Strange stuff (UC-2000)
=======================

I  wrote  recently  here [1]  that  I  have  got  the Seiko  DATA  2000
smartwatch.  This thing  is  very interesting  and  quite useful,  too.
Anyway,  just one  alarm  and no  way  to sync  data  with ane  desktop
computer (except for  re-typing of them manually) have  made me curious
if there is anything more enhanced.

It is. The  Seiko UC-2000. It is even more  interesting machine: it can
be connected  to a  desktop-style keyboard  and used  as a  normal home
computer from 1980s. I mean that it can boot to BASIC interpreter or to
run  some  custom  programs  from sort  of  cartridges.  Actually,  the
keyboard includes  its own Zilog  Z80 CPU  and the watch  screen serves
just like the computer monitor. Some of these programs can be loaded to
the watch  and run without the  keyboard. Actually, it seems  that only
one  or two  such cartridges  exist  and the  one which  is more  known
includes three games and a schedule program.

I hoped  that the  BASIC code  (when finished) can  be uploaded  to the
watch itself and run without the "keyboard" but it is not the case (the
manual  didn't disclose  such functionality).  Even more  strangely the
BASIC don't have functions for working with time. This is a bit strange
on a watch, isn't it? Did I mention that it runs the Microsoft BASIC?

Anyway, someone tried to play with  the UC-2000 thing and made a device
for communication with these watches  (two versions actually). So it is
probably  possible  to write  new  programs  in  an assembler  and  run
them  on the  watch  itself. Even  more,  there is  an  example of  the
Tetris implementation  and also  some custom watch  faces. Fortunately,
everything is available [2].

There is  also an Android application  which can be used  to enter text
into watch's memo  areas (also on [2]). It is  possible because watches
use  wireless connection  to  the keyboard  or other  docks  and it  is
possible to  emulate work of the  dock with use of  phone's microphone.
The author  warns that it  cannot be done in  reliable way so  there is
error rate about 10-20%. So such  application can be used for typing of
text but not for uploading of programs. Also, it is not guaranteed that
a particular phone/table/PDA device will actually work.

Because I have the older DATA-2000  and not the more advanced UC-2000 I
was  unsure if  the thing  can work  with my  watch. The  "transmission
circuit" thing on the watch seems be the same so I tried to install the
application on my Gemini PDA device and tried to connect the watch. And
it worked!  But when I  tried to repeat my  success I wasn't  unable to
position the watch  correctly to it didn't worked once  more. On a Sony
phone it didn't worked at all (but I didn't tried too hard).

So it is somewhat cool stuff: if  your phone work and you master use of
the Android app  (i.e. find and remember the correct  position of watch
and phone) then you can enter your  notes via phone (without need of an
external keyboard).  Certainly there are  environments where it  is not
advisable  to use  phone but  looking on  watches is  quite normal  (in
crowded places, in public transport vehicles and so).


Written on a SGI O2.


References:

[1] gopher://sdf.org/1/users/jirka/Phlog/
[2] https://github.com/azya52/seiko