2014 Will Be The Year Of Wearable Technology
Nov
18,
2013
Looking over the mobile stands and start-ups at “The Summit” this week in Dublin, it’s clear that the next wave of hardware innovation in mobile is going to come from the rise of wearable technology. With companies such as Google, Samsung, and Sony, all promoting their electronic accessories alongside smaller boutique manufacturers entering the space, the battle for space on your body is under way.
The first few waves of smart devices have focused on the wrist as a logical place for a display and controls to be used, but it’s not the only location which will be smart in 2013 and beyond. Clips for your waistband, sensors in your pocket, connected trainers, and using a glasses frame.
Samsung’s Galaxy Gear is probably the most visible wearable to the public, with a huge marketing campaign put in place since it was announced at the IFA. Sony’s next iteration on the smartwatch, the Sony SmartWatch 2 (which I’ll be reviewing next week), offers a similar view but with a different approach in software. Along with the Kickstarter fuelled Pebble watch, these wearables act as an information companion to a smartphone.
Others are working on detaching the smartphone handset, and putting everything in a watch-like device. Italy’s Exetech is developing the XS-3, based on Android, with Wi-fi and cellular connectivity, along with a touch screen, GPS, and the ability to make and take calls from your wrist.
Fitness is a huge area for wearables, with heart rate monitors, exercise trackers, step counters, being popular items to help measure and potentially improve your lifestyle choices. Look at Nike’s Fuelband and the Fitbit range of trackers, two well established names in this field that are going to have more competition in 2014.
And of course you have the companies interested in your eyewear. Google Glass is by far the most recognisable competitor in this space, but there are other options that are taking their own specialist approach such as Recon Instruments. Their Recon Jet sports sunglasses provide a heads up display and an onboard sensor suite for sports enthusiasts, initially targeting cyclists and triathletes, although running as a standalone device (you can pair to a smartphone for internet connectivity) means that the Jet is one more wearable that has a fixed starting point but is allowing developers into their playground to see what they can come up with.
Although the specification numbers will continue to climb, smartphone hardware is mostly settled in the minds of consumers, software will be the driving force. While smartphones are outfitted with a number of sensors to collect data, these are very much about providing a general baseline, the peripherals that break out of the five inch slabs are going to be able to be tailored towards specific use cases. As well as collecting data, presenting data is also going to be key to a successful wearable. That could be presenting information on the device, it could be a display on a smartphone screen, or it could be a cloud based view in a full sized web browser.
What is clear is that the inventiveness of many designers and developers is being matched with investment and opportunity. The rise of wearables for consumers is going to be one of the key growth areas in mobile technology in 2014.
Source: FORBES