What's Been and What's Ben

I recently found something on the internet tubes that is awesome. It is the Texas Intruments EZ430 chronos watch. It lacks gold, 100M water resistance, and does not out of the box tell you the tide. It does have a 3-axis accelerometer, a pressure sensor, a temperature sensor, and a wireless connection to a computer for $50. Best of all it is completely programmable because the micro-controller inside is meant for users to tweak.

The MSP430-CC430F6137 chip inside is a micro-controller – a very small computer that are the brains behind the clock on your microwave that blinks 12:00 perpetually and dozens of other devices. I worked with the MSP430 series before. Texas Instruments subsidizes the cost of parts to bring it down into the range of the common man. It is designed for developers to make cool new things. Out of the box it supports reading wireless heart rate monitors and can also wirelessly connect to your computer to advance slides in powerpoint presentations from a flick of the wrist. The possibilities are endless – as long as you enjoy programming 16-bit micro-controllers. I have already harshly hinted at my parents for it as a chirstmas present like a ten-year-old for it.