Right now I'd love a watch as small and light as my simple casio but which vibrates when I have a call. I am tired of my phone ringing when I don't want to it too and when it does ring I miss the call. The Pebble is about everything I want in a smartwatch, though it could be thinner and lighter. Unfortunately unless Pebble gets bought by Google or Google releases a GoogleNow API its not going to work. The next GoogleGlass product could very well be their headset in watch form. If it just provided notifications and a limited ability to screen texts and calls, it would be awesome, but it HAS to be light and unobtrusive. It should not look like a "SmartWatch!(TM)".
Smartphones didn't happen big because of the iPhone, the singular tech which made them work was the capacitive multitouch screen. Only this allowed the device to have enough screen and still work well enough. The first iPhone didn't have GPS, apps, navigation, etc. and it was still a big success because of that screen.
Smartwatches will need some similar tech breakthroughs before they work. Here's what they need:
*They will need to be very light, very low-power, and physically flexible.
*They will need to come in a variety of form factors to suit different tastes (watches are fashion accessories, not gadgets).
*It should know who I am via some kind of biometrics.
*It would be totally fine if its tied to a smartphone but it will need to have some functionality on its own (I can't even tell if this Samsung watch can tell time without help.
*Battery life should be around a week.
*It should have Google Now like functionality, giving me information without me having to ask.
*It should serve as my cyber-implant on the outside. It should be the conduit through which I communicate with other machines. It should not only authenticate me, but allow me to interact with other machines via gestures.
What it doesnt need:
*an illuminated screen (at least not all the time). Flexible eInk/ePaper with a backlight would be more than enough.
*a camera
*a microphone
*the ability to make calls on its own