By Carl Weiss
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| Courtesy of pixabay.com/ |
The Paris Fashion show has
nothing on Google and Amazon when it comes to offering wearable
technology. The two titans of tech have
recently weighed in with major advancements in wearables. Amazon has just opened a Wearable Technology
Store in the UK that offers more than 100 different wearable devices, including
activity trackers, smart watches, smart glasses and wearable cameras. Google last month rolled out their Android
Wear operating system for smart watch developers. This says nothing of the hundreds of
companies that have also leapt into the rapidly expanding wearable's market. This
week's radio
show will cover this topic, so if you want additional information, don't
forget to listen
live or download the podcast.
What, Why and Wear?
People are certainly talking
about wearables. The telegraph.com
reported in a recent blog that “Twitter dominated as the main location of wearables with 75 percent
of all mentions, with news sites a distant second at 10%. Year-on-year
the conversation around wearables has increased an impressive 190 per cent when
comparing the first quarter of 2013 (973,300 mentions) to that of 2014
(2,816,814 mentions).” They also reported that
the conversation seems to be relegated mainly to the United States, the rest of
the globe seeming to take a wait and see attitude.
"Amazon has just opened a Wearable Technology Store
in the UK that offers more than 100 different wearable devices ..."
What’s to see on
amazon.co.uk?
 |
| iWatch (Photo credit: Brett Jordan) |
If you are into smart watches
and bracelets you will have your hands full since the site carries hundreds of
offerings. This in itself is impressive
when you consider that the smart watch as we know it really only got its start about
three years ago with the first rumors of the Apple iWatch. While hundreds of imitators have thrown
their hats into the smart watch ring, the iWatch is still not available for
sale and rumors about its description and launch date are as elusive as that of
a unicorn. This is curious in and of
itself since Samsung reported to Reuters that it had sold more than 800,000 of
its Galaxy Gear smart watches in two months.
Priced at around $300, the Gear works
as an accessory to its market-leading Galaxy smartphone, with a small OLED
screen offering basic functions like photos, hands-free calls and message
notifications. Samsung has poured
marketing resources into the Gear with heavy advertisements and collaborations
with fashion shows to seize leadership in the wearable computer market after
the device got off to a rocky start after being critically panned by reviewers.
As for the vaunted iWatch, rumor has it that it will hit the market in September. That’s if you can trust the pundits. http://www.trustedreviews.com/news/apple-iwatch-release-date-price-concepts-features-and-rumours
More
Smart Wearable Tech on the Shelves
Of course, smart watches are
hardly the only wearable tech currently on the shelf. If you are one of those leading an active lifestyle,
there are a number of wearables that are designed to track everything from the
amount of distance you travel afoot to the total calories burned, to time spent
idling and/or sleeping. One of the more
intriguing of these is a device called the Jawbone UP24, whic,h strangely enough
is worn, on one’s wrist.
 |
| Jawbone. |
According to the company’s
literature, “The UP® system is like a coach that gets to know you,
then guides you to make simple decisions that lead to a more active life. With
precise step tracking, workout logging and Insight Reports, UP is way more than
a pedometer. Use Idle Alert to remind you to move throughout the day. And
whether you want to shed a few pounds or just eat healthier, tracking food is
now even easier. New features include frequent meals, an enhanced calorie counter,
and an expanded library of restaurant menus. There's even a Food Score, so you
can quickly see how healthy your food choices are. It's all designed to help
you make great choices about what to eat and when. The
UP® system gives you an in-depth picture of your sleep. Sleep graphs let you
see the good, the bad and the rapidly improving. Use bedtime reminders, Power
Nap and Smart Alarm® to get to sleep and wake up at optimal times. UP
intelligently analyses your sleep, diet and exercise, then suggest simple
adjustments that lead to more rest and happier days.” https://jawbone.com/up
If tracking your every step,
bite and REM sleep isn’t enough, there is now an entire armada of wearable
cameras and mounts designed to record your every move in HD video. So whether you prefer to walk, run, drive,
bike, hang glide, spelunk, scuba dive or jump out of a perfectly good airplane,
there is a camera and mount designed to allow you to capture the moment. Should you wish to capture those selfies with
a camera mounted on your wrist, head, foot or chest, rest assured that someone
somewhere has created the perfect camera rig.
Move Over Google Glass - Here Comes Google Contacts
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| The lab known for self-driving cars is making a contact lens to measure glucose in tears. Google, via Agence France-Presse — Getty Images |
As if Google Glass was not enough, the company has partnered with Swiss
drug company, Novartis, to develop a type of smart contact lens that contains non-invasive sensors, microchips and other embedded miniature electronics that
can be designed to either monitor the glucose levels in the tears of diabetics,
or that can restore 20/20 vision to people who require reading glasses. (I am not making this up.) While the prototype was unveiled in January,
the smart contacts are not expected to reach the market for several years, by
which time wearers will probably be able to use them to take picturessince Google recently filed a patent for Embedded Microscopic Cameras. This will come as a relief to many so-called "Glassholes" who have experienced everything from intimidation to forceable ejection from
movie theaters, restaurants and other public places for wearing Google Glass.
You Say You Have Nothing to Wear?
If you think that smart watches, bracelets and helmets are outré, then
you may want to look into some of the latest developments in wearables.
 |
| Active wear Smart Clothing |
A Taiwanese company, AIQ Smart Clothing contains everything
from built-in lighting and/or heating, to their Bioman shirts, which are machine
washable and contain embedded electrodes that are designed to connect wirelessly
to any tablet or smartphone in order to provide the wearer with real time
biometric data. http://aiqsmartclothing.com/
In the meantime, expect the rush to computerize other forms of apparel
in the not too distant future.
Already I have seen everything from bionic
bras designed to produce electrical power http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/14/solar-bra-and-bionic-bra_n_112593.html,
to an emotion-sensing dress that changes color to suit your mood. (Boy could we men get behind this
invention!) http://www.oddee.com/item_96688.aspx
 |
| Mood reflective clothing. |
In
this article, I have provided a glimpse at where the smart tech wearable's
industry is headed. I've explored how Google, Amazon and other distributors and manufactures
are hurrying to release new and exciting products that will allow us to
understand human activity, help us make mood-revealing fashion statements and record the world
around us.
If
you found this article to be useful, share it with friends, family, co-workers
and associates. To learn more about this subject read- "Next
Tech - The Future is Now“ and "Are
Google Glasses the Great Game Changer or a Passing Fad?" located on our blog.
You can also search this blog by keying in "Wearables" in the search
box. If you have something to add or a difference of opinion, place
that in the comments section. I hope this information helps you find a
company that does not use cyber babble.
If you would like a free copy of our book, "Internet Marketing Tips for the 21st Century," please fill in the form below and we will send you this free eBook. Your information is always keep private and never sold.
When he doesn’t show his lack of fashion sense, Carl Weiss is the leader of the crew of innovators at the digital marketing agency Working the Web to Win in Jacksonville, Florida. He is also co-host of the weekly Blog Talk Radio show of the same name that can be heard every Tuesday at 4 pm Eastern.
When he doesn’t show his lack of fashion sense, Carl Weiss is the leader of the crew of innovators at the digital marketing agency Working the Web to Win in Jacksonville, Florida. He is also co-host of the weekly Blog Talk Radio show of the same name that can be heard every Tuesday at 4 pm Eastern.
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