One of the fastest growing branches of wearable tech is the 'smart-watch.' In fact, Best Buy has started selling the Pebble Smart-Watch in retail stores. I have come close on several occasions to pre-ordering this device through the website, but my instincts told me otherwise. Reviews online about Pebble can be summed up by saying "it's a good start."
The Smart Watch Dilemma
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| www.kickstarter.com - |
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| www.tested.com |
Two major issues plague the smart-watch landscape; battery life and software. There are two schools of thought with the battery quandary. Companies can use simple black and white displays similar to e-ink, which made the Kindle so wildly popular. While this saves battery life tremendously and makes the watch user friendly in direct sunlight, it limits the functionality and, in some ways, lowers the quality. That is the strategy of Pebble. On the other side of the coin is Sony, who's second generation smart-watch recently announced will have a 1.6 inch multi-touch OLED screen. This approach is a killer for battery life, as it basically forces you to charge your watch when you charge your phone before going to bed. The upside is a miniature smartphone screen on your wrist which negates the need to check your phone for every notification.
Then there is the software. It is very easy to connect a smart-watch with a phone through Bluetooth, NFC or WiFi. The challenge lies with the display of information. Pebble assures it backers that more and more applications on smartphones will be able to work with Pebble smart-watch over the next few months. Meanwhile, Sony's watch is only compatible with Android based phones (Pebble works with both iOS and Android).
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| hothardware.com |
What the world needs is a stylish, customized watch that works with iOS, Android and Windows Phone (Blackberry is dead in my opinion). This watch needs to last 5 days on a single charge, to reflect the work week, and the screen should be multi-touch and resemble a smartphone screen while having anti-glare properties. Finally, this perfect watch must be able to communicate with every application on your smartphone and also display information, like caller ID and texts/emails. And it should also be waterproof, a trend that is catching on quickly in the mobile tech market.
We have not quite reached the pinnacle of smart-watch perfection, but we are moving extremely quickly towards that goal. Apple and Google have the opportunity to get things right and take full control of this budding market.....kinda like with smartphone software. We will have to wait for September/October to see what these juggernauts have in store for us.
Google Glass
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| gadget-tech.org |
In regards to Google Glass......I WANT IT. The device itself is stylish while drawing just the right amount of attention to your face (at least in my opinion). While there is always room for improvement on a first generation model, Google Glass is an impressive piece of technology, if it works as advertised. It feels like something out of Star Trek when you start projecting information onto a miniature screen hovering over your right eye.
My concerns with Google Glass include the camera itself and the connectivity. Why is no one concerned about the 5 megapixel camera? There is no reason in the world to include a meager 5MP camera on this device, particularly for the price. If the price is decent (under $500), I can live with the camera. But otherwise, shame on Google for delivering a crappy product.
I also hope the connectivity is rock solid by the time Glass is releases to the public. I don't want the screen hovering over my eye to be constantly searching for a signal or slowly downloading data. Hopefully, the more we use Google Now, the better the service will become when Glass starts flying off the shelves.
My Prediction
5 years...in 5 years no one will be second guessing smart watches or Google Glass. In 2018, these devices will be as common as smartphones and tablets. They are a natural extension of the evolution of technology which ignited with the internet and blossomed with the smartphone.
