A smart band for your traditional watch, we got our hands on Sony’s new Wena
In the history of smartwatches there have been some great devices, but two things always lurk in the back of every smartwatch owner’s mind. Firstly, why am I wearing this thing? Secondly, why is the battery life so poor?
Ask any smartwatch wearer — and inevitably it will be an Apple Watch wearer — and most often they will answer the first point with «notifications». Avoiding the need to lift the phone from the pocket to see who you are ignoring.
The second point is a bugbear: once your smartwatch runs out of battery, you’re wearing a £400 bracelet. Sony’s Wena might have the solution. Wena is all about regular watchesComes with 18,20 and 22mm adaptersStainless steel or black colours
Wena — an abbreviation of Wear Electronics NAturally — got its first big reveal on stage by Sony in 2015, as part of a startup incubator project. The aim is to give you smart functions without having to sacrifice the classic look of your timepiece.
For 2019 there are two Wenas (Wenae?) — the Wena Pro and the Wena Active — getting global release. We think the Pro is the more interesting device.
(At this point, also worth noting that it’s not pronounced «wiener», but «way-na». If you want to stick to the former for comic effect, then be our guest, you’ll find there’s no shortage of fun you can have with that.)Pocket-lint
Looking to boost your wrist action, Wena puts the smarts into the band rather than the watch — so you don’t actually need to buy a new watch face at all. Rather, it has been designed to accommodate your existing wrist wear.
There are adapters for 18,20 and 22mm watches and Wena comes in two colours — stainless steel (matte rather than glossy) and black. The idea is that you attach Wena to your watch, replacing your existing strap or band, giving you the best of both worlds — your traditional timepiece and some smart functionality.
Wena is waterproofed to 5ATM and is made from 316L stainless steel, so this isn’t a cheap gimmick, it feels and looks like good quality.
