In May of 2012 a group called ConnectedDevice, led by Peter Hauser, looked to Kickstarter to help back an idea for a connected watch. The idea was to have a real watch that also would connect to your smartphone, providing notices if you received an SMS message, a phone call, or new email on your smartphone without needing to reach for the phone. The idea evolved into a product that is now in the hands of backers and was officially launched this week at CES.

The Kickstarter Edition of the Cookoo Watch arrived this morning

While the company was not able to hit all of it's goals (at launch it is not compatible with Android due to so many different BlueTooth implementations), it has accomplished the biggest one: They have shipped watches that are truly watches whether connected to your iPhone or not, and which are powered by replaceable batteries instead of requiring frequent recharging. You can view the original goals and timeline of the project here via KickStarter. While I have only had the watch for a few hours, I am impressed.

The Cookoo is a watch first, and connected device second, an important goal for mainstream acceptance

The watch was remakably easy to set up. You download the connected application from the iTunes store and launch it. It finds the watch, and you set alerts and button functions. You can use the button to check-in to a location on Facebook, drop a waypoint pin on a map (handy when parking in large mall or sporting event lots), and even remotely snap a picture.

The settings are easy to configure, and pretty comprehensive, with more options coming

The command button can be configured to automatically check you in to the nearest location on FaceBookThis is a great product, that will get even better with time thanks to an open API and wide spread availability. Keep an eye on this thing, it is going to be important.

Crowdfunded COOKOO Smart Watch Launches Worldwide At CES 2013 - Forbes:

Crowdfunded COOKOO Smart Watch Launches Worldwide At CES 2013