BERLIN, Sept 3 — Focused on health and relaxation as well as offering one or two quite clever remote control features, the ZenWatch, Ausus’s first smartwatch, manages to blend practicality with elegance but its good looks come at a price.

Officially unveiled at a special event in Berlin on Wednesday ahead of the IFA consumer tech show, the ZenWatch will cost €199 (US$260, RM826) when it goes on sale later this year.

That makes it more expensive than the US$229 LG G watch and the US$199 Samsung Gear Live, which like the Asus timepiece, run Android Wear, have a square touch screen and have similar internal specifications.

However, the ZenWatch packages all of these features in a much more stylish, premium-looking package and one that, unlike the LG G Watch, also has an integrated heart-rate sensor that Asus claims will also track steps taken and monitor relaxation levels.

As well as looking elegant on the wrist — thanks in part to a proper leather strap as well as its curved rather than flat AMOLED screen — it has a couple of neat tricks up its sleeve. With the accompanying smartphone apps installed, the ZenWatch can be used as a remote shutter release for taking photos with a handset and as a remote locking and unlocking device for the smartphone itself.

The watch can also be used to manage a presentation on a projector and when you put your hand over the watch’s face an incoming smartphone call is automatically muted.

Although this year’s IFA is still two days away from officially starting, the ZenWatch is already the third high-profile smartwatch to be unveiled. Earlier this week, LG announced its second Android Wear smartwatch, the circular LG G Watch R, and Samsung unveiled the Gear S which has its own 3G connection and so works independent of a smartphone. Motorola and Sony are also set to launch new smartwatches at the event which runs until September 10. — AFP Relaxnews