Garmin has received approval to sell a new hybrid smartwatch in the US. Advnture has spotted a new report from the Federal Communications Commission), which shows the device received the seal of approval today, October 4.
There are few details about the watch itself. but it's likely to be either the Vivomove Trend or the Instinct Analog, which are the only two devices still outstanding from a list of forthcoming watches accidentally leaked by an authorized retailer earlier this year.
It's tricky to say which of the pair has been approved here, but we suspect that it's the Garmin Instinct Analog. The documentation explains that it has both Bluetooth and NFC connectivity (the latter of which will be used for Garmin Pay). There's no Wi-Fi connectivity, but that's not something we've seen from any other devices in either the Vivomove or Instinct lines.
Shape of things to come
However, the testing documentation describing the antenna location includes an illustration of a watch with a very Instinct-like design, featuring a chunky case with four buttons around the edge. It's entirely unlike the slim, minimalist design of any Vivomove device to date.
Interestingly, the illustration shows a case marked with the word 'solar'. This doesn't mean that the Instinct Analog will definitely be equipped with Garmin's Power Glass (the product being tested was a prototype, and the finished version could be housed in a different case), but we're cautiously optimistic.
We'll keep our ear to the ground for more news, and bring you further info as soon as we have it.
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