Wearable tech

Morrus · Sep 5, 2013

I wear a Jawbone UP on my wrist. It counts my steps during the day, and I aim for a daily target. It talks to my iPhone which has an app which records this info, along with calories and the like.

Samsung just released its entry into the smartwatch market, Apple is rumoured to be working on an iWatch, and Google recently bought a smartwatch company. Plus Pebble had an awesome Kickstarter last year with its watch.

And of course Google Glass is on it's way.

So, wearable tech. It's going to get much more prolific, I'm sure. Anyone excited about it?

Janx · Sep 5, 2013

I dunno.

Since the advent of the cellphone boom, wristwatch sales have been down. Way down.

Once everybody had a cellphone in their pocket, they just puled that out to check the time.

Coupled with every Windows PC had the clock in the lower right corner by default.

I haven't worn a watch in years. I don't even carry my pocket watch, as its too much clutter in my pocket with knife, phone and keys.

I don't see much use for a smart watch with a tiny screen, when I'm already used to pulling out my iPhone to check the time or do something. And ideally, I'll pull out my iPad to do it because it's bigger screen.

What I do use is the LG Tone+ bluetooth head phones. Not to be an advertiser for Lucky Goldstar (I remember when their monitors sucked), but this thing just sits on your shoulders with two magneticly coupled earbuds on it that you jam in your ears when you want to use them.

It's the kind of thing Apple should have invented. Instead of, you know, normal headphones with funny ear nozzles.

I hear the Google Glass screen is too tiny as well. When they get it so it projects into my eyes, so I can get a full vision overlay, that'd be useful (or as fashionable glasses with HUD display effect)

I also suspect these things shouldn't carry their own brains. Make them bluetooth appliances to bind to my smartphone that's already in my pocket. That'll lower their power consumption actually, and put the horsepower where it has room to be.

Morrus · Sep 5, 2013

Heh - I'm the opposite. I simply cannot imagine not wearing a watch! Heck, wristwatches were invented so your didn't have to keep pulling out your pocket watch! I'm pretty sure I'll always wear a watch.

Not so sure about a smartwatch though. Sme of the concepts are very pretty - flexible wraparound displays rather than a unit on a wristband.

Google Glass just feels a bit to weird for me right now. I guess I'll get used to the idea!

Jhaelen · Sep 5, 2013

Google Glass is pretty useless right now. But I'd definitely be an early adopter if _actual_ AR goggles hit the mass market.

Regarding watches, I've long abandoned wearing any - well before I got my first mobile.
I've found it helped me to feel more relaxed and reduce stress - once I got over the habit of checking the time every couple of minutes.
In situations where it's actually important to know the time, there's usually public clocks available, so I stopped worrying about that.

Janx · Sep 5, 2013

Morrus said:
Heh - I'm the opposite. I simply cannot imagine not wearing a watch! Heck, wristwatches were invented so your didn't have to keep pulling out your pocket watch! I'm pretty sure I'll always wear a watch.

Not so sure about a smartwatch though. Sme of the concepts are very pretty - flexible wraparound displays rather than a unit on a wristband.

Google Glass just feels a bit to weird for me right now. I guess I'll get used to the idea!

Being a contrarian, I have a pocket watch, because nobody else does.

For the right smart watch, I imagine we'd all get back into the habit.

I certainly respect the Pebble guys, they had a great idea (use an Apple Nano Touch) and ran with it.

I think the challenge is people want bigger screens, and if it's strapped to your wrist, you only have one hand to interact with it. The wrist watch form factor inflicts limitations on this that the smart phone seems to be finding its acceptable size (iPhone/galaxy series phones)

Radiating Gnome · Sep 5, 2013

I'm excited to give Google Glass a try -- very much so. And I'm totally into gadgets. Used to wear watches religiously, but my iPhone has replaced that need.

I've started to need reading glasses more and more over the past few years, and that's starting to be a real drag for some gadgets. It's frustrating because when I'm not sitting at my desk, walking around, my reading glasses make the world around me fuzzy, and I take them off -- which makes quickly accessing something like my phone, or a smaller smartwatch screen -- seem really challenging. But in theory, I love the idea.

It's an exciting time -- the new thing I saw today was a wristband that uses your heartbeat as your password --
http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/09/04/nymi-bracelet-turns-heartbeat-into-a-password/

I mean, what's next?

-rg

Morrus · Sep 5, 2013

Clothes with moving patterns will be right round the corner.

Radiating Gnome · Sep 5, 2013

Mood shirts. They change color like mood rings. Not just color, but different graphics show up -- and you can program the graphics. So, you get to upload your angry picture, your bored picture, your aroused picture....all right, maybe that one's a bad idea.

And you can have sites like Teefury go subscription - you have a different T-Shirt every day.

-rg