Mobility Digest Review: Phosphor World Time Sport Black E-Ink Watch

Electronic Ink or E-Ink is getting around but the last place I’d expect to see it is on a watch. Today for review I’ve got something a little off from the mobility theme but not really as a watch is probably one of the first mobile gadgets we had. The product is the Phosphor World Time Sport watch that features E-Ink for its display that makes it crisper, clearer and sharper than a conventional digital watch. This watch also has no buttons at all, everything is controlled by touch, tapping and swiping to get things done. The name should give it away, but it’s a world time watch, meaning you can know the time anywhere in the world instantly. The World Time Sport is great for travelers sure but it’s just as good for times when you’re not straying from your home time zone.

Author: Kristofer Brozio

Vendor: Phosphor

Price: $99.00

Overall Rating: 4/5

 

Specs/Features:

World Time Sport Black (WP001)

Swipe in style with a buttonless, touch lens operation.

The new World Time Sport with E INK display debuts a state-of-the-art buttonless touch lens operation, allowing for a sleek, ultra-modern look, and the ability to change modes with simple finger swipe across the case. The new World Time Sport offers the ability to select from 24 time zones for one display mode, while optionally displaying a second time zone simultaneously . The dual time zone display can also be configured to simply display the time of day or both the date and time in either over-sized or conventional-sized segments.

These unique capabilities are packaged in a sleek, ultra-thin, curved case only 9.3mm thick. Incredibly versatile, the new World Time Sport gives you an assortment of different functions and display modes.

Available in three colored versions – black, white and orange – the World Time Sport also includes a flexible silicone band and durable, water and sweat resistant plastic case.

Please note that the band is integrated with the World Time Sport watch case and is non-replaceable.

Features:
Case width: 38.0mm
Edge thickness: 5.0mm
Overall case thickness: 9.3mm
Water resistance: 3 ATM – 30m
Display: 12 hour large; 24 hour small

User Selectable Display Modes:
Time of Day + World Time
Time of Day + Calendar
Time of Day Large
Time of Day Small
World Time

What’s in the Box?

The Phosphor World Time Sport looks like it comes in a white box, but it doesn’t that just a slip cover for the black box underneath.

The black box opens to reveal the watch nestled in felt like padding.

The only thing included is a rather brief user manual.

The watch does have a little Phosphor identification tag attached to it.

On the bottom you’ll find the battery cover that is simple to remove thanks to the large slot, so replacing the battery is fairly easy when the time comes.

The watch band is adjustable and it’s made of rubber or silicone that’s durable and water and sweat resistant. The one I got for review is all black in color but you can get all white or black with an orange band. I should note here that the watch is not user replaceable sadly, so if you break the band you’re kind of stuck.

The display has two color modes, which you’ll see below, but it’s E-Ink as I mentioned and this makes it very crisp and clear and easy to read. The watch itself is fairly thin at only 9.3mm thick, but it’s a bit large for my tastes in terms of length top to bottom. That’s just my preference though..

Below the display you’ll see two symbols, one is a circle with a half-circle inside of it and the other is three dots. These are used for controlling the watch for settings and changing the modes and coincide with what’s in the user manual.

 

Impressions / Review:

So getting the watch set was the hardest part, the instructions are very basic but after reading though it a couple times and playing with the buttons I figured it out.

I’ve been using the watch for a couple weeks, but I just took a bunch of pictures today so it’s today’s date of course.

The Phosphor World Time watch has five basic modes. The first is a display of the time and date and day. The time in this mode can only be 24 hour style and it’s small in the middle of the date.

The second mode can be 12 or 24 hour and it’s just the time in large numbers.

Next is the time again, but just small.

Then you have one of the world time modes you’ve selected.

The next mode is dual time, it’s your world time you chose and the local time. I just thought of it but New York and my time are the the same so I guess that’s a bad example to show you but you get he idea I hope.

There is a sixth mode sort of, it allows you to switch between different time zones so you can know what time it is wherever in the world. Here’s a few samples:

In the manual you’ll find all of the times listed for you wit their abbreviations and GMT differences.

You can easily set the home time zone and then easily just switch it to another home time zone if you’re traveling. The ability to see dual time zones is cool for people that need to know that type of thing.

What I’ve shown you so far is the black numbers/letters with white background but you can also switch to white letters/numbers on a black background if you like.

So the Phosphor World Time has no buttons it’s all done by touch and I was very much surprised by just how sensitive it is. It’s recommended that you don’t swipe fast but I found no problems swiping just like I would on my phone really. I think it’s actually a bit overly sensitive honestly. There were times I’d cross my arms and just the skin of my arm brushing against it would change the mode and/or colors.

Here’s a quick video demonstration for you. Yes there’s no sound, but it’s not really needed.

As you can see I’m swiping fairly fast and the watch responds fine to my movements.

Overall I like this watch but it’s not perfect and two things really stand out for me.

1. There is no 12 hour mode for the main display with the date.

2. There is no backlight at all so using it in the dark can be virtually impossible.

The others I mentioned like the band not being replaceable and that it’s a big large and that it can be overly sensitive.

One other small gripe that’s specific to the watch I got for review is that, you can’t see it in the pictures, but there’s apparently a piece of black lint stuck under the glass and it can be annoying at times seeing it there. I’m sure not all are like that though.

 

Conclusion:

So that’s that, that’s the Phosphor World Time Sport watch for you. It’s not a bad watch at all even though it has a few quirks that need some attention. The fact that it’s E-Ink is nice, the display is crisp and clear and very easy to read. This is the type of watch that’s great for travelers as you can change the time zones easily to what you want to see or need to know. The World Time Sport is also great for just regular use and I’m sure it will get a lot of attention as it’s very distinctive looking.

I think the price at $99 is about right on, it’s what you’d expect to pay for a relatively new technology and it’s a decent watch overall.

 

Pros:
+ Get time from all over the world
+ Nice looking watch
+Touch only, no buttons
+Water resistant
+Fairly easy to use

 

Cons:
-No backlight
-No 12 hour time for main mode with calendar
-A bit overly sensitive
-A bit big for my tastes
-Can’t change band if needed
-End of strap keeps coming out and hangs loose