As somebody who does not feel totally dressed unless wearing a wristwatch, I was an obvious candidate to try out an addition to the Sony Ericsson family of products.  This product is the Sony Ericsson MBW-100 wristwatch which can be classified as both a fashion accessory and a mobile phone add-on.  The latter designation is due to the Bluetooth connectivity built into the wristwatch.  However this connectivity and its related features only work with appropriate Sony Ericsson mobile phones - other brands of Bluetooth phones do not get a look-in.

See also: Mobile phones

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The MBW-100 is a chunky analogue watch, heavier than any other wristwatch I have worn in the past,  whichcertainly takes a little getting use to.  For a start you will probably need to adjust the stainless bracelet to suit your wrist size.  Hopefully this will only involve removing links as no additional ones are provided if you have a particularly large wrist..

Situated just under the watch face is a small OLED 96 x 16 pixel display which is used to provide phone feedback information, menu items shown as icons and other information.  Along with a traditional style bulky winder, the watch features two additional buttons positioned either side of the winder.  The lower button opens and provides the means to navigate through the menu options while the upper button is for selecting and bringing up date and battery level information.

Once paired with a Sony Ericsson Bluetooth phone, the MBW-100 will provide a range of features.  Both short and long presses of the various controls can be used to implement actions.  Incoming calls will be announced by a vibration and the caller number or other details if available in the phone book.  The watch can provide the functionality to mute the phone; reject the call; or send a busy signal.  Text messages can also be announced by the appearance of an envelop icon and a vibration but the watch lacks the functionality to display the actual message on the OLED display.

As well as helping manage incoming calls, the MBW-100 can provide some remote control features for the phone's music player capabilities.  You can pause, move forward or skip tracks using the watch but no feedback is displayed regarding track details.  Completing the watch's feature list is its ability to sound a warning when the Bluetooth connection is broken as a result of a gap of around 15 feet appearing between the two devices - helpful for those who wandering off leaving their phone behind accidentally.

The MBW-100 is powered by a rechargeable battery that should last around a week on a single charge although heavy traffic should reduce this period of time.  While the watch is certified as being waterproof, the presence of two contacts used during the recharging process is an excellent reason not to wear the watch when swimming.  Checking the Internet, I have seen the Sony Ericsson MBW-100 available at around £190 which does seem a high price to pay for the functionality offered.

http://www.sonyericsson.com/spg.jsp?cc=gb&lc=en&ver=4000&template=pip1&zone=pp&pid=10573