A Review: BURG 12 SMARTWATCH

One responsibility or benefit that I enjoy when I attend the International CES in Las Vegas is reviewing some of the products or technologies that are launched at the event.

The earliest sample product that I received for review is a “Dick Tracy”-like BURG 12 Smartwatch. It was arranged by one of the most respected PR Agents representing amazing products coming out of CES annually – Karen Thomas. She also happens to be a Facebook friend.

BURG Hermen van den Burg – a world-renowned lifestyle designer to Ikea and Target, created the BURG 12 Smartwatch. It features interchangeable bezels and straps, cutting-edge design and function.

Like all other smart watches, BURG 12 pairs to all iPhones and Android Smartphones. But more importantly, it is a stand-alone phone. It comes with a replaceable SIM Card that gives you a separate cell phone number allowing you to call and receive calls. Initially, the buyer will have $25 dollars worth of free phone calls.

I have tried this feature/functionality and I find it awesome. I now have a second phone that I use for emergency and for personal or private use. It is on my wrist most of if not all the time.

I use it also for messaging. I can text and receive texts. It has both SMS and MMS capabilities. It can also be used as a two-way communication system.

The Multimedia features of the BURG 12 also amaze me. First, it has a Camera that you use to take pictures. Correspondingly, it has an Image Viewer. Second, it has a Voice Recorder and Microphone. Its Audio/Music Player would let you listen to your FM Radio, voice recordings and MP3 music later. The Video Player allows you to watch the MP4 movies/videos in your database.  It also comes with a Headset to enhance your listening pleasure.

The Calendar, Calculator, and Contact list makes the device also an electronic organizer.

The Bluetooth 3.0 feature can pair BURG 12 not only with smartphones but also with other smart devices containing Bluetooth such as speakers.

For storage of contents requiring some higher memory capacity, the BURG 12 Smartwatch comes with a Micro SD 4 GB but upgradeable to 16 GB.

Amidst all the powerful features mentioned above, it is still a watch that tells time. But as such, it is considered fashionable with its Avant-Garde Dutch design, 1.5 inch 240 x 240 resolution, easy to use, scratch and water resistant touchscreen.

Battery life is 3-day standby, 2-3 hour talk time, and 3-4 media player. It has a built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery that charges in 1-3 hours through the included USB to Micro USB cable.

BURG Hermen van den Burg has been quoted as saying, “We built the BURG 12 for people who want their hi-tech watches to be fashionable, not just tech, and want customizable options for their watch screen and straps without being tied down to one phone platform.”

The apps that come with the device are what you get right now. It would have been nice to have apps downloadable and usable with the watch such as games, activity monitors, Skype or a Facetime equivalent. Perhaps, software developers for BURG products could be encouraged to develop more apps.

There are now Google Smartwatches getting full support from their manufacturers. Apple just announced that it would come out with its version this April. We still do not know what its style, features and functions would be. I suspect that it would not include being a “stand-alone” phone.

For the price of only $199 and its fashionable design, features, and functionalities, the BURG 12 still proves attractive to many. After all, wearing a fashionable “Dick Tracy”- like Smartwatch could be perceived as one step up the social ladder.