Is Microsoft flirting with a SmartWatch?

Francisco De Jesùs.

Microsoft might be dabbling in  the smartwatch career .

The Patent Office has issued a U.S. patent application filed by the software manufacturer for a smartwatch design or  smartwatch that could compete with offerings from rivals like Samsung , Apple and Google .

In the request , filed in October 2012 , but just released last week , Microsoft outlines plans for a wristwatch that would serve as a monitor of fitness and could also function as a music player , phone and messaging device . The watch case itself is separated from the wrist and connected to a dock for charging.

Microsoft would put on par with Samsung , which unveiled its Galaxy smartwatch Gear last year. Google plans to launch the Moto smartwatch 360 in the U.S. this summer, while it has long been rumored that Apple is developing its own smart watch .

There is also competition beyond the leading technology companies in the world . The Pebble startup , for example, says it sold 400,000 smartwatches in 2013.

No one knows when or even if the Microsoft device will be available to the public; the company declined to comment past Tuesday. The features described in the application, but in general are very similar to those found in other companies smartwatches , still being theoretical .

This is not the first attempt by Microsoft in the segment. In 2004 , the company introduced devices made in collaboration with watchmakers Fossil, Suunto and Citizen operating in a technology platform called " SPOT ", short for Smart Personal Objects Technology.

These watches FM radio receivers used to show content including news, sports scores and stock market closures . However, Microsoft never succeeded and they scrapped the project in 2008.

CNN