From Finland comes the Wearfone, a GSM based watch phone, that is more than a concept. This production ready (with pricing) watch with built in phone paves a new direction for watch phones everywhere. Last week I talked about Chinese watch phones that follow a similar principle here. While the Chinese watches are designed with a more “techy” direction in mind, the Finnish Wearfone, has minimalist elements, attempting at a highly functional watch with a build in phone, that won’t have you branded “nerd.” Thats not to say they aren’t cool. but you can really only show them off in selected nerdling cirlces; myself included.

The Wearfone is the first watch phone for the masses. The bright OLED screen displayed has a traditional analog watch face as a default. It is unclear what the specific touch screen input method may be (keyboard on screen, etc…) but suffice it to say that you’ll be able to make calls and SMS text message with the Wearfone. The designers indicate that the clock screen would be the default input screen for accessing functions of the phone, meaning that you’ll probably have to use the tip of your finger or some stylus to input data and use the device.

To promote battery life, the Wearfone will not be a 3G phone, but use more traditional frequencies instead. Regardless, you’ll still have to charge it every couple of days at least. They also boast the ability for the Wearfone to connect to computers and other mobile devices (meaning other phones as well?). I tend to take this to mean the watch will have Bluetooth, but not specific reports on this yet.

The TV screen looking case and face are apt for the purposes this watch is designed for. While not a small watch in size, the Wearfone is humble, and makes for a respectable piece of wrist technology. I like that it features a metal (probably aluminum) bracelet, which ups the style a bit. A rubber strap would have made the thing just look cheap. Expect a number of colors and options to be available.

The Fins know how to make computer based watches. Suunto is Finland based, and has been making excellent watches for years with dizzying amounts of technology that still manage to look good. If the people behind the Wearfone have their way, they should be available by the end of the year for purchase. Pricing is between about $700 – $1,500. This price, while high for a mobile phone, is reasonable for a watch that does this much. Look forward to more information as it becomes available.

Read more information about the Watchfone here (warning, terrible translation).

See watch phones and Suunto watches on eBay here.