Microsoft Moonraker was Nokia’s Smartwatch Before it was Killed
Nokia’s Moonraker smartwatch never made it to market primarily because Microsoft was anticipating its wearable Band. While the Moonraker had a number of sensors to allow you to lift your arm to read texts or drop it to turn off the display, Microsoft opted for the Band as it had more functionality. Nokia took the familiar “Metro” interface from Windows Phone and paired it with simple email, phone, and messaging apps on its smartwatch. There was even a camera remote feature to take pictures on a smartphone from the watch. Facebook and MixRadio integration was also built-in, alongside customizable watch faces and different colored straps.
If Microsoft does somehow leverage some of the technology and interface used in this watch for some future version, the only way I see it working is if it’s platform agnostic. The problem, of course, is that I don’t believe that a watch that is platform agnostic can be good enough to sway people away from the watch is directly tied into the ecosystem. Still, it’s interesting to see what Microsoft had in mind. I think it’s much better than Android Wear. At least from the pictures.