The Diesel On Fadelite X Mad Dog Jones smartwatchAndy Boxall / DigitalTrends
“ If you ’re not in smartwatches today , particularly as a traditional watch manufacturer , then we are the room that you get the correct product for your client . ”
This is how Steve Prokup , co - founding father ofMijo Connected , described the house ’s business concern , and it has me seriously intrigued and excited about the future of smartwatches . I speak to Prokup over a picture call duringCES 2024 , and although you probably have n’t heard of Mijo Connected , and it in all likelihood wo n’t be a name on an literal Cartesian product you ’ll corrupt in the time to come either , that does not entail you should brush aside it . Here ’s why .
Picking up where Fossil left off
Prokup has considerable experience in the world of wearables , having worked as head of hardware atPebblebefore heading to Fossil , where he worked as vice chair of engineering and senior vice prexy of attached gimmick . Mijo Connected ’s other carbon monoxide gas - founding father is Hai Nguyen , who also worked at Fossil on intersection direction and research and development projects . It ’s perhaps not a surprise that the party retains a joining with Fossil , as Prokup told me .
“ We are not part of Fossil . But we are pursuing a similar path and do have access to some of the Fossil technology , ” he say befoe adding that he was ineffectual to elaborate further on precisely what that intend . It is , however , a substantial house of how seriously Mijo Connected takes smartwatches , as it makes complete signified to proceed leveraging the experience of a longtime watch and smartwatch Almighty .
So , what is Mijo Connected , and why should you care ? It plans to work up a wearable gadget platform that some very conversant fashion and luxury brand name will eventually put their epithet on , allowing them to impart out desirable , singular , and stylish smartwatches that also have the veracious engineering and software to back up the looks .
If that sounds like a familiar strategy , it ’s not dissimilar to how Fossil launched smartwatches with partner brands like Diesel , Kate Spade , and Skagen . However , it has recently stepped back from such ventures , and Mijo Connected is prim up to fill that distance .
Smartwatches for fashion and luxury brands
“ Our platform enables our customers to apace launch whole differentiated products . So , for instance , a stigma wants to launch a smartwatch . They do n’t require some generic app — it needs to be their name . It has to have their stigmatisation , their style . Same matter for the watch , right ? It ’s got to look like a scout from that particular company . That ’s that ’s what our program does . ” explained Prokup .
“ The underlying political program has a completely unique ID , so the appearance of the watch , the watch case , the strap , everything is wholly designed by [ the steel ] because they usually have very good design team that know how to follow through their brand ’s way . The same thing with the app and even the data in the cloud . ” he carry on .
Mijo Connected will bring its industry expertise to brand that want to plunge smartwatches ( and , in the hereafter , other machine-accessible mobile gimmick like wireless earbuds and smart speakers ) , but do n’t want to vest in progress partnerships with software troupe , manufacturers , and then learning the hard way how to make a intersection that ’s voice of the brand . Mijo Connected will do all this instead and will take a immense amount of customization along with it , too , according to Prokup :
“ We have a very similar glide path to how traditional watch are manufactured , where the bm is wrapped in different aim and dissimilar lookout casing . We can go to a premium titanium case , we can put pavé [ a reference to jewels set into a bezel or display case ] on it , or go to stainless brand and other alloy , or to plastic . If somebody wants a lower price point plastic case with a silicone polymer strap , that is also available from our political program , ” he explained .
The extent of the customization and individualization provided has mean Mijo Connected is talk to both fashion and luxury brands about working together , including some luxury brand that have already release a smartwatch in the past . But what about the software that will operate on these novel smartwatches ?
What about the software?
At CES , Mijo Connected launched its smartwatch platform with software companyMicroEJ(which is enunciate as Micro Edge ) and revealed that it will apply MicroEJ ’s Vee Wear operating system in the future tense . While you may not immediately jazz the name , you may have already used MicroEJ ’s platform on a wearable , as it has poweredsmartwatches made by Polarover the last few long time .
I also mouth to Semir Haddad , chief merchandise and scheme officeholder at MicroEJ , during CES 2024 . He talked about the importance of complete customization on the software side too , so brands can make the equipment their own . He also revealed that one of the ship’s company ’s potency is in how its technology makes it light to adjust Wear OS apps to run on a non - Wear osmium smartwatch . It is exploit with a variety of dissimilar names already , plus it has impress a partnership with the Facer app to provide different watch face .
Vee Wear has scurvy power demands , but that does n’t regard execution . Both of these are long - term publication on low - price smartwatches that may have put some mode blade off in the past . Vee Wear smartwatches will also make with both Android and iOS earphone , supply more flexibility . Does this mean Mijo Connected wo n’t provide an alternative for a Wear OS smartwatch and is only put to work with MicroEJ ?
“ MicroEJ are a great mate , ” said Prokup , “ but we have a platform uncommitted for an RTOS watch , as well as a platform that we ’re work out on for Wear OS . ” The choice of software system pick show how it ’s covering all smartwatch customization requirements outside of the physical design .
When are the watches coming?
Smartwatches at the moment are really command by three main models — theApple Watch Series 9 , theGoogle Pixel Watch 2 , and theSamsung Galaxy Watch 6 — which are all excellent , but are not always what someone who care traditional watches or way scout wants . Mijo Connected is exciting because it ’s working to fill the gap in the market that was leftsomewhat open by Fossil , allow brands that desire to make a smartwatch to not have to go all - in and become a tech company .
The fellowship may be novel , but it brings considerable experience with it — and in all probability already has a undecomposed idea of what works and what does n’t when making a denounce smartwatch . That should give confidence to companies that may have avoided a connected mathematical product in the past .
So , when does Prokup expect the first models to arrive ?
“ We do n’t have locked - down launching dates , but as you know , in this blank , [ the fourth tail ] is big for everybody , ” Prokup hinted before adding : “ We ’re work on a large launching with a trade name . ”
Mijo Connected will mostly be the companybehindthe smartwatches and may not be a name you ’ll pick up unless you ’re “ in the know . ” But Prokup also cite it may have a small intersection launch of its own , although not under the Mijo Connected name , at some point .
This would give us a great musical theme of what to expect from its smartwatches in the future and just how transformative they could be . This would also befall in an industriousness currently controlled by a quality few tech brands that historically have n’t catered well to fashion and watchmakers . If all goes the room Mijo Connected is hope , it could very well exchange the smartwatch marketplace forever .
