Member Article

Durham businessman set to launch smartwatch computer

A Durham inventor has created a smartwatch computer prototype using the type of advanced technology usually only seen in a James Bond film and plans to produce it commercially from July this year.

Paul Gill, 52 whose business is based at Pity Me Business Centre, County Durham, has designed his watch, the Orsto x3, so it has the capability of a computer in the size of a 50p, as opposed to rival smartwatches, which operate via blue tooth connections to a mobile phone.

His unique product is a combined phone and computer with a GPS signal and what he believes is one of the biggest capacity cameras for the watch’s size, with 8 mega pixel images able to be taken from the watch face.

He has been supported in his prototype production by Transmit Start-Ups who awarded him a £9k loan to help develop the Orsto x3 and the next series of prototypes. Paul said: “I am really excited that this smartwatch is now ready to be taken to the marketplace. It has taken about three years to refine and perfect the technology but all of the elements from design to the screen home page are exactly right. I have invested around £75k of my own money in this watch and the Transmit loan is a huge help to get it to the next stage of production. They have been amazingly supportive.”

Richard Myers, director, Transmit Start-Ups said: “I could see the potential of Paul’s invention as soon as we met. The Orsto is definitely the most high tech timepiece I have ever seen and the potential for his business is incredible. Paul, like many of our clients, just needed a relatively small amount of capital to get their company or product off the ground and then the business is able to fly.”

Paul has a lengthy track record in research and development which started at Philips Electronics in Belmont, Durham, where he trained as an electrical and mechanical engineer. Since then his career has taken him into a range of product design projects including a motor cycle racing exhaust system which ended up being sold and distributed worldwide, personal protective equipment and consumer products.

The Orsto x3 is a culmination of his previous experience of technology and innovative design and is described by him as a watch with high end designer styling. Further models are also in the pipeline, the Orsto x4, a traditionally-styled watch with leather strap and round face and the Orsto x5 a silicon rubber activity sports watch with a GPS system capable of monitoring speed, calories, gradient and steps as well as all of the other benefits of a tiny personal computer.

Development of the Orsto x3 has been a team effort with predominantly North East companies, E3 Design, Newcastle, Amtech, South Shields and KooDoo Creative, Stockton all providing expertise to Paul. He was also supported by Sunderland’s Software City.

He said: “It is really important to me that these watches are produced in the North East rather than overseas as I want to show the world how great we are at high tech manufacturing.”

Married to Rachael, Paul lives in Newton Hall and has an 18 year old daughter Paige Aspen who is studying design.

Further information on Orsto smartwatches, which start at £349, is available on www.orsto.com and on Transmit Start-Ups, www.transmitstartups.co.uk.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Transmit Start Ups .