I’m starting this after I showed some Toradex SoC modules for which Kynetics ported Android 13 and 14.
For more DIY at home purposes I’m thinking of now a Rasperry Pi 5 Compute module. That has smaller form factor than the regular Raspberry Pi 5, max config with 16GB RAM and 64GB eMMC: Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5, Wireless, 16GB RAM, 64GB eMMC - CM5116064 - PiShop.us
A possibly feasible form factor is something like the S999, although the prototype would be bulkier. The compute module has two camera I/O, and the GPIO can be used for heart rate sensor. We’d also need a GPS module, and a SIM module.
The Raspberry Pi could take either LineageOS (for more phone like UI), or Prime OS (for more Android desktop like UI). The Android OS conundrum could be solved this way.
The biggest challenge will be the battery life and the unit size.
I don’t even mention cost
I’ll look for M.2 LTE modules, so the HRM sensor can have GPIO pins. Even though as a gen AI engineer I was secretly hoping to use the M.2 for a Hailo AI HAT, but that would push the power consumption to bonkers.
It would be great if you could use TDK CeraCharge batteries, which increase capacity 2.5 times over current ones.
Also, a telescopic rotating retractable camera in the crown neck (protecting from dust and sweat, besides privacy) would be awesome (no need of two cameras then).
And last but not least, also a rectangular smaller form factor, much as the current CDS9 is (no need to resemble exactly an Apple Watch Ultra to avoid patent issues).
If properly done with quality, I would not mind paying 1,000 for it. Actually, I do not buy the Apple Watch Ultra due to its limitations (no standalone requiring iPhone, no camera and no standalone web browser like Safari).
That would be awesome. I’d love to have a smartwatch that could completely replace my phone, handling everything a phone does, including AI capabilities for all apps, internet banking, widgets, and more, while lasting as long as my H19 watch that I have now.
