Fossil's new Android Wear watch is ready for holiday shoppers with $295 price tag
Fossil’s first Android Wear smartwatch is now available from the company’s online store for $295, giving the company its first product to compete with the expanding market of Wear devices.
You’re limited to the steel band model at this time, however. There’s another version of the Q Founder with a leather strap listed as “coming soon” and priced at $275.
Along with the Q Founder, Fossil also sells the Q Reveler and Q Dreamer fitness bands, designed to put a more fashionable spin on a market dominated by companies like Fitbit.
Worth noting is that the product shots of the Fossil Q feature the smartwatch with an iPhone. That’s because Google released an Android Wear app for iOS earlier this year to broaden the appeal of Android Wear watches to iPhone owners. While you can see notifications and customize the watch face with built-in options, your ability to interact with third-party apps and install new watch faces is quite restricted.
Fossil also is supporting the Founder with its Fossil Q app, which keeps tabs on your daily steps and will challenge you to meet fitness goals.
The story behind the story: Fossil recently acquired Misfit, a maker of wearable activity trackers, for $260 million. The buy shows that Fossil plans to go strong into the wearable space as there’s a wide pool of buyers who may be on the lookout for their first watch or activity tracker. The price point is also attractive, as the Q Founder is below other top watches like the second-generation Moto 360 and Huawei Watch.