Rating: 
Summary: Spectacular flameout! wait for next Gen.
Review: I wanted to like this thing... and I did until i realized that it is extremely susceptible to static charge-- which wipes out the data and resets the watch. At least 20 times a day, all of my data would be wiped out and the watch would reset to 12:00. Signal strength was always pretty good-- but the watch is completely unreliable in my opinion. I have read some message boards on this watch and this is a common problem. It is a defective design. COMP USA charged me 15% to return it and on top of that MSN would not refund the up front yearly MSNDirect charge (however, after a few days, a MSN supervisor called back to say that they would credit the money back). I have read that the SUUNTO watch should be much better because the antenna is in the watch, not the band. Much less susceptible to static charge. Bottom line= Fossil made bad watch, COMP USA has terrible return policy, and MSNDirect almost swindled my [$]-- but after some persistence, they made right.
Rating: 
Summary: Definitely get a Suunto instead.
Review: I was going to get the Abacus version of the new MSN Direct watch, but I noticed that almost all the customer reviews of the Fossil versions complained of hardware problems, and none of the Suunto reviews did.The Suunto is shockproof and waterproof, while the Fossil watches are not. The battery life is 5-7 days instead of 2-4 days for the Fossil watches. The antenna is integrated into the watch face, so it can't malfunction the way many complain that the Fossil watches do. And the watch uses an ordinary buckle and a strap with holes in it, so there's no issues with having to get extra hardware to use to adjust the watch strap, as many complain they must do with the Fossil watches. I think the Fossil watches look better, and, obviously, they are cheaper, but it is definitely worth the extra money to get something that you can rely upon, if you're going to buy it at all. $299 in addition to $59 a year for service may seem like a lot for a watch, but I know lots of people who pay thousands of dollars for their watches, and those watches don't really do a whole lot. If you were looking to spend $19.95 on your wrist watch, then this one isn't for you. But if you want to spend a little money to get a nice watch, then there are a lot of much more expensive watches, but I don't know of any nicer ones.
Rating:
Summary: It's crappy...
Review: I was very excited to get my watch. Unfortunately the excitement faded pretty quickly as I had to let the darn thing charge for six hours before I could put it on my wrist. When it finally finished charging I quickly found out that the clasp and band are incredibly hard to work with. Once I was able to get the band to size and figure out the tricky clasp I was very disapointed with the way it fit. It really bites into my wrist. The service itself is fun, but I am able to get all of the same services on my cell phone. After two days of use, the watch started to malfunction. It would just shut off by itself. I called Fossil and they told me that it sounds like the watch was defective. I returned it the next day.
Maybe I'll cobble up a new watch made of my cell phone and some cheap leather...
Rating: 
Summary: Not just a gadget...more useful than expected
Review: I'm a techno-geek, and become interested in any new device that features a microprocessor of some sort. After reading posts and reviews across the web about the Microsoft SPOT watches, I finally decided to take the plunge. I am absolutely delighted with my purchase, and am finding it far more useful than just a simple geek-gadget. I love the fact that my Outlook calendar syncs with the watch. Sure, a PDA an serve the same puprose, but I hate carrying a PDA everyhwere I go. Plus, the SPOT watch is automatically updated within minutes of making a change to my calendar. No cradle or hotsync required...the watch udpates wirelessly while it's sitting on my wrist, anywhere I might be in the local area. My wife can update my calendar to let me know she wants to have dinner tonight, and it would show up on my watch while I'm at work. Personally, I think that's pretty amazing. When an appointment time nears, it pops up on the watch along with a countown timer (in 15min, 14min, etc...). Neat! Stock updates are great also...a quick glance at my watch tells me how my stocks are doing today. Again, all wirelessly no matter where I might be. While the quotes are somehwat delayed (maybe 30min), still useful for keeping general track of how you might be doing for the day. Everything was easy to set up, the watch really isn't much bigger than my Seiko (though I have big hands and wrists), and I don't find anything about the watch's materials to be cheap at all. First time charging went smooth as silk, and set up took 5 min with content arriving on the watch within 30 min of activation. Charging is cool to...you just set the watch on the included charging stand (I do it when I go to bed at night). No wires to plug in or anything...the watch charges by induction. A full charge is supposed to last 3-5 days, but I guess that would only come into play when going out of town. Of course you must take the charger with you, so that's a bit of a hassle I suppose. Overall this is a great watch and represents some cool new technology. As far as service charge goes, I don't find $59 for 12 months to be unreasonable at all. If you want to buy the watch and try it out, you can sign up for monthly service and get the first month free, then switch to yearly. That way if you decide to return your watch, you won't be stuck with the service.
Rating:
Summary: Another One Bites the Dust
Review: Mine lasted six days before going dead. Not dead battery, it is fully charged, just a completely dead watch. Judging from the other postings, my experience was better than many. I find it amazing that MS and Fossil didn't delay this product until they got the bugs out. I guess these things build up momentum in the corporation and then no one dares pull the plug. MS will survive another flop, of course. Reminds me of my experience with Windows ME. Also, messaging didn't work inspite of painstaking efforts, showed every Outlook calendar item to 10:30pm Sunday January 25, strap extremely tricky to adjust and never feels comfortable, buttons too hard to press and don't always operate correctly, too big and dorky looking, etc.. I would have kept it inspite of all the above, just cuz I like checking the weather, but like I said, it doesn't work at all now.
Rating:
Summary: Stopped working in under 2 weeks
Review: Mine stopped working in less than 2 weeks. Amazon will take it back, but Microsoft will not refund the $60 annual fee I paid, even though they confirm there are problems with the watch (hardware and software) that they are still trying to work out. My advice, if you decide to get this watch despite the neg feedback: only use the MSN Direct free trial period. Do NOT sign up for a year in advance.
Rating:
Summary: Stay Away For This Model
Review: My only reccommendation for this model is stay away from it. Get something different. My second watch in less than a month just died and won't reset. These models are a piece of junk that should never made it to market. I like the MSN Direct technology, but with watches like this I'll not be wasting anymore money on the watches or the service from Microsoft.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty amazing for what it is
Review: No, this won't replace your cell phone, and you can get more current info off the internet, but if you want to have sport scrores or stock quotes or brief news items available to you wherever you are, at the push of a few buttons, then this might be for you. For me, the two most useful items are perfect time-keeping, linked to US national standard time, and MSN messaging. I don't leave my cell phone on, and I don't give out the cell number, because I hate it when people think I'm at their beck and call. But this gives me the ability to get some messages, at MY convenience, wherever I am. A lot like email, but portable, and on MY terms. I bought one at CES from the Fossil booth, and it took all of 20 minutes to register it, set up preferences and get my first message. One small note: the antenna in the Fossil watches is in the watchband, so you're stuck with the watchband they provide. Suunto makes a SPOT watch with the antenna in the watch's rim, so you can change bands. They lose a little reception strength due to the smaller antenna, but it's a trade off. As far as the Fossil's reception -- I've had good reception in places (like buildings) where my cell phone doesn't see signal. That's all I can ask. The watch has a rechageable battery. THe claim 2 days between recharges, but, even with my excessive new-toy usage, I still had 35% battery after 3 days, so a good 3 days is a better estimate. Oh, the bulk of the watch isn't as bad as some say, although the fx-3000 model is bigger. I have a Nike sports watch that is substantially larger.
Rating:
Summary: Nice idea, HUGE watch, HORRIBLE service agreement
Review: OK, I did my homework... researched extensively in as many web sites as I could, for reviews and ratings, and finally decided to go for it and get the watch with the most favorable reviews (Fossil, Square Face). What a DISAPPOINTMENT!!
Seriously, the watch is scaringly ENORMOUS!! As in UNWEARABLY BIG (over 1/2 and inch thick!! 2 inches long!! 1.5 inches wide!! WOW!!!)... my wife and I actually laughed when I took it out of the box! It looks like some kind of weapon or wearable instrument (sci-fi movie like), but definitely not like a watch. G-Shocks are considerably smaller than these!!! I do not know how big the other reviewers--with favorable ratings--are, but I can tell you that on a 5'7" person like me (average height of the population in the planet, and the one used in ergonomics designs), it looks like a bad joke. Good luck if you wear long sleeved shirts!
But, since the gargantuan thing had arrived, I decided to, at least, test its functionality. After all, that is why I got the watch on the first place.
My funcitonality test endeded when reading the MSN Direct service agreement's "fine print". There are so many provisions AGAINST the user, that it is actually fun to read: they take no responsibility, whatsoever, for any service disruption or if the service does not work at all (and will charge you anyways)... they limit the number of instant messages and calendar notes AND will charge you MORE MONEY for receiving more than the limit (which is not stipulated ANYWHERE in the agreement--scary!)... there are no refunds WHATSOEVER, for any reason... there is no clarification if the "first month free" is the same "trial period" mentioned in the contract or not, so I could not tell if after testing the service for less than a month and cancelling it, I would still be charged the yearly fee (as in other services, "first month free" could mean that the yearly service cost is for 11 months + 1 "free" month... where the latter is NOT a trial period, but a package deal)... and it goes on and on... NO WAY I AM SPENDING AN EXTRA SIXTY BUCKS FOR A SERVICE I WILL POSSIBLY NEVER GET!!!
This puppy is going back to the store, I'll just wait a few more years till the technology matures and someone other than MSN, with a true concept of "service", offers and alternative solution. On the meantime, back to my old, faithful Tissot and my cell phone... which together, do more than these watches ever could.
Rating: 
Summary: It's new, so...
Review: Pros
-Use it like a pager
Only those who you let know your email can send you messages
For $59/year, not too high cost for the option. Users of MSN can send as many messages they want, with several lines of text. -Better than a PDA if you're looking for just a calendar
Less clunky, easy to synch with Outlook. Great for someone who would rather carry around a watch, than a PDA. -Great for News / Weather / Stock Hounds
Keeps you updated on the latest of all three, and does it very well. Even gives you tiny stock chart. -EXTREMELY easy to set up. Cons
-No ability to communicate with others
Calendar/Month view doesn't show notations or offer ability to move through month view. -Large (not for women at all! unless you're big boned) -Not as many channels as I would like to choose from -Stopwatch/timer feature not as advanced as it could be Overall, for the price, it's not bad, especially if you like to be an early adopter. And it shows lots of promise. Had no problem in an office building in Alaska receiving messages. Some people may end up getting 'early lemons', which I assume is the reason for the other bad reviews. It's perfect for technology challenged types who would like to have a pager, cell phone and PDA, but really doesn't need all the overkill and hates being 'electronically chained' to a cell phone. PERFECT for delivery people!
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