August 17, 2016 2 min read

I confess: I own a dumbwatch.

It’s not dumb because it’s analog and unable to connect to the Internet. It’s dumb because it used to be smart yet is now unable to connect to the Internet.

Your brain cells are burning away just trying to process that, I bet.

Yesterday I was rummaging through my things, looking for a Meta M1 smartwatch I have. Admittedly, it’s been months and months since I’ve worn it, mainly because the Pebble Time I have is so much more useful.

The Meta, however, has a different look. The one I have is all stainless steel -- the case, the lugs, as well as the band. Though it has less functionality than my Pebble, it can pair better with a jacket or a suit.

Related: If Fashion Is Your Thing, This Smartwatch Could Be For You

So, I plugged the watch in to charge its long-dead battery and fired up the app. That’s when the momentum ended. Despite my best efforts -- disconnecting and reconnecting to my Wi-Fi, deleting and redownloading the app, etc. -- the Meta app refused to connect to the Internet.

Turns out, Meta has gone out of business and no longer supports the app. Without the app, the watch can’t connect to the Internet via Bluetooth on my phone. Unable to pair with my phone, the Meta won’t receive any messages or notifications.

The damn thing can’t even tell time. It thinks it’s May 2013.

In other words, this pretty little smartwatch is completely worthless.

Related: This Is What It's Like to Wear a Pebble Time Smartwatch

In this era of smart everything, companies will come and go, trying to capitalize on the craze but unable in the end to make it work. Unlike a simple analog watch powered by gears or a battery, the remnants of these failed smartwatch companies leave you with a product that doesn’t work.

I mean, a watch that can’t even tell the time. How sad.