Hey, Dick Tracy! LG's Watch Phone

It's only a concept for now, but LG's phone-in-a-wristwatch prototype was drawing big crowds at CES on Monday.

Specifications were scarce for the watch phone; indeed, LG reps wouldn't even take it out of its glass case, and from what I understand, the watch on display can't even make calls (although building a GSM or CDMA radio into the wristwatch wouldn't be a problem, I'm told). The cool display isn't a touch screen; instead, a jog dial on the side of the casing lets you scan through the various menus. Bluetooth and SMS messaging would potentially be part of the package, along with voice commands for barking orders, Dick Tracy-style.

Cool concept, right? Although after pondering the reality of a watch phone for a bit, I'm not sure I'd want one; you'd pretty much need a Bluetooth headset for every call, unless you're fine with everyone in earshot hearing both ends of your conversations (assuming the watch has an external speaker, of course, which doesn't seem likely). Still, you can dream. 

That said, the LG watch phone looks more like a really cool idea than a shipping product; indeed, the LG reps on hand wouldn't even speculate on pricing or a release date.