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Update: Brighthand reports this week’s rumors of Fossil abandoning watches based on Microsoft's SPOT technology were erroneous. According to Fossil's Watch Tech Division head Bill Geiser, "Fossil and Microsoft continue to explore new SPOT-related initiatives, applications, and products."

"I cannot comment on where this collaboration is leading, but I can assure you our relationship is sound," he continued

The site cites recent the sell off of a couple of SPOT watches at heavy discounts as one possible source for the recent confusion. Geiser says it was these devices specifically that the company stopped supporting, not SPOT technology in general.

Handheld browser specialist Access's recent purchase of PalmSource and Palm, Inc.'s "commitment" to a Windows Mobile Treo smartphone (among other factors) make the future direction of the Palm operating system (OS) appear uncertain.

The Palm platform has a leg up on Microsoft on the wrist...at least today, however.

Here's the story:

Fossil—a major player in the niche market of PDA watches—has launched an online store dedicated to software for its Palm-based Wrist PDA today. At the same time, rumors have begun circulating that the company will stop producing watches built on Microsoft's SPOT technology (see top image).

See SPOT Run
SPOT (Smart Personal Objects Technology) enthusiast site SpotStop.com says Fossil won't build any more watches on the technology. It will sell off the rest of its SPOT watch inventory and refocus resources elsewhere (the Wrist PDA, perhaps?).

These watches use tiny, low-cost, very low power, and integrated FM radio receivers to push and display up-to-date personalized and location-specific information via MSN Direct. Channels included news, weather information, stock quotes, personal messages, calendar appointment reminders, sports scores, movie listings, trivia, horoscopes, and lottery results.

Service costs $39.95 per year to get most SPOT channels, while an additional $20 lets you receive your calendar appointments and messages wirelessly. According to SpotStop.com, Microsoft is working to improve the technology behind SPOT watches.

Besides Fossil, SPOT watch vendors include Suunto, Swatch, and Tissot.

Grand Opening
The new Fossil Wrist PDA application store is built and maintained by Motricity. It aims to provide Fossil Wrist PDA users with an assortment of third party add-on software titles designed to extend the abilities of their watch.


Wrist PDA

Motricity VP of business development Larry Wallace says the store will "offer Fossil customers a broad range of software choices for their Wrist PDA experience."

Most Palm OS 4.1 software should run just fine on the Palm watch. Nonetheless, Wrist PDA users should have an easier time finding specific applications to meet the unique specifications of such a tiny handheld with the new Fossil store. As Bill Geiser, the company's VP of technology watches, states, "Palm OS users demand choices in their software, and they will now have the opportunity to download and run a range of applications on the Fossil Wrist PDA."

Wrist PDA technology promises all the capabilities of a full-size handheld in a watch. It includes 8 MB of memory, runs off a 66 MHz Motorola Dragonball Super VZ processor, and even includes a stylus within the watch buckle for Graffiti and other types of input on its 160x160 pixel resolution grayscale with backlight touch screen.

Additional features include one-handed navigation via a 3-way Rocker switch and Back button, the ability to beam data to another Palm device via the Infrared Port, USB HotSync support for Mac OS and Windows, and a lithium-ion rechargeable battery that lasts approximately 3-4 days. The battery can be recharged with an included AC adapter.

The Fossil Wrist PDA watch sells for $200.

For more information, see Review: Fossil Excavates Wrist PDA Watch.