In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line.

This is the cookoo, a smart timepiece created by former Microsoft product developer Peter Hauser. Connecting to your smartphone over Bluetooth, its analog face stands in front of a digital display that lights up when you've got a phone alert. Its USP is that it's a more cultured way to check if you've been tweeted than simply whipping out your phone every few minutes. It promises to last up to a year on a standard watch battery and the buttons around the bezel even allow you to check in to Foursquare. It's been designed to be so rugged, durable and waterproof that you can wear one all day -- even at the pool. You can pledge $50 to pre-order one (it'll retail for $99), but only if the company raises all of the $150,000 its set for a goal.

Continue reading Insert Coin: cookoo is the watch for geeks who want to keep it subtle (video)

Insert Coin: cookoo is the watch for geeks who want to keep it subtle (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 May 2012 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.