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Dick Tracy would turn in his grave: no wireless on MP3 watch!

In the age of music obsessives who insist on having a library of 20,000 "songs" on their hip, an MP3 player which has only 64 megabytes of storage seemed curiously retro. But it's used as a voice recorder. And designed into a watch! - wow ... But what's that long, loopy thing at the bottom?

Some of us still remember the Dick Tracy radio watch. OK, nobody has actually launched a Dick Tracy cellphone, though the Wristomo was previewed by Docomo - but the idea of having the control console on your wrist has some slack.

So the Xonix launch looked worth a second look.

Enthusiasm was expressed by some.

"The Xonix MP3 watch is set to revolutionize the very concept of time keeping," remarked USB Watches

Who they? "International Online Sales Rep. for Xonix Hi-Tech Watches!" it admits shyly at the bottom of the page. And it trills on: "Enjoy all of the benefits of owning a watch, like the convenience and portability of having a mass storage solution right on your wrist, plus having a MP3 player and voice memo recorder, all packed into a sports watch! ... voice recording function, and mass storage portability."

A look at the photo produces some alarm. No, it can't be - a simple headset? With coax wires?

Alas, it turns out it is.

Sales sites may be enthusiastic. But the reviewer at Pocket Lint wasn't exactly fulsome in praise of the Xonix MP3 watch.

"Unfortunately, the look is garish and the build quality dire. The plastic strap is uncomfortable, and thanks to the USB plugs hanging from it, as ugly as the face of the watch itself."

Yes, but the headset? Surely, some mistake? It's really a bluetooth headset, right?

Wrong: "Although the headphones were missing from our review model, accompanying literature assures us they are comfortable to wear and have an extra long lead. With an alternative set, we hit problems. Running the lead up one's sleeve works well enough (the schoolboy's favourite), but without such cover, the chances of snagging oneself on passing cyclists, commuters, hedges (delete as appropriate) are massively increased."

More details here at Xonix home.

Don't tell Dick Tracy ... "Lieutenant, I'm in pursuit of the suspect, but I've only got another hundred foot of cable up my sleeve. If he goes any further, I'm going to lose him ... "