The VTech Star Wars First Order Stormtrooper Smartwatch ($42.75) is one of the big, surprise hits of the holiday season. Face it, most watches for kids just aren't very exciting; but, everyone who sees this watch who has a glimmer of interest in Star Wars goes nuts for it. Whaaaat?
Let's get the obvious out of the way: this is not a small, slim, inconspicuous watch. The wristband has "Star Wars" on one side and an Imperial Stormtrooper on the other. In all honesty, though, it isn't that much bigger than a lot of the smart watches on the market.
What sets it apart, though are all the cool things inside! Yes, it does all the smartwatch things you'd expect: Pedometer? Check. Alarms? Yup. Touch Screen? Uh-huh. Also: timer, stopwatch, calendar, and calculator.
Then, there are 30 animated Star Wars inspired watch faces. And they really look good!
But, that's only the beginning: There's a voice changing recorder, a light-saber sound effects mode when you wave your hand, and even some "augmented reality" games where you shoot down enemy space ships that appear on the clock face to be flying around your living room, or wherever you happen to be.
Dark Side of the Force: Well, it is splash-proof, not shower-proof. The camera is low rez. The screen is not constantly "on"; this, to save battery life. But, for kids (and some adults), none of this will matter. The Force is strong with this one!
