Never-ending collaborations aside, Casio G-Shock hasn’t really evolved. Oh, wait. It kind of did recently. But in a way we did not expect. Meet the Casio G-Shock G-Squad GBD-H1000 Watch. It is kind of like a smartwatch and not a smartwatch, at the same time. If you know what I mean.
G-Squad GBD-H1000 has a lot to shout about. It packs no less than 5 sensors, including optical sensor for heart rate monitoring, altimeter, barometer, thermometer, compass AND step tracker. So, yeah, it is a fitness tracker too and possibly the world’s most rugged fitness tracker.
It also has GPS function and Bluetooth connectivity for pairing to your smartphone, allowing you to review your fitness activity on a dedicate app on your smartphone and receive push notifications from your smartphone. Wait. I think IT IS a smartwatch, but sans the frivolous features.
G-Squad GBD-H1000 is a fitness workhorse and IMHO, a very apt one, because it embodies all of G-Shock toughness, including 20 ATM water resistance and shock resistance – both which are perfect for active lifestyle.
It further features a 3-axis accelerometer, MIP (memory-in-pixel) LCD display, customized display data for at-a-glance information, super illuminator that automatically turns on by tilting your arm, built-in vibration motor.
On the design aspect, it is rocking a metal bezel with raised resin structures of sort that is designed to guide your fingers to the buttons, new buttons design, and a soft urethane band with holes to promote permeability.
In addition to GPS, the watch also supports GLONASS (GLObal NAvigation Satellite System) as well as Michibiki aka Quasi-Zenith Satellite System or QZSS. GPS also bestow it with automatic time adjustment. However, when paired to a smartphone, the time will be adjusted to your phone’s – just like smartwatches do.
Finally, it has solar recharging and USB charging. As for battery life, it is good for 12 months as a watch mode with step tracking and notifications, but when use in conjunction with heart rate monitoring, it is only good for up to 66 hours.
If you use it in full-blown training mode with all sensors deployed, you are looking at up to 14 hours only. So, it is a smartwatch after all.
We are not sure when it be available and if it will be out globally, but keen eye reader may have noted the Japanese satellite support (Michibiki) which may mean it could be a Japanese-only product.
You may be interested to know that Casio G-Shock G-Squad GBD-H1000 has a 50,000 yen (roughly US$463) plus tax sticker in Japan.
Images: G-Shock [JP].
