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Swatch will release a smartwatch this spring

Swatch will release a smartwatch this spring

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Just in time to compete with the Apple Watch

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Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Swiss watchmaker Swatch will launch a new smartwatch in the next two to three months, according to various reports. That would place the launch right alongside the April release window that Tim Cook outlined for the Apple Watch's release earlier this month. Details are scant, but a few of the watch's functions have already been made public. It will include "communication" abilities and applications compatible with Windows and Android. The watch will also be capable of making mobile payments, though right now the only known partners are Swiss grocery stores Migros and Coop.

But the feature that might give Swatch its biggest advantage is that the smartwatch won't have to be charged. Even well before its release, battery life is already a major point of contention for the Apple Watch, with rumors placing it at just under a day's worth. The battery life of other smartwatches is all over the map, from the Moto 360 (one day) to the Pebble Steel (five to seven days). A Swatch spokesperson told The Next Web that this new smartwatch will be different from the company's existing Smart Touch watch, which will receive its own update later this month.