Battle for the Body: The Future of the Connected Watch,
Ring and Wristband
October 07, 2013
"I want the entire internet on my wrist," the
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak told Wired in a recent interview. He was talking
about what could be one of the next big wearable device form factors - the
smartwatch.
The recent slew of wearables making their way onto the
market has been significant. From health, fitness and lifestyle gadgets such as
Nike's Fuelband and the Jawbone UP band, to Samsung’s Galaxy Gear smartwatch,
which was unveiled last month.
But we’ve been here before. Who remembers Bill Gates
launching Microsoft's Smart Personal Object Technology (SPOT) smartwatch back
in 2004? Arguably ahead of its time, SPOT lasted four years before being axed.
Not to mention the countless other gadgets that promised great things, but
ultimately ended up gathering dust in the bottom draw.
The good news is that things have changed since then, and
the recent collision of connectivity and innovation is delivering real-life
advancements that were previously the stuff of science fiction. That potent mix
of “right time, right tech”, could mean that that we are entering a new phase
of opportunity for the manufacturers and consumers of the connected, wearable
gadget.
Consumer appetite for all things tech has never been
greater. And the advancements in technology and connectivity are finally
starting to match expectations, with superfast 4G networks delivering speeds
comparable to – and often greater than - home broadband.
And that means that the connected accessory may once
again have found its moment in the spotlight – and a consumer hunger that means
that this time it may be sustainable.
So who are the big names making waves in this area?
As mentioned above, Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Gear
smartwatch at the beginning of September. It's not a truly independent device
yet, as it works as a companion to the Galaxy smartphones. The watch connects
via Bluetooth and can make calls, take photos & video and display messages.
At the same time chip-manufacturer Qualcomm launched its
Toq smartwach. Again this isn't a standalone smartphone in a watch device. It
connects to the user's existing smartphone and currently only works with
Android.
There is also the Kickstarter-funded start-up Pebble that
launched its smartwatch this summer, connecting to the user's existing Android
or iOS smartphone via Bluetooth and coming with some pre-installed apps.
Beyond the watch itself, companies like Thalmic Labs are
creating exceedingly interesting devices that use electrical impulses and
muscle movements to allow you to control the connected devices around you
without having to touch them – be that your mobile, tablet, PC, TV, or even
your kids’ remote control helicopter.
Lurking in the wings, of course, is the not insignificant
presence of Apple and Google, both of whom are strongly rumoured to be
developing their own wearable devices such as Project Glass and the ‘iWatch’.
But the success of this form factor will be cracking the
killer functionality that will make them a must-have indispensable device. And
that functionality will only come through connectivity.
As designs evolve I expect to see the emergence of
smartwatches with more standalone computing and in-built connectivity, as well
as integration with a range of smartphone and tablet devices.
And as the connectivity and accessibility markets evolve,
with all-pervasive superfast network innovations moving hand-in-hand with the
proliferation of multi-device sharer tariffs, the potential of wearable
technology becomes ever more interesting.
While companies will continue to innovate and
out-innovate in the bid to find the next killer hardware that builds on the
central role that connectivity, ultimately it will be the consumer who decides
what succeeds and what fails - and that will be down to what is of true benefit
to their lives in the 21st century.
What is clear is that consumers now expect to be able to
switch their digital life seamlessly between devices. That means the
smartwatch, smartbroach or smartring may yet have a role to play in this
ecosystem - and connectivity will be at its heart.
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