of the list. To sort by date, click Date. To sort alphabetically by news category, click Category. Note: You may see articles on the MSN Direct Web site that you never saw on your watch. These articles may have cycled through your watch before you had a chance to read them. If you want to increase the number of news articles stored on your watch, go to the News Settings mode of the News channel.
Does my watch automatically adjust for time zones and daylight savings time?
Yes. MSN Direct references an atomic clock (an extremely precise timekeeping device that uses atomic measurement for absolute accuracy) as its time standard, and broadcasts this time to your watch over local FM radio waves. Your watch should automatically receive the time and remain accurate, without needing to be set by you. If you travel to another time zone, your watch should update itself automatically with the correct local time, as long as you are within an MSN Direct coverage area.
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Customer Reviews Average Rating: 
Rating:  - 3rd defective and counting...
I was quite interested in having a 'news ticker +' on my wrist all day.I would like to say that the MSN Direct service is pretty good for what is is meant to do, and that is provide interesting information in an otherwise boring day.
BUT- Fossil needs to figure out what is wrong with the Wrist net watches.Like clockwork, I have had to return two (and as of tonight, three) of the Wrist net-Round watches for the exact same symptoms.The watch will 'reboot' itself randomly prohibiting ... Read More
Rating: - immature technology: 4 resets / 24 hours, big billing issues
Great idea, $5/month (annual subscription) is good deal for news, weather, your Outlook calendar, 15 stock tickers, very good user interface BUT:
1. My watch suffered up to 4 resets in 24 hours - it would just go to 12:00 noon and forget everything.
2. Once I returned the watch and cancelled my subsription, MSN kept charging me even though they acknowledged I did cancel the account. They also said they "can't" delete my credit card information from their records so they can't guarantee they ... Read More
Rating:  - Functional but Unconfortable
This is perhaps one of the most innovative (yet imcomplete) inventions since the watch (time piece).Incomplete in that, it is also the most unconfortable thing to where.Not to mention very bulky.A leather (or some kind of elastic) band would have solved all of that.I returned it in one week....did I mention it needed a leather band. Oh yeah, LEATHER BAND PLEASE.
Rating: - Sorry, not quite ready for prime time...
The short story---I returned the watch 3 days after receiving it.
Now here's the long versino.
Originally, this watch had been on my Christmas list, and so it was with great anticipation when it finally showed up at my door on January 19th.
I opened the box, followed the directions and immediately signed up for the $59 MSN Direct Annual subscription (mistake #1). Within about 20 minutes, I had my MSN channels setup, and I was receiving signals and the watch was working ... Read More
Rating:  - Smart Watch!
I live in Chicago at the very edge of the coverare area.I found the watch setup to be quite easy and configuring channels via MSN Direct is easy as well.It took a bit of time before the data started flowing to the watch, but once the initial "download" was complete it updates quickly.The screen is very readable even for news articles, which is remarkable given the screen small size.The watch is a bit bulky, but given all the it does (time, stop watch, alarm, news, weather, calender and appointments) ... Read More
Fossil Wrist Net Smart Watch for MSN Direct (FX3001) | | | |
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