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Take a closer look at the i.am Puls Smartband (pictures)

Here's a closer look at Will.i.am's Puls smartband.

Nate Ralph
Associate Editor Nate Ralph is an aspiring wordsmith, covering mobile software and hardware for CNET Reviews. His hobbies include dismantling gadgets, waxing poetic about obscure ASCII games, and wandering through airports.
Nate Ralph
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Don't call it a watch

Will.i.am wants us to believe that the Puls smartband isn't your average wearable. To that end, the gadget boasts built-in 3G connectivity.

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A phone on your wrist

That built-in cellular connectivity -- coupled with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi -- means that you can use the Puls as a phone to make calls and send emails.

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Phone service is required, and comes care of a partnership with AT&T. The Puls.

The always-connected nature of the device, and the lack of a smartphone requirement, makes it an interesting option for someone who wants to communicate but doesn't necessarily need a phone to do it.

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Of course, the Puls can also tell the time.

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Finger-friendly keyboard

The Puls we saw was equipped with the Minuum keyboard.

I checked Minuum out a few months ago, and my biggest complaint was that it would make far more sense on your wrist than it does on a phone. And here we are.

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Built-in mic

Of course if you'd rather not type, you can just use the Puls' built-in microphone and dictate your message.

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Meet AneedA

"AneedA" is the Puls' own voice-controlled assistant. It functions much like Siri or Google Now: ask it a question, tell it to send a message or search for a song to play, and it'll do just that.

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Name that tune

Unsurprisingly enough, a device developed by Will.i.am puts music front and center. You can ask the watch to identify a song, and add that song to your library.

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The Puls offers 16GB of storage space. And if you'd like to share your music with the world, there are speakers, too.

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Fashionology

There's currently no word on when the Puls will be available, or how much it'll cost. We do know that it'll be available in a number of colors, and in gold and diamond-studded variants, for the well-heeled, fashionable sort.

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