Facebook's first smartwatch with two cameras, heart rate monitor to arrive next summer

The social media company is gearing up to unveil its smartwatch with dual cameras and heart rate monitor by next summer. As per The Verge, the upcoming device will feature a display with two cameras that can be detached from the wrist for taking pictures and videos that can be shared across Facebook's suite of apps, including Instagram.

A camera on the front of the watch display exists primarily for video calling, while a 1080p, auto-focus camera on the back can be used for capturing footage when detached from the stainless steel frame on the wrist. Facebook is tapping other companies to create accessories for attaching the camera hub to things like backpacks, according to two people familiar with the project, both of whom requested anonymity to speak without Facebook's permission.

The idea is to encourage owners of the watch to use it in ways that smartphones are used now. It's part of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's plan to build more consumer devices that circumvent Apple and Google, the two dominant mobile phone platform creators. Facebook is working with the top wireless carriers in the US to support LTE connectivity in the watch, meaning it won't need to be paired with a phone to work, and sell it in their stores, the people familiar with the matter said.

The watch will come in white, black, and gold, and Facebook hopes to initially sell volume in the low six figures. That's a tiny sliver of the overall smartwatch market -- Apple sold 34 million watches last year by comparison, according to Counterpoint Research. In future versions of the watch, Facebook is planning for it to serve as a key input device for its planned augmented reality glasses. The company plans to use technology it acquired from CTRL-labs, a startup that has demonstrated armbands capable of controlling a computer through wrist movements.

Facebook aims to release the first version of the watch in the summer of 2022 and is already working on second and third generations for subsequent years. As far as the pricing is concerned, The Verge said that the smartwatch could be priced around USD 400 (Rs 29,000 roughly). However, nothing has been confirmed so far.