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Microsoft to make a Surface smart watch running Windows 8

Microsoft will launch Surface smart watch next year

Apple iWatch

As if there weren't enough rumours about smart watches, it's Microsoft which is the latest to be supposedly making one.

See also: Apple iWatch, Samsung Galaxy Smart Watch, Google Nexus Smart Watch rumour round-up.

A Suface smart watch could be making its way onto a wrist near you soon, according to AmongTech. The website cites trusted sources which claim the device is being uses in prototype form already and uses a modified version of Windows 8.

Microsoft's smart watch will reportedly use a 1.5in screen and come in blue, red, black, white, grey and yellow options. The wearable tech will be made from Oxynitride Aluminium which is 80 percent transparent but four times harder than glass. See also: Sony SmartWatch review.

It seems the Surface smart watch is so important that Microsoft has given it its own department so it's not part of the Xbox team any longer.

Although smart watches are typically designed to be a complementary device to a smartphone, the source says that won't have to be connected since it will have 4G LTE connectivity and 6GB of internal storage. Most of that space will be taken up by the operating system so there will be a focus on cloud storage, probably SkyDrive.

If the Surface smart watch is paired to a smartphone, presumably via Bluetooth, then it will be able to show notifications and perform tasks like skip music tracks. We expect Microsoft to market it as a companion device to Windows Phone 8 smartphones and maybe even Windows 8 tablets like its Surface RT and Surface Pro. See also: Microsoft Surface RT price drops in the UK, by 30 percent.

Since the Surface smart watch is still a prototype, it isn't expected to be revealed and go on sale until next year.

Follow Chris Martin and @PCAdvisor on Twitter.

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