During a recent appearance on UK talk show Alan Carr: Chatty Man, musician Will.i.am revealed his latest project to a surprised studio audience: a smartwatch.
At least, based on the brief on-camera demonstration, that's what the sleek, black device appears to be.
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Revealing the device in a decidedly understated fashion while being interviewed by host Carr, Will.i.am said, "I don't carry my phone anymore; I just use this, [this] is my phone." He then began tapping the device's touchscreen to trigger the number key tones.
"There's a lot of smartwatches that need phones [to operate]. Mine doesn't need a phone; this is the phone," he added.
Will.i.am then tapped the phone a bit more, and the device began playing one of his songs.
Based on the limited visual demonstration, the device's swiping dynamic is reminiscent of the interface interactions used on the recently unveiled Android Wear, Google's operating system for wearables. However, Will.i.am did not reveal any of the device's specs.
And lest anyone think the smartwatch reveal is merely a belated April Fools' prank, the musician, widely known as a tech enthusiast, later confirmed on Twitter that he is planning a formal launch for the device soon.
Yes, it is really real @emily...I will definitely share more info with you soon...http://t.co/yat2Gax1WJ— will.i.am (@iamwill) April 4, 2014
Based on his tweets, the launch date for the as-yet-unnamed device is July.
@chattyman I want to give you my device before it launches in july...— will.i.am (@iamwill) April 4, 2014
"I started the company myself; I funded it, used my own money to develop it," Will.i.am said. "It's a phone; it has all my music in it."
Will.i.am also claimed the device can connect to Bluetooth headphones, and has Twitter, Instagram and Facebook functionality.