This is the smartwatch you'll build yourself

Blocks
Blocks promises a smartwatch with near endless possibilities

Thanks to Project Ara we're well on the way to seeing modular smartphones and Blocks aims to do the same for smartwatches.

So you might one day be able to buy a smartwatch customised to your specification. Perhaps you want it to have a camera and a SIM card slot, or maybe you'd rather use that space for a heart rate monitor. And once you've got the watch you'll be able to chop and change modules whenever you want.

Going camping? Put in a bigger battery and a GPS module, going for a jog? Swap in a pedometer. By the same logic you can also upgrade individual modules rather than having to buy a whole new watch once yours becomes outdated.

Modular modules

Blocks promises to be supremely customisable too, as each individual module will have removable covers, so you can customise the look as well as the utility.

Blocks is still in a fairly early stage but it hopes to launch a crowdfunding campaign in the spring of 2015 and have a watch on the market by the end of 2015, and the company is off to a good start as it announced in a blog post that it recently won $50,000 in funding from Intel.

It's not tied to a particular breed of handset either, as its OS is likely to be based on Tizen and the team hopes to make it work with Android, iOS and Windows Phone.

Of course it remains to be seen whether the concept will actually get off the ground, let alone be any good.

It's a small team working on it and making a modular smartwatch isn't without its hurdles, for example modular designs almost inevitably result in extra bulk, which could be a real killer on a wrist-worn wearable, but at least with most of the modules built into the strap the watch face shouldn't suffer too much. It's a nice idea anyway, so let's hope it works out.

  • In the meantime the Moto 360 is a solid smartwatch choice.

James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.

Latest in Smartwatches
Oura Ring 4
Activity tracking on Oura Ring is about to get a whole lot better, but I've got bad news about your step count
Google Pixel Watch 3, 41mm and 45mm
Google says it will fix broken Wear OS 5.1 update, but why does this keep happening?
Apple Watch Series 9 with Snoopy
Please, Apple, don't add a camera to the Apple Watch – it's not the change we're hoping for
Apple Watch Ultra 2 timer
The Apple Watch is getting a sleep alarm upgrade it probably should have had 10 years ago
Google Pixel Watch 3
Google Pixel Watches hit with delayed notifications, crashing, and performance issues following Wear OS 5.1 update
Apple Watch Ultra 2 move data
Apple is reportedly planning a huge future Apple Watch upgrade to turn it into an AI device with onboard cameras
Latest in News
A young woman is working on a laptop in a relaxed office space.
I’ll admit, Microsoft’s new Windows 11 update surprised me with its usefulness, providing accessibility fixes, a gamepad keyboard layout, and PC spec cards
inZOI promotional material.
inZOI has become the most wishlisted game on Steam, but I wouldn't get too caught up in the hype
Xbox Series X and Xbox wireless controller set to a green background
Xbox Insiders are currently testing a new Game Hub feature that looks useful, but I've got mixed feelings about it
A stylized depiction of a padlocked WiFi symbol sitting in the centre of an interlocking vault.
Broadcom warns of worrying security flaws affecting VMware tools
Nespresso Vertuo Pop machine in Candy Pink with coffee drinks and capsules
My favorite Nespresso coffee maker just got a fresh new makeover, and now I love it even more
Microsoft Surface Laptop and Surface Pro devices on a table.
Hate Windows 11’s search? Microsoft is fixing it with AI, and that almost makes me want to buy a Copilot+ PC