Watches to give stock prices, news — Titan plans it all
The Hindu Business Line — May 10, 2006

In a few years the wristwatch will no longer be the same again, as it won't just tell you the time but will give information on stocks, news, and entertainment. The tie-up between Titan and Innoviti Embedded Solutions will see the launch of special kind of watches that give out information on stock market, business, and general news. "Watches, unlike mobile phones, are non-intrusive. Hence, we thought giving out information through watches was a much better way to communicate," Innoviti's CEO, Mr Rajeev Agrawal, told Business Line.

Titan has picked up 5 per cent in Innoviti and by the time these special watches hit the market (in two years) the stake is expected to go up to 15 per cent. Mr Agrawal said that the excess bandwidth with the FM channel will be used for this application. "We needed thin bandwidth for this technology, which FM provides." Titan officials have in the past expressed concern about the boom in mobile telephony, which they feared could shrink the market for watches. Hence, this tie-up is aimed at countering the threat.

"Through this relationship, Titan will be enhancing its technology reach into the wireless space," said Titan's Managing Director, Mr Bhaskar Bhat, in a statement. Innoviti, which was launched three years ago with funds from an angel investor, has already filed patents for `Vaayu' and `Payezee'. `Payezee' allows customers to pay hotel bills and other bills through wireless while `Vaayu' uses the same wireless technology to allow people to use their laptops or handhelds to connect to the Internet.