{ Digital Eye Candy }

Adidas is famous for their sneakers and sporty clothing lines, but they have also started a line of accessories. This particular watch caught my eye. The bright colors are striking. Sleek and attractive, the design of the watch is 100% modern and true to the motto of Adidas - long live sport. The colorful digital ‘Candy’ Collection represents the true fusion of Adidas’s sport heritage with metropolitan street style. It is a neat representation of digital eye candy. New technology merges with a traditional timepiece to create a piece of tantalizing eye candy, as it were. The watch is both sporty and cool. The elements of design that have been incorporated into the watch include 5 ATM water resistance, 10 lap memory, timer, and alarm. It is both durable reasonably priced. Adidas' product appeals to their target audience, those who desire to purchase sporty designs.

Penguin is a company that provides digital analog watches. Sleek, fashion forward, these timepieces are much more refined. In contrast to the Adidas watches, these pieces are designed for a different clientele.

It is interesting to note that watches did not begin to see widespread use until the 1920s. Men considered wristwatches to be effeminate. Watches adapted to the wrist made sporadic appearances as early as the late 1500s. Queen Elizabeth I is said to have been given one. In the early 1800s the wristwatch made more frequent appearances when jewelry and watchmakers began creating gem encrusted timepieces for royalty.

Toward the end of the 1800s, women began to embrace the wristwatch as an item of adornment. Despite the feminine association, the concept became accepted as indispensable to military campaigns as mechanization in war grew. The ability to read time with a quick glance rather than having dig through to pockets was critical in battle.

Officers in the South African Boer war (1899-1902) used wristwatches. By World War I, military organizations began to demand them. They became especially crucial to fledgling aerial combat operations.

As demand for wristwatches in warfare grew, rugged timepieces covered with metal grids were introduced. The first chronograph wristwatches were developed, and luminous hands and markers were developed.

Today, wristwatches are worn by both men and women. They come in an assortment of styles, and range from casual to formal. The various designs are created with a specific audience in mind. Now, the technology has advanced to the point where digital analogs are integrated onto the face of the timepiece.

LG has even come out with a watch phone. New Media has combined digital technology with watches. Now your watch can talk. Who can predict what the future holds? Perhaps there will not be a need for watches in 20 years. As our technology advances, our digital devices are morphing and overlapping. Our generation has been dubbed 'the age of convergence'. It is not so difficult to imagine a time piece as a tiny chip inserted under a layer of skin. It could be that our watches of the future actually become a part of us. Keeping track of time could not be easier. It is an interesting concept...