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    Ex-Nokia engineers develop the Leikr GPS sports watch, Kickstarter campaign now open

    Ex-Nokia engineers develop the Leikr GPS sports watch, Kickstarter campaign now open

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    Leikr GPS watch
    Leikr GPS watch

    A group of ex-Nokia engineers is looking to build their own take on the GPS-powered smartwatch through a just-launched Kickstarter project. The watch, dubbed Leikr, will feature a 2-inch, 320 x 240 color screen with Gorilla Glass on the front plus built-in GPS, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth; it can also hold up to 8GB of OpenStreetMap data. It's being focused squarely at athletes who need less bulky and faster products — the watch's custom-built GPS system supposedly able to lock onto a signal much faster than competing products. As for the battery, Leikr says it has been optimized for long life — but only says it gets about six hours right now. We're not sure if that's with the GPS on continuously or if that's under mixed usage, but users should expect to charge it frequently. Of course, it's more focused on athletic usage and not day-to-day wearing.

    The watch will also feature downloadable workouts from the Leikr team, and users will be able to upload their workout data to the online fitness community Endomondo with the press of a button. When you're not viewing the GPS screen, the Leikr displays tracking data like time, distance, speed, pace, and calories burned. Overall, the design and functionality of the watch was inspired by what athletes told the Leikr team and was executed by applying what the engineers learned from their time developing mobile phones. As for when you can get your hands on one, Leikr is saying that they'll be available this June. Interested backers can reserve a watch for $279 — cheaper early-bird options have already sold out.