Watchmaker Nixon is jumping onboard the smartwatch train.
The company's new Mission is billed as the "world's first ultra-rugged action sports smartwatch." The smartwatch is powered by Android Wear and is waterproof up to 330 feet, making it the most rugged smartwatch with Google's wearable OS.
The Mission will be available this October for $400. That may seem pricey compared to other regular non-rugged and weather-resistant Android Wear smartwatches like the Moto 360, which starts at $299, but compared to Casio's $500 Smart Outdoor Watch, which is only water-resistant up to 164 feet, the Mission is the better buy.
The 48mm smartwatch has a round 1.39-inch AMOLED touchscreen with 400 x 400 resolution and an ambient light sensor. Since it's designed to be used by extreme sports enthusiasts and athletes, the touchscreen even works when it's wet. Gnarly!
It's powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 2100 processor and 512MB of RAM, and it's got 4GB of internal storage for music -- pretty standard guts for a smartwatch. Battery life is a solid day -- again, in line with other smartwatches. Like any good smartwatch, it's got a wealth of sensors including a GPS, thermometer, altimeter, barometer, e-compass, gyrometer, accelerometer and humidity sensors.
The Mission works with Android smartphones running Android 4.3 or higher and iPhones running iOS 8.2 or higher.
Unique to the Mission are two apps: Mission and Trace. Mission is an app, powered by Surfline and Snocountry, and designed specifically for surfers, snowboarders and skiers. It shows real-time snow and surf conditions. Trace is a powerful action sports activity tracker.
"With current products splash-proof at best, we knew we had to create a smartwatch that could survive the surf or the first ride down the mountain," Tyson White, Vice President of Product at Nixon, said in a press release. "We developed the watch in tandem with our world-class surf and snow athletes who lead demanding, rigorous lifestyles."
BONUS: Olympus Pen-F is a slick camera for film nostalgics
[video id=9qNmltMTE6hV64paIo0bTpySzlZzARCb]