Kenton’s Score-O-Meter:  5 of 5.  TI’s eZ430-Chronos wireless dev kit is fun (it comes inside a sports watch!), feature-packed, and easy to use.  If you are developing small-form-factor ISM-band app, you should take a look.

Review: TI’s eZ430-Chronos is the coolest dev kit I’ve ever seen.  This wireless networking kit comes inside a fully functioning sports watch that has to be seen to be appreciated:

This watch comes with tons of features, yet it is impressively easy to use.  With the eZ430-Chronos, you can you bring up sophisticated wireless apps in a matter of minutes—even if you’re not an expert at programming or RF.  Nice!

The watch is based on the CC430F6137, a 16-bit MSP430 MCU with an integrated wireless transceiver.   (The transceiver is available in three ISM frequencies: 433 MHz, 868 MHz, and 915 MHz.)  Other watch features include a 3-axis accelerometer; temperature, pressure, and battery/voltage sensors; a 96-segment LCD display; and five input buttons.

The watch can be used to develop a variety of wireless apps.  These include personal networks (e.g., a watch/shoe combination for monitoring miles and calories burned), industrial remote monitoring, and shipment monitoring.

Getting started with the eZ430-Chronos is easy.  The watch comes pre-programmed with a ton of interesting apps and an RF USB stick that lets you interface with a PC.  The PC interface is pretty slick—it lets you do things like control the PC mouse using the watch’s accelerometers.  Here’s a screenshot of the PC software:

The watch can also interface to an optional heart-rate strap.  The included programs can use this strap to measure a variety of fitness functions.

Of course, you’ll eventually want to write your own programs.  The kit earns high marks here.  It comes with free software development tools and a USB programmer.  It is worth noting that the kit’s MSP430 MCU has on-chip emulation and debugging support.  These features are unusual for a low-cost part, and they make debugging much easier.

The kit is available now for $49.  That seems like a good price considering that you get a fully-functioning sports watch in the bargain.  Just think, people used to make a bit fuss out of watches that could perform all these functions:

You can find out more about TI’s eZ430-Chronos by visiting the links below:

• Chronos tool folder: www.ti.com/chronos-pr
• Chronos Wiki: www.ti.com/chronoswiki-pr  
• Chronos video overview: www.ti.com/chronos_video-pr

Bottom line: The eZ430-Chronos is fun, feature-packed, and easy to use.  If you are developing small-form-factor ISM-band app, you should take a look.