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the Abacus Wrist Net photo gallery.

There are two things which distinguish the Abacus Wrist Net from
the other dozen or so MSN Direct watches currently out there: 1) It is the cheapest
($129 retail),
and 2) it is, in my opinion, probably the best looking. If you’ve been toying
with the idea of taking the MSN Direct service for a spin, the Abacus Wrist Net might be just
be the price point you’ve been waiting for. And now that MSN Direct watches get
national news and high and low temperatures in your area for free, you can even
get a taste of what it’s like for your wrist to be constantly connected before
committing to a subscription.

In terms of functionality, the Abacus Wrist Net is identical to the Fossil
Wrist Net (FX3005) that I recently
reviewed. In fact, to get the full story on the Abacus Wrist Net, you should
definitely check out my
Fossil Wrist Net
review since I’m going to try not to be redundant in
this article. The three primary differences I found between the two watches are:

1. Appearance. Although the designs of the Abacus and the Fossil
   Wrist Net watches are similar, there are a few subtle differences. For instance,
   the Abacus comes with either a black or brown leather and rubber strap while
   the Fossil is only available in black; the buttons on the Abacus are elongated
   while the buttons on the Fossil are round; and the Abacus lacks the screws in
   the four corners of the face which give the Fossil its distinctive look.
2. Watch Faces. The abacus comes with 18 watch faces while the
   Fossil comes with 26 (not including the two user-selected faces). If you’re wavering
   between the Abacus and the Fossil, I wouldn’t make the number of faces a deciding
   factor, however, since both come with a nice and perfectly sufficient selection
   (far more extensive than the Swatch Paparazzi).
3. Price. The Abacus Wrist Net retails for $20 less than its
   Fossil counterpart. The next closest in price is the Swatch
   Paparazzi which retails for $150, and then the somewhat outdated Suunto n3
   which generally goes for around $200.

I really like the bands on both the Abacus and Fossil Wrist Net watches. They
are handsome, comfortable, well contoured, and easily adjusted. The buckles are
fairly inconspicuous, and easy to operate. In contrast, the band on the Swatch
Paparazzi is thick, rigid, and actually has to be cut down to size (which is more
permanent than I’d like since it then makes the watch difficult to sell, trade,
loan, or give to a friend). I found I was able to get accustomed to wearing the
Wrist Net watches much faster than the Paparazzi which, by the end of the day, had
left some pretty nasty bite marks in my wrist from the surprisingly inflexible band.
There are a lot of things I like about the Paparazzi over both the Abacus and the
Fossil Wrist Net watches, but the band is most certainly not one of them. (For
a detailed comparison of the Fossil Wrist Net and the Swatch Paparazzi, see my review
of the Fossil Wrist Net FX3005.)

I also really like the charger that comes with both Wrist Net watches. Although
they are less portable than some of the other MSN Direct watch chargers, they are
probably the easiest to use, and definitely the coolest. Rather than actually plugging
the watch in to charge it, you simply set it down on top of the charger where
it sort of hangs there, slurping up power
without actually having to be hooked in to anything (see the Abacus
Wrist Net photo gallery for pictures). Just make sure the clasp is closed and
the two ends of the antenna are in contact so the watch can continue to receive
data when not in use.

There are two types of people for which I think the Abacus Wrist Net is well
suited:

1. Those who want to experiment with the MSN Direct service while minimizing
   their initial investment. Since MSN Direct allows you to add two different watches
   to your account with a single subscription (which I think is an excellent feature,
   by the way), you can always spring for the higher-end Suunto or Tissot once you’ve
   thoroughly evaluated the service with the Abacus.
2. Those who are more concerned with the look of the watch than with the quality
   of the electronics. That’s not to say the Abacus is shabby, but’s also not
   a Tissot. It’s designed and built to appeal to a young, hip crowd (as most Fossil
   watches are), and is not about to fit comfortably under a tight, starched shirt
   cuff. In fact, I’d say the Abacus Wrist Net is most at home when worn with a
   pair of jeans or cargo pants. (The MSN Direct watch best suited for an office
   environment is the Suunto
   n3i with its handsome, slim profile.)

In my experience, being happy with MSN Direct has more to do with your MSN Direct
watch than with the actual service itself. I’ve enjoyed the MSN Direct service
since the very first time I used it, and nothing about it has disappointed me (for
a detailed review of the MSN Direct service, see my review
of the Swatch Paparazzi). Yes, cell phones can provide most of what MSN Direct
watches can provide, but I have never seen a cell phone that can make information
so easily accessible. Even when I’m sitting at my computer, I’m more likely to
check stock prices and weather on my watch than I am to use one of the hundreds
of different widgets and services available on my Mac. MSN Direct makes glancing
at important information as easy as glancing at the time. So if maintaining a constant
flow of easily accessible, relevant information is appealing to you (and if you
happen to live in an MSN Direct service area), I recommend you spend your time
picking out the right watch rather than fretting over the MSN Direct service. If
you want the best and most feature rich watch, go with the Tissot High-T. If you want
the most business oriented, go with the Suunto n3i. If you want one the most sports
oriented, consider the Suunto n6-HR with the built-in heart rate monitor. But if
you want something simple and stylish that will get you connected without you having
to worry about how your wife is going to react to the credit card bill, the Abacus
Wrist Net might be the MSN Direct watch for you.

Additional Resources

• Abacus Wrist Net product page.