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Cross Country watch ridiculously encapsulates all of Android (hands-on)

What's big, bulky, and it comes with its own SIM card, Micro-SD card, and Google Play store? This watch, and it can be yours for $160 buckaroos.

Jessica Dolcourt Senior Director, Commerce & Content Operations
Jessica Dolcourt is a passionate content strategist and veteran leader of CNET coverage. As Senior Director of Commerce & Content Operations, she leads a number of teams, including Commerce, How-To and Performance Optimization. Her CNET career began in 2006, testing desktop and mobile software for Download.com and CNET, including the first iPhone and Android apps and operating systems. She continued to review, report on and write a wide range of commentary and analysis on all things phones, with an emphasis on iPhone and Samsung. Jessica was one of the first people in the world to test, review and report on foldable phones and 5G wireless speeds. Jessica began leading CNET's How-To section for tips and FAQs in 2019, guiding coverage of topics ranging from personal finance to phones and home. She holds an MA with Distinction from the University of Warwick (UK).
Expertise Content strategy, team leadership, audience engagement, iPhone, Samsung, Android, iOS, tips and FAQs.
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Is that a modern smartwatch on your wrist or an Inspector Gadget-era doodad? The towering Cross Country smartwatch I strapped onto my arm at CTIA 2014 is a little bit of both.

A 1.5-inch, 240 x 240-pixel touchscreen responds to pinch. It runs Android 4.2 almost in its entirely (Note: not Android Wear.) It sports a removable leather band, GPS, and 4GB of internal storage. Pretty standard so far.

What's different, and perhaps a little daring about this wearable, however, is that it's an attempt to cram all the major components of a smartphone into a watch that sells for a reasonable $160.

You've never seen a smartwatch like the Cross Country (pictures)

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There's 3G with a SIM card slot, Wi-Fi, an FM Radio, and a standalone MP3 player. You can also expand storage to up to 32GB, and a camera poking out the side not only shoots photo and video, but lets you edit them from the watch, too. Maps with navigation and a burglar alarm round out some of the features, though you can certainly download more apps through the Google Play store.

We've seen efforts at standalone watches before, but so far the just-launched Samsung Gear S still looks like it's the one to beat. I didn't get much of a chance to evaluate the watch in my brief time with it, but it's always fun to encounter new devices in exploding fields -- especially the ambitious ones that nevertheless feel out of place.