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: Bad Idea, Bad Implimentation
Review: This is just another gadget that MSN and others have come up with to make some easy money. If you really think that this is a good idea by these companies just send them money directly for R & D. Most likely the money will go toward stock options and more marketing hype. Don't bother with the S&H and the frustration of the junk you just bought. Hope they can get a better product in the future.
The huge watch is quite useless. You can get the same information easily on the net or over the radio w/o the $60 per year fee. Only works where there is the FM signal. Needs to be charged every other day. btw, you must remove it do recharge with magnetic coupled charger.
Not guaranteed to work where you live. You have a local area, so if you travel you can encure more fees like a cell phone.
The only nice thing is that you do not have to set the time (usually). Other watches do that as well. Gee, I bought an alarm clock for $14 that does the same. And, oh yeah, it gets PRI and NPR as well for the information I need within ten minutes.
One star only because I had to give it some rating.
Rating: 
Summary: Lots of gadget geek appeal, but not ready for prime time
Review: Wow, that guy from Boise sure has a lot of watch rage! Most of what he/she says doesn't make sense and is not even accurate. Anyway, I've had this watch for a little over a week now, and let me give you a quick review.The upshot is, at first I found a lot to complain about, but after a week, it started to grow on me, and right now, I like it a lot, and everyone I show it to is impressed, although most don't think it's worth the price + subscription fee. Anyway, I don't regret this purchase like I did with the T-Mobile Sidekick. Pros:
- Lots of geek appeal with real-time information updates
- Changeable watch faces
- Can receive updates from Outlook Calendar
- Atomic clock auto-syncing
- ESPN channel coming at end of January
- 10-second white backlight at the touch of a button
- Alarm clock, chronograph (stop watch), timer, time zones
- FM radio frequency, so low power and potentially low chances of us getting tumors from wearing this Cons:
- Kinda large, not for slim wrists
- Not particularly attractive physically
- No color
- Battery life can be an issue; I've recharged only once but it's only because I use the animations sparingly and turn off the radio at night
- The wrist band is hard to use and adjust (this is one thing the rage man from Boise got right)
- Update can be slow at times
- You need to set up a travel schedule to receive personalized information (i.e., Outlook appointments) when you travel, which is totally stupid, especially as the set-up page on the Web is a perfect example of stupid programming (but not unlike the typical Microsoft goofs) -- too complicated to explain here, let's just say it doesn't work the way it should.
- Coverage is not consistent, and only works in the U.S. and Canada My initial impression was this deserved no more than 2 stars, as the watch was kinda ugly and all the information you get (weather, news headlines, up to 15 stock quotes, Outlook calendar, etc.) is nice to have but totally not necessary, especially for people like myself who sit in front of the Internet all day and half night. Plus, set up was more confusing than warranted, and the battery life issue was a big turn off. But there is just so much gadget-freak factor in this watch. It's actually more useful than my Casio camera watch or some prototypes of communicator watches I've seen in Asia, because, at least for a guy, the size is acceptable, and there's something about getting real-time weather and stock quotes that just fascinate me. The weather channel is especially impressive, especially on cold wintry days like these in New York. Pressing the channel button to cycle through the various channels -- BTW there's also a special channel that automatically cycles through the channels for you -- has a certain magical power of its own, and I just love showing this off to friends and coworkers, and get lots of pleasure when people come into my office to ask "oh what is like outside?" or "hey show me your watch again." Should you buy this? It's very hard to say. Luckily MSN Direct offers a free month if you sign up with the monthly plan. Then if you like it, you can switch to the annual plan and save 50%. If you don't, at least Amazon offers a nice 30-day MBG policy.
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