Matrix PowerWatch 2: This Smartwatch Might Never Need Charging

id="article-body" class="row" section="article-body"> The Matrix PowerWatch 2 mixes solar and thermal power to keep charged constantly.

Sarah Tew/CNET The Matrix PowerWatch 2 is the sequel to a watch I wore a couple of years ago made by Matrix Industries, a thermoelectrics startup in Menlo Park whose headquarters I visited last year. The original PowerWatch worked, www.delhi-ads.com but wasn't great. This version, which I first got a peek at nearly a year ago, feels a lot better. It's finally close to being an everyday watch I'd use as a casual smartwatch.

It looks like a big old Casio G-Shock on my wrist. But it buzzes. A message pops up. I check it, and my step count, and my heart rate. Basic fitness stuff. I'd say it wasn't notable, except the Matrix PowerWatch 2 has been on my wrist for nearly a week and never lost any battery life. And, if all goes according to plan, I'll never, ever need to charge it.

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It's a smartwatch powered by solar energy and your body heat
It's still far from the best smartwatch I've ever worn, but I don't think co-founders Douglas Tham and Akram Boukai are aiming for that claim. It's the way this watch never needs charging that's the amazing part. The watch's power recharging can be monitored in the phone app, where daily counts of thermal and solar energy can be graphed (I seemed to generate 170 microwatt-hours one day, while solar power generated another 310 microwatt-hours).