Huawei company could be working on a gaming-centric smartwatch.
A newly discovered patent reveals that Huawei is developing a smartwatch with gaming in mind. The patent was filed back in December last year and is a follow-up to two previous Huawei patents, filed in 2015 and 2016 respectively.
First spotted by LetsGoDigital, the patent shows a smartwatch with a square-shape touchscreen that can be interacted through rotating and stretching out the band. As you can see in the diagram below, games can be controlled on the smartwatch through a number of gestures. All you need to press down on the touch-enabled bands either left or right to move a character. One example described by the company shows a racing game that can be operated by swiping the bottom part of the band and break by touching the band without the need to take off the smartwatch.
The patent outlines these next-generation gesture-based bands can be used to take selfies as well, with a digital shutter button being placed on the band itself. Also, pinch-to-zoom functionality will be support by the screen as well as the band.
Games can be controlled by pressing down on the touch-enabled bands. (Image credit: LetsGoDigital)
Like Huawei, Apple is also rumoured to be developing touch-sensitive smart band for the Apple Watch. Last year, the US Patent & Trademark Office had published a patent application from Apple that revealed that the Cupertino company could be working on touch-sensitive “smart bands” made from woven fabrics, which would let you play music and adjust the volume. Clearly, both companies want to make their next-generation smartwatches more useful. At the moment, bands on the smartwatches do nothing other than being available in different designs and materials.
Both Huawei and Apple are rumoured to be working on their upcoming smartwatches that might get launched in the fall. The Chinese tech giant has already confirmed that a Huawei Watch 3 is in development. Apple, on the other hand, is expected to launch its Watch Series 4 with a new design and a display that’s 15 percent larger.