 This is Chris Sigler with The Verge, and this is the Qualcomm Tock. You know, Tock, as in Tick Tock. This is a smartwatch we're looking at. It's also the first consumer product that Qualcomm, a company better known for its smartphone chips, has made in a long time. Actually, calling it a consumer product is a bit of a stretch. At $350, it's price outstrips comparable devices like the Pebble by $200, and even the more functional Galaxy Gear by $50. Instead, the Tock is more of a technology demonstrator for Mirasol, the unique display technology that Qualcomm has been trying to figure out how to sell for a number of years. Mirasol's selling point is that it sips power and is extremely daylight readable like e-ink without needing a backlight, but it refreshes much faster, closer to the performance of an LCD. It's about as close to a no-compromise display technology as exists right now. While the display is great, the rest of the Tock feels very much like a first-generation product. Qualcomm's not really a consumer electronics maker, much less a watchmaker, and it shows. An odd interface paradigm employs both a capacitive touchscreen to swipe through menus and make selections and also a touch-sensitive watch band. Touch below the face to go home, double tap above the face to enable the backlight. The idea appears to have been to eliminate traditional buttons from the side of the watch entirely, but there are serious trade-offs. I found myself inadvertently activating both the backlight and the home button on numerous occasions, either from handling or simply by folding my arms and making skin contact with the band. There aren't any markers or depressions on the band to indicate where to press, either, so it's not uncommon to fumble with it with a few misplaced taps before finding the sweet spot when you need to see the screen in a dark room, for instance. But the biggest downside to the Tock might be that you can't swap in an off-the-shelf band of your choosing. The watch's black plastic band makes no real effort to look good, and it uses a cumbersome clasp that is difficult to open unless you've got some strong fingernails. It also needs to be resized by physically cutting it with scissors. You better get it right the first time, and good luck lending it to a friend with a bigger wrist. Beyond a selection of attractive watch faces, some of which include other information like your upcoming calendar entries or the current weather, the Tock ships with a selection of apps that will likely expand over time. You can set stocks you want to track, control your phone's music player, see a call log, or pull up your phone's notification list. Feels like an appropriate scope of functionality for a glanceable gadget on your wrist. It's not trying to do too much, like the Galaxy Gear, and it isn't selling itself short like the Citizen Proximity. Pairing is easy, too. Qualcomm includes perhaps the best-looking, best-feeling, easiest-to-use companion app for your smartphone of any smartwatch I've tried, where you download new firmware, select watch faces, choose which calendars you want to show, and so on. There's no iOS app yet, though. It's Android-only at the moment, so that'll be an instant deal-breaker for a good percentage of the population. Ultimately, the Tock isn't a smartwatch I'd recommend someone buy, but it is a device that makes me rave about what I want a smartwatch to really be. I can tell you I know I wanted to have one of these great Marisol displays, and really, I think that's exactly what Qualcomm is going for.
 This is Chris Sigler with The Verge, and this is the Qualcomm Tock.
 You know, Tock, as in Tick Tock.
 This is a smartwatch we're looking at.
 It's also the first consumer product that Qualcomm, a company better known for its smartphone
 chips, has made in a long time.
 Actually, calling it a consumer product is a bit of a stretch.
 At $350, it's price outstrips comparable devices like the Pebble by $200, and even
 the more functional Galaxy Gear by $50.
 Instead, the Tock is more of a technology demonstrator for Mirasol, the unique display
 technology that Qualcomm has been trying to figure out how to sell for a number of years.
 Mirasol's selling point is that it sips power and is extremely daylight readable like
 e-ink without needing a backlight, but it refreshes much faster, closer to the performance
 of an LCD.
 It's about as close to a no-compromise display technology as exists right now.
 While the display is great, the rest of the Tock feels very much like a first-generation
 product.
 Qualcomm's not really a consumer electronics maker, much less a watchmaker, and it shows.
 An odd interface paradigm employs both a capacitive touchscreen to swipe through menus and make
 selections and also a touch-sensitive watch band.
 Touch below the face to go home, double tap above the face to enable the backlight.
 The idea appears to have been to eliminate traditional buttons from the side of the watch
 entirely, but there are serious trade-offs.
 I found myself inadvertently activating both the backlight and the home button on numerous
 occasions, either from handling or simply by folding my arms and making skin contact
 with the band.
 There aren't any markers or depressions on the band to indicate where to press, either,
 so it's not uncommon to fumble with it with a few misplaced taps before finding the sweet
 spot when you need to see the screen in a dark room, for instance.
 But the biggest downside to the Tock might be that you can't swap in an off-the-shelf
 band of your choosing.
 The watch's black plastic band makes no real effort to look good, and it uses a cumbersome
 clasp that is difficult to open unless you've got some strong fingernails.
 It also needs to be resized by physically cutting it with scissors.
 You better get it right the first time, and good luck lending it to a friend with a bigger
 wrist.
 Beyond a selection of attractive watch faces, some of which include other information like
 your upcoming calendar entries or the current weather, the Tock ships with a selection of
 apps that will likely expand over time.
 You can set stocks you want to track, control your phone's music player, see a call log,
 or pull up your phone's notification list.
 Feels like an appropriate scope of functionality for a glanceable gadget on your wrist.
 It's not trying to do too much, like the Galaxy Gear, and it isn't selling itself
 short like the Citizen Proximity.
 Pairing is easy, too.
 Qualcomm includes perhaps the best-looking, best-feeling, easiest-to-use companion app
 for your smartphone of any smartwatch I've tried, where you download new firmware, select
 watch faces, choose which calendars you want to show, and so on.
 There's no iOS app yet, though.
 It's Android-only at the moment, so that'll be an instant deal-breaker for a good percentage
 of the population.
 Ultimately, the Tock isn't a smartwatch I'd recommend someone buy, but it is a device
 that makes me rave about what I want a smartwatch to really be.
 I can tell you I know I wanted to have one of these great Marisol displays, and really,
 I think that's exactly what Qualcomm is going for.