Wearables Fashioned to Render Smartphones Obsolete
Whether you were a Dick Tracy fan or not, nearly everyone wanted the famous detective’s futuristic two-way radio wristwatch to be a reality. More than sixty years later, Apple, Nike, and “Kickstarter darling Pebble” are all entering the newest must-have tech trend—wearables. Though, to give Mr. Tracy and his creator their due, I haven’t seen anyone talk into these upcoming watches, and wasn’t that the part we all wanted?
At mobile app development’s inception, while iPhones weren’t literally the only mobile device out there, Apple dominated the app store landscape as their phone was the new must-have device for many consumers. Then as Android, BlackBerry, Samsung, and Google caught up to Apple, the playing field leveled, and we’re now swamped with phones and tablets than can run hundreds of thousands of apps.
Then, something happened. Actually, it’s happening right now. Everyone’s devices look somewhat the same, and their respective apps are no different. Angry Birds on an iPhone is no different from Angry Birds on a Samsung. What’s the solution? Eliminate altogether the need for a phone—at least one that can’t be worn—and has to be held in your hand.
The wearable getting the most attention right now is Google Glass, the camera-map-phone-social media sharing-what in the world can’t this thing do-wearable that showcases brilliantly in their just-released promotional video.
While most of us won’t be wearing a Google Glass swinging from a trapeze, or engaging in bokken training, as displayed in the video above, the hands-free benefits of wearables extend to just walking around town as well. Metaio, a German augmented reality AR company has unveiled their own jaw-dropping video of their new AR chip that will soon be available in ST-Ericsson smart phones.
But Metaio CEO Peter Meier points out that we’re not at the finish line yet. The AR technology is only being used in smartphones because that’s what’s currently available. The ultimate goal, just like Google’s, is implanting the chip into glasses and ditching the phone.
Those investing in designing post-smartphone technology must remember that fashion is fickle (when’s the last time you admired someone’s Bluetooth earpiece?) and just because something can be worn doesn’t mean that people will be willing to actually wear it.
