Casio has released a ring in the form of its iconic watch | Hacker News Reader

Casio has released a ring in the form of its iconic watch

theverge.com

190 pointsprvt83 comments

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Six digit, not six segment. Each digit has seven segments.

I've seen this a LOT lately, when did everyone forget what segments were?

Young people may not have ever seen a display like that.

They most likely see displays like that on microwaves.

In grandma’s kitchen.

I understand a grandma could have had a microwave. After all, I remember radar ranges with mechanical timers that were already relics when I was a child. But, now you've got me wondering what kind of VR/holographic microwaves kids are buying.

My latest bought a couple years ago still has a 7-segment vacuum fluorescent display. And a digital encoder knob and buttons rather than membrane controls. And a "cyclonic" inverter, which from the marketing diagrams, you would think can bend reality to your whims.

I'm 46 and my grandma had a microwave by the time I was cooking in her kitchen in 1984.

> radar ranges with mechanical timers

Those were the best. Dead simple to operate. That said I still have the Goldstar microwave I bought over 30 years ago, which has a keypad and digital timer.

> But, now you've got me wondering what kind of VR/holographic microwaves kids are buying.

Our microwave has a fully graphic, monochrome LCD. And Wi-Fi. Of course. https://kalleboo.com/microblog/posts/109720164680381672.html

TIL I'm a grandma.

Did air fryers already displace microwaves? I've missed the last couple meetings

Microwaves are great a two things (and little else...): warm up liquids and make popcorn. Neither are properly done by an air fryer.

I have both tools and they have completely different uses.

edit: both sport 7-segment digits though

I think maybe the original killer app for microwaves was baked potatoes? An hour to cook in a conventional oven. 5 minutes in a microwave. But maybe no one eats those anymore?

I haven't tried that, but my guess would be the same problem as most solids in a microwave - uneven heating / cold spots. That's why liquids and popcorn work so well, liquids mix themselves up and the unpopped kernels fall to the bottom of the bag.

I have one (800w) that takes about 5min to cook a potato (200gr), the manual suggests "once the potatoes are cooked, wrap them in tin foil for at least 5 minutes to cook through" but I just cook one wrapped with baking paper.

I eat one on most nights. I wouldn't without my microwave oven.

Also defrosting

Tina's. Burritos.

I am a worm of class.

Technically popcorn is just warming up liquids as well. I'd say that's all it's good at, which happens to have a handful of usecases(some frozen meals, popcorn, melting cheese, heating leftovers).

Technically all microwave oven use is warming up liquid if you want to get down to the basics.

One of my friends owns a normal-looking radar range kitchen oven. It can cooks with both the convection oven and the microwave at the same time. It is from the 1970s and has all mechanical dials. It has a metal rack inside and you can use any cookware, without a metal lid I guess.

I meant seen as in seen it named. Just because the seven segment display is there doesn’t mean it’s named that on the box, while in the past there might be more stuff with those displays and it would be a callout on the box design possibly.

I got ratioed here, for some reason, so I guess I didn’t communicate properly. Most people here are nerds who might know what this is called but the average person doesn’t.

Those are everywhere. Many are in storefronts

But they must have heard of the obvious word choice: "digit".

This is seems like "word I heard misappropriation".

You don't need to read past the title for the first big error.

BTW, is The Verge sharing my browsing data with 855 partners? Folks, belive me, I am not that interesting!

> Folks, belive me, I am not that interesting!

you’d be surprised

> Folks, belive me, I am not that interesting!

Several of the greatest fortunes of modern capitalism have been made through surveillance of people that "are not that interesting"

Don’t be modest. Your data is worth sharing with at least 1150 partners. I believe in you!

If you write code for the f91w you'll quickly realize you can't actually control every segment: https://www.sensorwatch.net/docs/wig/display/#limitations-of.... Some digits have only 4, 5, or 6 controllable segments.

But that's probably not what the author was getting at :)

The original announcement from Casio said they'd be making a ring version of the venerable DBC-611 calculator watch as well: https://www.g-central.com/casio-to-release-casio-watch-ring-...

It looks like they've instead made a ring version of the CA-53W, which - in the staggeringly few times I see someone wearing a calculator watch - is usually the one they're wearing.

I still wear a DBC-610 as my daily driver, and I do use the calculator and countdown timer features quite often.

The calculator buttons would probably be too small for a ring.

Touch screen with graffiti input.

So you're saying it retains the authentic Casio calculator watch experience?

It's 30+ years since I owned one but I recall having to press the buttons with the corner of a nail and cursing if I thoughtlessly cut them!

I am glad I learned abacus method to not rely on these gimmick watches with calculators.

Possible market for a watch with an abacus? Doodles on napkin

Wouldn't you need 10 rings; one for each finger?

I would wear 11 of them for the calculation functionality.

Nope. One ring to rule them all.

Actually, I think an abacus ring is a great idea or it could be multiple rings on the same finger where the main benefit is you could keep keep count of something. If you had three rows of small beads, you could theoretically keep track of up to a thousand things, all without a battery and with perfect accuracy. Additionally, you could keep track in a very low profile way if the beads were on the inside of the ring toward the palm of your hand and you manipulated them with your thumb. The beads would have to have a slight friction to them so they stay in place but are still easy to move. But in general I like the idea and it's at least as appealing as the op Casio watch ring.

Don't forget to include a sundial to tell time

Darn Casio... someone pls nudge HP !!! We def need RPN ring calculators!

Haha, I love it! I wear the gold calculator watch because it's fun and peculiar. I'd love to get a gold casio ring.

> The ring watch’s screen even has a light, and an alarm function that will flash the display instead of playing an audible sound

That is a bit... Underwhelming isn't it?

A vibration motor would have been even better, but I suppose there wasn't enough space inside for that. Nor for a speaker.

This is Casio, though. If they really want to, the next version could very well contain all of that and a solar battery.

> A vibration motor would have been even better,

The best alarm clock I've ever had is a smartwatch that does this vibrating. No more stupid digital screaming. Just a nice gentle tapping pattern on my wrist, and then a fading bit of music. I'm usually awake and hitting stop before the music really starts.

Same, except I wear this: https://www.amazon.com/Timex-T49950-Expedition-Shock-Vibrati...

It's a "dumb" Timex watch, but also vibrates. So you get that same nice gentle vibrating without any "smart" alerts.

I have the smaller older variant of the Timex Explorer and is still my most worn out of my whole collection despite its ugliness since it's by far the most useful due to the vibration alarms, great UX and features. Shame they don't make it anymore and has only been replaces with this gigantor edition.

A vibration motor on the index finger could make it... multifunctional.

No Casio watch owners know how to turn on/off alarms and it's annoying, so IMO it's only sensible that this does not have it. I've turned it off on my F-91W but frankly have no recollection as to how.

I hope they included the iconic worst-in-the-world backlight into it.

True, their EL tech was one of the best in that day and age though. Weird how they pivoted from so bad to so good.

Why is this so true for every casio lol

This feels like something you’d win at a carnival

Yeah, I actually got an extremely similar looking (but presumably more cheaply made) digital watch ring as a prize at an arcade type place that had games that spat out tickets that you could redeem for prizes around 30 years ago

It looks a bit silly but also a lot of fun!

It looks utterly stupid. I’ll take three, please.

I want one Casio watch ring for me and each of my friends and with our powers combined we are Captain Nerd.

What is this, a watch for ants?

What kind of monster ants have legs are as thick as human fingers wherever you are? God help you if so.

Looks like a mini GMW-B5000D: https://www.casio.com/us/watches/gshock/product.GMW-B5000D-1...

OMG, put it on a chain and wear it around my neck!

Flavor Flav walked so you could run

That could actually be really useful. I'd love to wear a dumbwatch again, and if it's that much smaller then its that much better. Will be keeping an eye out for one that isn't nostaliga-themed.

I have a gshock 5600-e that was passed down from my brother who wore it for uses in a metal fab mill. This watch is amazing. Definitely get a gshock

I love my G-shock GW/6900. It is pretty bulletproof. Apart from the strap - annoyingly I have to replace that once every ~3 years.

There are g-shocks with bracelets. I have a model with a plastic one.

I have the plastic/resin strap. They don't last. They crack and the strap holder breaks.

A wrap around display ring would be cool.

21st century mood ring!

Digital watches in general have their charm https://youtu.be/mDVmdgao3RE?si=sfpEEkri1mmOvdAV

Cool and functional. I hope this comes to Europe too.

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42156565

This is the type of thing I would not purchase for myself, but I’m happy to see exist. Brilliant design.

Not for me but I love the idea.

In Japan. The price is high but I still like it.

$128 is really pushing the limit for what seems like a kitsch novelty. Were it a third of the price, I could see myself picking it up for my watch aficionado friend.

Blame Inflation :/

That said, Casio novelties do hold their value surprisingly well. For example, just by wearing my Gravitymaster, I’ve already “earned” $130 as the resell value has shot up.

>Blame Inflation :/

N'ah mate, I feel Casio is also quite cheeky with their pricing for what is essentially mass produced budget commodity 80's tech made in China from cheap plastics.

Here in Europe most of their basic watches (excluding the F91W) are over 40+ Euros and all they do is show time/date on a cheap LCD display with poor viewing angles in a plastic resin shell who's paint rubs off after a couple of years.

Meanwhile for that price you can get an Xiaomi smart band with OLED display, gorilla glass, Bluetooth, vibration, heart-rate sensor, and it even tells time. Casio's profits must be crazy good on those watches.

I wish they would sell more models in metal casings like in the 80's and with updated internals with more functionality.

> kitsch novelty

you mean limited release collectable?

You should see what the Timex limited edition ring goes for now. I bet you can flip this Casio for a nice multiple as well.

Then you are playing the limited edition collection game. Which is a game of no interest to me.

gorilla glass i hope, otherwise its scratch city for my clumsy hands

No....nope. Don't like it. Why would someone spend $128 for that?

hillarious

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