Blocks Is A Modular Smartwatch Tailored To You

BLOCKS is a modular smartwatch that’s now on Kickstarter.

In the first hours on Kickstarter, the company blasted through that funding goal – currently, more than 925 backers have submitted more than $250,000 in pledges, and there are 37 days left in the campaign.

The Blocks timepiece consists of one core module – a simple round watch face – to which owners can clip in a set of modules, each with a different function. Modular smartphones haven’t really taken off yet, despite a few valiant efforts, but the London-based group of technologists is hoping that the smartwatch will prove to be a better candidate for put-it-together-like-Lego technology. The BLOCKS Core features a round 1.35-inch 360×360 touchscreen, Snapdragon 400 processor, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of storage, an accelerometer and a gyroscope, a microphone, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and a 400mAh battery.

There are a number of modules to choose from, with options including an extra battery module, a heart rate monitor module, a Global Positioning System module, an NFC module, and an adventure module, which includes sensors like temperature, pressure and altitude.

The Blocks watch, in case you missed the initial press push around CES, is at its core a basic, open-source smartwatch. Blocks Wearables estimates the battery life to be about a day and a half. Blocks, however, said the device can work without a smartphone, and a SIM card will arrive “in due course”.

Finally, BLOCKS is compatible with the iPhone 4s and up with iOS 8 and above.

The BLOCKS team is now working with partner companies to develop and create more modules. It will also run an optimized version of Google’s mobile operating system, Android Lollipop, instead of its wearables software, Android Wear. However, more sophisticated links allow users to add features like fingerprint recognitions and near field communication for about $30 Dollars per module.

The BLOCKS modular smartwatch is now expected to ship in May 2016.

Each module serves as a piece of the watch’s band, and you’ll want to use three or four at a time depending on the size of your wrists. The wearable is cashing in on the recent trend of round smartwatches, and the prospect of being able to swap modules on your smartwatch certainly sounds appealing.