Meta Watch Acquired by Execs from Watch & Mobile Industries

DALLAS and ESPOO, Finland, September 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

Meta Watch Ltd. announced today that a team of investors led by Juha Pinomaa, former President of Suunto and a former Nokia executive, acquired the Meta Watch™ branded connected watch business and related IPR assets from Fossil, Inc. Joining Pinomaa as investors and key managers are Bill Geiser and David Rosales, who previously led Fossil's Watch Technology Division.

"Over the next 10 years billions of people will carry smart phones changing how consumers live and creating new opportunities and markets for connected watches and other wearable devices. Acquiring Meta Watch not only gives us a head start in this emerging growth market, it brings us the industry's most experienced management team who have been designing and shipping connected watches since 2006," said Juha Pinomaa, Chairman of Meta Watch.

"We are very excited about the opportunities ahead, as initial shipments of the Meta Watch development system are now underway. Our unequalled experience in this new category will allow thousands of mobile application developers to quickly and easily extend applications to the wrist, helping consumers to stay connected and to stay in style when they are really mobile and on the go," said Bill Geiser, CEO of Meta Watch.

Meta Watch will be based in Dallas, TX. The company will also open an R&D center in Espoo, Finland to capitalize on the rich history of Finland-based innovation in wrist-top computing and mobile devices.

Pricing, availability, and more

• Availability date: September, 2011
• Unit Cost Meta Watch Development System: USD $200
• Regions shipped to: US & Europe.
• Where to buy: https://estore.ti.com/
• Available Styles:Analog Digital or Digital
• Latest information: http://www.metawatch.org

About Meta Watch

Meta Watch is a privately-held design and technology development company focusing on reinventing the watch as a stylish and relevant mobile accessory. The Meta Watch platforms enable developers to quickly and easily extend the interfaces of devices and applications to the wrist. Target markets and applications include: messaging, alerts, and notifications; social networking service updates; turn-by-turn directions; LBS notifications, sports performance feedback; music controls and more. Meta Watch is based in Dallas, Texas and has a R&D facility in Espoo, Finland.

Trademarks

Meta Watch is a trademark of Meta Watch Ltd.

CONTACT:  Bill Geiser, Meta Watch, CEO, +1-469-278-META, billg@metawatch.org; Juha Pinomaa, Meta Watch, Chairman, +358-40-5000-281, jpinomaa@metawatch.org; Michael Gartenberg, Industry Analyst, Gartner, +1-201-862-0443, Michael.gartenberg@gartner.com