【I Would Rather Kill You】

SEOUL -- Next month,I Would Rather Kill You the Dot smartwatch will finally hit shelves, offering a sleek timepiece for the blind.

The watch is coming to the market after nearly three years of repeated stops and starts.

SEE ALSO: Smart glasses are digital eyes for the legally blind

Unlike most assistive smartwatches for the blind which rely on audio prompts, the Dot displays messages four braille characters at a time on its screen.

Its round face displays four cells of six balls each, and allows users to send simple replies or actions back through its two side buttons.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable Via Giphy

Dot, the eponymous South Korean startup behind the watch, has been developing the product since 2014, but hit delays in sorting out the display's durability, as the tiny moving parts were hard to protect while remaining tactile, it said.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

But starting March, the company will finally start delivering the watch to some 140,000 backers -- including Stevie Wonder himself, the company claims.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Dot is targeting 100,000 of those watches to be shipped out in 2017, with 40,000 on the waiting list for next year. A smaller batch of 1,000 units will go on retail shelves in London, for $320 too. (The price will vary a little depending on country.)

If you vaguely remember something that resembled the Dot floating around the internet, it could've been the Dot itself -- in an early iteration that resembled a Fitbit more than a watch.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Eric Juyoon Kim, founder and CEO of Dot, said the watch is just the first step in a bigger picture offering braille devices to the blind, especially those in developing markets, where the vast majority of visually-impaired reside.

Dot has signed a $1 million agreement with Kenya’s government to bring 8,000 units of its upcoming Dot Mini, an educational braille reader, with an aim to be sold below cost for around $200 each.

It also has plans in cooperation with Google for a 2018 launch of the Dot Pad, a tactile Kindle-like ereader that will display shapes and images through tactile buttons, that could help with learning math or even art.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Eventually, the company's smart braille system could find its way onto public infrastructure as well, helping to make this world just a little more inclusive.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

---

Featured Video For You

---

This app helps the blind "see" by identifying objects around them

---

Topics Smartwatches

• Entertainment
• Deals
• Life
• Social Good
• Games
• Digital Culture
• Shopping
• Science

• 'The Last of Us' Season 2, episode 3's opening credits has a heartbreaking change
• Best Sony deal: Save $100 on WH
• Useful or Little Known Android Features
• Shop the Shark FlexStyle for 20% off at Amazon
• Get the official Atari 7800+ Console for 50% off
• Best JBL deal: Save $80 on JBL Xtreme 4 portable speaker
• Nvidia DLSS: An Early Investigation
• Best robot vacuum deal: Eufy Omni C20 robot vacuum and mop $300 off at Amazon
• What cracked the Milky Way's giant cosmic bone? Scientists think they know.
• Amazon Book Sale: Shop early deals now

• Bumble BFF just raised $40,000 for Planned Parenthood
• Indigenous activists respond to flag
• Shyamalan's 'Split' is still #1 at the box office
• Fat camp and a dead dad: 'This Is Us' is your cry of the week
• This racial justice map sheds light on an often overlooked part of U.S. history
• Here's what Absolut Vodka is looking for in their next 'billion dollar nose'
• Here are some other things Trump's $15 billion wall budget could be spent on
• Nobody knows why this woman trolled a reporter with an M&M's hat
• Thanks to Trump ties, #DeleteUber campaign grows on social media
• Trolls really piled on this country's hyped annual radio countdown

• Today's Hurdle hints and answers for May 9, 2025
• Musetti vs. Diallo 2025 livestream: Watch Madrid Open for free
• Creator job opportunities grew 7x in recent years [April 2025]
• Fritz vs. Ruud 2025 livestream: Watch Madrid Open for free
• Bomb Envy
• NYT Strands hints, answers for May 1
• NYT Strands hints, answers for May 1
• TikTok wants me to host a dinner party. Is that an actual recession indicator?
• Best vacuum mop combo deal: Save $140 on the Tineco Floor One S5
• NYT Connections hints and answers for April 14: Tips to solve 'Connections' #673.

• Sony launches new flagship XM6 headphones: Order them now
• Best rope light deal: Save 25% on Lepro N1 AI Smart RGB LED Strip Lights
• Character AI reveals AvatarFX, a new AI video generator
• Amazon requires sellers to use more efficient packaging, or pay up
• Draper vs. Arnaldi 2025 livestream: Watch Madrid Open for free
• 4GHz CPU Battle: AMD 2nd
• NYT Connections hints and answers for May 2: Tips to solve 'Connections' #691.
• Turtle Beach Recon 50P gaming headset deal: 28% off
• Best roborock deal: Save $400 on Q5 Pro+ Robot Vacuum and Mop
• Today's Hurdle hints and answers for April 23, 2025