So people should only post if they have accolades and shouldn' say anything if they see device, tech or marketing flaws with a product or concept? Seriously?! And why should my issues with the limitations with the product take away from your enjoyment? If it fits your specific needs then nothing I've said should affect you.
Easy there, Soli. Wasn't referring to you, and I don't own a Pebble, either.
I was mostly referring to how people just comment on any article, just to let us know they don't approve the item in question. As if they are the total market.
You contribute to conversations, wasnt meaning you.
It is worth pointing out the photos are of a watch with a (homemade?) screen protector on it. That does make it look a bit more "handmade" but mine is shiny, black, and looks very polished. I wouldn't mind it being a little thinner and the charge docking area to be less obvious.
It looks pretty clear to me that's part of the original packaging, a little protective layer that should have been peeled off before taking photos. Most small electronics products with a screen have something like that. It looks a bit frayed because it's just a plastic film on a part that has been handled.
I've seen one in person, it seems OK. It didn't seem as gigantic as the above photos make it seem. Photographing it next to something that's commonly available would be a nice point of reference.
I'm withholding final judgement, but I'm not seeing how this kind of product benefits me.
It's quicker to look at the back of your hand than pull something out of your pocket. I predict these watches will start as accessory devices to your smartphone, and over time more and more functionality will migrate from the smartphone to the watch, eventually the watch will kill the smartphone.
The smartphone killed the watch in the 2000s and the watch will kill the smartphone in the 2010s.
The only way you'll get something back on my wrist full-time is to sell me into slavery or put me on house arrest.....!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by ascii
It's not for me either, but I do believe the smartphone will eventually change in to something wearable, and I'll have no choice.
Eventually the "smart phone" (and things like Google Glass) will evolve into something implantable and powered by your body's energy....
Quote:
Originally Posted by allenbf
Why do people waste time typing out what they hate about it and why it isn't for them? Who cares? Plenty of people like it and a product doesn't have to be for everyone.
Your implicit answer to your rhetorical question is that it's because we're hatahs and deeply miserable inside.
In any case, history keeps proving, we can't just all get along, not even on our "device preferences." And that's what drives innovation and evolution.. So huzzah for those looking for something that ain't this.
Quote:
Originally Posted by trip1ex
The rude thing is not paying attention in the meeting.
I retired from my meeting-filled career just as the first smartphones came along (to run my own small outfit)..
Knowing what it's like when I'm out hanging with friends at bars and parties when they're with other remote people at least as much as we're with each other in the place "we've" met, I really hadn't thought about it, but I can't imagine the level of distraction in settings where people are supposed to be on common tasks and following an agenda.....
The one feature I'm a little confused about is the connectivity. I'm guessing I can't BT pair the pebble with my iPhone, and then use BT headpones as well? Be kinda nice to have the controls for the music on my wrist, and no wires to my ears.
I don't own BT headphones, but I could pair my Pebble with my Galaxy Note II and my car's BT audio system with no problems. So I don't see why you couldn't do what you mentioned with wireless headphones.
If an ugly, low-res thing like this is $150 and gets race reviews, there's a huge opportunity for Apple to come in with a beautiful, seamlessly integrated smart watch at $250-$300 with impressive margins
Where did he state scrolling through a text message? If you can glance at a name in milliseconds, if you need to stop jogging to read the full message because it's someone you were waiting for or if you're driving you need to tell your hands-free system to call back the person that just texted you, that's what you do. I don't see how it can all be negatives with no pros.
Yeah but you can assign different ringtones to different contacts and be alerted to who exactly is contacting you even if the phone is in your pocket. If you are driving there is a decent chance you use your phone as a gps and have it out on your dash already. Even if you don't use the gps you probably have your phone out and can easily glance at it to see who is calling or texting you.
IF you are jogging you might not even have your phone with you thus a watch wouldn't help you. It could store jogging data though. So there's a positive for you.
Anyway it just looks so niche that I can't believe Apple would be releasing such a device. BUt I do believe if they release one they will have come up with better uses for it than bland obvious uses like seeing who is texting you.
Yeah but you can assign different ringtones to different contacts and be alerted to who exactly is contacting you even if the phone is in your pocket. If you are driving there is a decent chance you use your phone as a gps and have it out on your dash already. Even if you don't use the gps you probably have your phone out and can easily glance at it to see who is calling or texting you.
IF you are jogging you might not even have your phone with you thus a watch wouldn't help you. It could store jogging data though. So there's a positive for you.
Anyway it just looks so niche that I can't believe Apple would be releasing such a device. BUt I do believe if they release one they will have come up with better uses for it than bland obvious uses like seeing who is texting you.
1) Everything you describe are either obstacles or superfluity to wearable computers being a viable market. When you say something is niche you should mean "a specialized but profitable corner of the market." Everything Apple does is niche as they are build their machines with their own OS.
2) You can find many examples as to why wearable computers won't work for a given situation but you can do that for any technology that has ever existed. It's simply not a valid argument to say that if you don't take your iPhone with you running that a watch that connects to your iPhone is then pointless for all occasions.
3) Wearable computers will come and they will commonplace. I think it's folly to think that it's just a gimmick.
To enable ifttt.com you need to connect to boxcars channel and then install boxcars app. You can then get the pebble notifications from ifttt through boxcar. I have disabled notification center alerts but enabled blue tooth notifications with the tweak from Cydia.
I backed them on kickstarter, and received my watch a week or so ago. Only problem I am having, is I can't get the simplicity face to run in 12 hour mode. I am still waiting on the cycling app.
3) Wearable computers will come and they will commonplace. I think it's folly to think that it's just a gimmick.
Absolutely right. The watch seems like a logical place for the first-gen wearable computers because it's non-threatening, but I do wonder if some sort of eyewear might not take over once people are socially comfortable with such a thing.
It's quicker to look at the back of your hand than pull something out of your pocket. I predict these watches will start as accessory devices to your smartphone, and over time more and more functionality will migrate from the smartphone to the watch, eventually the watch will kill the smartphone.
The smartphone killed the watch in the 2000s and the watch will kill the smartphone in the 2010s.
I don't see this happening. If the only consideration is "the same information instantly available on your wrist instead of in your pocket," then yes, but that's not the only consideration. The increase in screen size during the last five years is indicative of a general tend towards using the "phone" less as a phone and more as a "mobile device" for consuming and preparing information in a visual and tactile medium. While this is opinion, I think people inherently enjoy the visual/touch interaction with a screen that is large enough to manipulate objects. No one "needs" a $150 device to perform functions that are already performed by a superior device that is pocketable, let alone replacing that device every two years. Moreover, in my opinion, a phone is a more natural device to "hold and manipulate"...in a primal sense, it is an object in hand...easy to see, manipulate, and share information. The watch is a tiny device stuck to my arm...the same arm, accessible with only one hand, and awkward to hold close to the mouth (supposing anyone will ever use it as a phone). Should one plug in ear buds he'll immediately find the cable awkwardly hugging his elbow. Things I do easily on a 3.5 inch/plus sized screen: browse the web, watch movies, type emails and texts, etc.
I can see a cheap wrist accessory becoming common...but as Apple was fond of saying of netbooks...what on earth does the watch "do better" than a 4inch phone, aside from tell the time a few seconds faster and cost me at least $150 just so I can see my messages without the "hassle" of looking at my phone? In fact, why not avoid spending $150, charging a second device, and get each of those features on my mobile device...but better?
I don't see the "smartwatches perform X function better" except as a niche product for people wanting to keep track of their steps while they run. I don't see instant message viewing from a watch as "solving" any "problem" that a smart phone has, let alone paying $150 for that kind of functionality.
I love gadgets, and I'd love for somebody to describe this in a way I haven't thought of (please do, I think the idea is cool), but I just don't see it happening. I can't easily compose a text message on a tiny screen. I can't easily read emails on a tiny screen. I can't easily read a book on a tiny screen. I can't easily do anything on a tiny screen. While people will claim it can be used for "fitness"...well, I'm an athletic guy, having spent a fair amount of time at the gym and with personal trainers in college and post...and people who are in good shape or committed to being in good shape don't need or even rely on gadgets. They rely on consistency and diet.
I'd rather be wrong, but as hard as I try to make this gadget seem like the next awesome thing I have to have, I simply don't see it. I don't get it. If you "know" I'm wrong...let me know what you think. I'm all ears, I'd love to hear it. Maybe I'm suffering from lack of imagination.
Absolutely right. The watch seems like a logical place for the first-gen wearable computers because it's non-threatening, but I do wonder if some sort of eyewear might not take over once people are socially comfortable with such a thing.
I'm not convinced of the eyewear thing, either. I initially thought, "hey, I've spent the last fifteen years or so playing games like Halo with heads-up displays...wouldn't I find that useful?" But in a video game you're basically in a virtual cockpit, constantly engaged with immediate variables that require immediate information and feedback...the same isn't true of the average walk-down-the-street scenario. In fact, the entire purpose of a heads-up display is to connect you to PERTINENT information. The "pertinent information" of the average stroll through the city or down the street is primarily sensual...more likely than not you already know where you're going, and are much more naturally concerned with what is right next to you, in front of you, beside you. I mean...that's why you're there. I understand why you need huds-up displays in video games...the "pertinent information" is "will I be dead in two seconds? Are there people behind me enemies or friends? Will I be out of ammo in five seconds or two minutes? Is there ammo in the immediate vicinity? Who has the damned flag?" The entire purpose of a huds-up display is to deliver information immediately *because that information is immediately necessary*, as though that information were as immediately necessary as combat information in a video game. I can see this being useful IN COMBAT, but walking down the street? To "remember names of people I met at the party last week? Seriously? Sorry, but I'm not going to wear glasses so that I can remember somebody's name, and the information I want immediately delivered to my brain as I walk down the street is not the weather...I only need to glance at the weather ONCE a day, and usually only once every three days. Do I need to know where a store is...every visual second as I walk towards it? When I no longer need the few pieces of information "glass" is capable of giving me...do I need to have it on my face? Annoying. Here's the "pertinent information" of walking from point A to point B anywhere: "I'm here, I'm thinking about stuff...my dog, my day, thinking about my girlfriend...oh, I need to buy X, need to be done by x oclock, that avengers movie was cool...." In other words, pertinent information is the stuff my mind wanders through...not weather searches, the location of point B, etc. It's not that this information is "more human," but that it is the stuff that is more pertinent. When do I look up information? Usually when I'm relaxed on my couch or bed. When I'm headed to point B...I'm headed to point B, not browsing.
I love this technology...will probably even buy "glass" or whatever smartwatch comes out (eventually...if it's cheaper than currently advertised)...but I don't see any of this becoming mainstream. From my repetition, I think it's obvious my concern is "PERTINENT information." Walking from point A in the city to point B might require that I get directions...but I only need directions once...maybe twice...I don't need a device on my face and a $1000 hole in my wallet. And I don't want to talk to my device. It's annoying and slow... If I'm looking for a store, I can open maps and type the store name and enter...that's easier than wearing glasses, causing marks on the bridge of my nose, and talking. I want an "object in hand" that I can manipulate easily, see easily, use once, then put back in my pocket. Until I'm in a war and need constant, immediate environmental feedback, these devices are just the video game generation thinking, "the heads-up display I use in video games would be great in real life." Yeah...no. I agree that we want immediate access to pertinent information, but how much pertinent information IS THERE between point A and point B? If I'm using a map, can I pinch zoom, expand, rotate as easily as I can with my fingers? Do I really need a $1000 device, or even a $200 device that leaves marks on my nose in order to remember people's names or to "spare me the trouble" of easily removing my pocket computer and easily accessing all the information in the world with finger swipes? Does anybody other than an alzheimer's patient need name-remembering gadgets? I checked the weather a day ago...I'm pretty sure not much has changed since then. I might check it when I go to sleep...between reading on my device and maybe showing a youtube video to my girlfriend.
I also don't understand the obsession with "talking to my device." Maybe if the device could actually offer a human level experience, but seriously...when you're tired and your friend says, "which way?" do you reply with a sentence, or do you point? You point, because a gesture is easier than talking. It's cool and gimmicky to say things to a device, but I still prefer to swipe or touch to get my music playing...and I prefer to simply hand a glass of water to somebody rather than say, "here, take this glass of water." Similarly, we use gestures and tugs with dogs when walking, and only talk when we are A) anthropomophizing (something you aren't going to do to a device...it's not a pet), and when it ISN'T doing what we want it to. I think root argument is that talking requires more energy...if you doubt that, consider that whenever you're tired, you prefer to point or grunt rather than cognitively focus on communication.
I want to see the next big thing, but I don't think either of these devices are going to be "it." Open to thoughts!
How about an app that retrieves vital information from my car, displaying mileage, oil, gas, mileage of last tire change/rotation, mileage of last brake pad change, miles per gallon...I'd enjoy having that information displayed and updated every time I'm within bluetooth range of my car.
How about the ability to assign "hot sides" to the top, bottom, left and right of my phone...so when I'm reading an article, viewing a movie, or in an app, I can have my ipad or computer assigned to a virtual side, and simply swipe that information over with a two finger gesture, effectively "moving" it over to my computer or ipad in the same state?
How about apps that simulate running through gorgeous, real or fantasy, pre-rendered environments so that running on treadmill could be more interesting? Maybe even have avatar racers that represent you when you began your training, where you want to be, where you were last run, etc... Why not? That's better than a fit bit...you literally have friendly competition, and it's more natural than counting steps. Seriously...how many overweight nerds do we have who might enjoy running through middle earth with Orcs chasing him? Or running a jogging trail through Rivendell? If I could place a racing game on my ipad on a treadmill...that'd be worth a hell of a lot more than a wii fit. What if I could start a training routine with dozens of avatars who run at a range below and above my predicted level, and at my target level, such that the day I come in first is the day I've reached my target? Why doesn't this exist yet for ipad? Strap a nike thingy on your shoe/leg (yeah, I don't know how it works) and connect it via bluetooth to the ipad and GO!
How about we finally get a full fledged MS Word or Pages on our "mobile devices" and a legitimate, sturdy, folding, full sized keyboard with a mount? (Okay, maybe I'm niche, but please?). Then implement the "hot side" idea so that I can swipe what I just wrote on my computer to my phone, having it instantly appear in the same state.
I don't see this happening. If the only consideration is "the same information instantly available on your wrist instead of in your pocket," then yes, but that's not the only consideration. The increase in screen size during the last five years is indicative of a general tend towards using the "phone" less as a phone and more as a "mobile device" for consuming and preparing information in a visual and tactile medium. While this is opinion, I think people inherently enjoy the visual/touch interaction with a screen that is large enough to manipulate objects. No one "needs" a $150 device to perform functions that are already performed by a superior device that is pocketable, let alone replacing that device every two years. Moreover, in my opinion, a phone is a more natural device to "hold and manipulate"...in a primal sense, it is an object in hand...easy to see, manipulate, and share information. The watch is a tiny device stuck to my arm...the same arm, accessible with only one hand, and awkward to hold close to the mouth (supposing anyone will ever use it as a phone). Should one plug in ear buds he'll immediately find the cable awkwardly hugging his elbow. Things I do easily on a 3.5 inch/plus sized screen: browse the web, watch movies, type emails and texts, etc.
I take your point about the big screen, I don't know the answer to that. And you have lots of good ideas in your other posts. And that will be key to whether it succeeds or not, whether people can come up with compelling new uses.
One "out there" theory I had was that it is not an iPhone accessory at all but a fully self-contained phone. And that it is the "budget phone" that Apple has been criticised for not making for the developed market. The small size would keep the cost down, and something with an Apple logo strapped to your body would be a good status symbol such as people in the developed world seem to like.
But more likely it is an iPhone accessory for the developed market, and it will (ultimately) do the kinds of things you describe.
1) Everything you describe are either obstacles or superfluity to wearable computers being a viable market. When you say something is niche you should mean "a specialized but profitable corner of the market." Everything Apple does is niche as they are build their machines with their own OS.
2) You can find many examples as to why wearable computers won't work for a given situation but you can do that for any technology that has ever existed. It's simply not a valid argument to say that if you don't take your iPhone with you running that a watch that connects to your iPhone is then pointless for all occasions.
3) Wearable computers will come and they will commonplace. I think it's folly to think that it's just a gimmick.
Not everything Apple does is niche btw. And by niche I mean making a product that only a few desire. MBP might be niche in terms of market size relative to
the pc market, but the laptop is not a niche market. Everyone has a computer
This type of watch just doesn't seem to have the ingredients to reach that level of acceptance.
It isn't valid to debunk a future product by debunking all the use cases that are thrown at it in articles and forums? Absurd. That is all I'm doing. Pointing all that many of the uses for a smart watch aren't all that strong.
And you saying we will have wearable computers in the future is like me saying we will have flying cars in the future. Great. But I don't think this discussion is about 50 years from now nor 20 years or even 10 at least for me. We are talking about the next year or two. And talking about Smart watches.
Comments
Easy there, Soli. Wasn't referring to you, and I don't own a Pebble, either.
I was mostly referring to how people just comment on any article, just to let us know they don't approve the item in question. As if they are the total market.
You contribute to conversations, wasnt meaning you.
It looks pretty clear to me that's part of the original packaging, a little protective layer that should have been peeled off before taking photos. Most small electronics products with a screen have something like that. It looks a bit frayed because it's just a plastic film on a part that has been handled.
I've seen one in person, it seems OK. It didn't seem as gigantic as the above photos make it seem. Photographing it next to something that's commonly available would be a nice point of reference.
I'm withholding final judgement, but I'm not seeing how this kind of product benefits me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ascii
It's quicker to look at the back of your hand than pull something out of your pocket. I predict these watches will start as accessory devices to your smartphone, and over time more and more functionality will migrate from the smartphone to the watch, eventually the watch will kill the smartphone.
The smartphone killed the watch in the 2000s and the watch will kill the smartphone in the 2010s.
The only way you'll get something back on my wrist full-time is to sell me into slavery or put me on house arrest.....!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by ascii
It's not for me either, but I do believe the smartphone will eventually change in to something wearable, and I'll have no choice.
Eventually the "smart phone" (and things like Google Glass) will evolve into something implantable and powered by your body's energy....
Quote:
Originally Posted by allenbf
Why do people waste time typing out what they hate about it and why it isn't for them? Who cares? Plenty of people like it and a product doesn't have to be for everyone.
Your implicit answer to your rhetorical question is that it's because we're hatahs and deeply miserable inside.
In any case, history keeps proving, we can't just all get along, not even on our "device preferences." And that's what drives innovation and evolution.. So huzzah for those looking for something that ain't this.
Quote:
Originally Posted by trip1ex
The rude thing is not paying attention in the meeting.
I retired from my meeting-filled career just as the first smartphones came along (to run my own small outfit)..
Knowing what it's like when I'm out hanging with friends at bars and parties when they're with other remote people at least as much as we're with each other in the place "we've" met, I really hadn't thought about it, but I can't imagine the level of distraction in settings where people are supposed to be on common tasks and following an agenda.....
The one feature I'm a little confused about is the connectivity. I'm guessing I can't BT pair the pebble with my iPhone, and then use BT headpones as well? Be kinda nice to have the controls for the music on my wrist, and no wires to my ears.
I don't own BT headphones, but I could pair my Pebble with my Galaxy Note II and my car's BT audio system with no problems. So I don't see why you couldn't do what you mentioned with wireless headphones.
Not just ugly ... it's RETRO ugly.
Got to be able to do better than this ...
Did they have to license that look from Casio?
Quote:
Originally Posted by SolipsismX
Where did he state scrolling through a text message? If you can glance at a name in milliseconds, if you need to stop jogging to read the full message because it's someone you were waiting for or if you're driving you need to tell your hands-free system to call back the person that just texted you, that's what you do. I don't see how it can all be negatives with no pros.
Yeah but you can assign different ringtones to different contacts and be alerted to who exactly is contacting you even if the phone is in your pocket. If you are driving there is a decent chance you use your phone as a gps and have it out on your dash already. Even if you don't use the gps you probably have your phone out and can easily glance at it to see who is calling or texting you.
IF you are jogging you might not even have your phone with you thus a watch wouldn't help you. It could store jogging data though. So there's a positive for you.
Anyway it just looks so niche that I can't believe Apple would be releasing such a device. BUt I do believe if they release one they will have come up with better uses for it than bland obvious uses like seeing who is texting you.
1) Everything you describe are either obstacles or superfluity to wearable computers being a viable market. When you say something is niche you should mean "a specialized but profitable corner of the market." Everything Apple does is niche as they are build their machines with their own OS.
2) You can find many examples as to why wearable computers won't work for a given situation but you can do that for any technology that has ever existed. It's simply not a valid argument to say that if you don't take your iPhone with you running that a watch that connects to your iPhone is then pointless for all occasions.
3) Wearable computers will come and they will commonplace. I think it's folly to think that it's just a gimmick.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rhyde
I wear a watch.
People with smartphones are asking me what time it is all the time.
Kinda tells you something, eh?
Do you answer, "Time to get a watch"?
Quote:
Originally Posted by SolipsismX
3) Wearable computers will come and they will commonplace. I think it's folly to think that it's just a gimmick.
Absolutely right. The watch seems like a logical place for the first-gen wearable computers because it's non-threatening, but I do wonder if some sort of eyewear might not take over once people are socially comfortable with such a thing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ascii
It's quicker to look at the back of your hand than pull something out of your pocket. I predict these watches will start as accessory devices to your smartphone, and over time more and more functionality will migrate from the smartphone to the watch, eventually the watch will kill the smartphone.
The smartphone killed the watch in the 2000s and the watch will kill the smartphone in the 2010s.
I don't see this happening. If the only consideration is "the same information instantly available on your wrist instead of in your pocket," then yes, but that's not the only consideration. The increase in screen size during the last five years is indicative of a general tend towards using the "phone" less as a phone and more as a "mobile device" for consuming and preparing information in a visual and tactile medium. While this is opinion, I think people inherently enjoy the visual/touch interaction with a screen that is large enough to manipulate objects. No one "needs" a $150 device to perform functions that are already performed by a superior device that is pocketable, let alone replacing that device every two years. Moreover, in my opinion, a phone is a more natural device to "hold and manipulate"...in a primal sense, it is an object in hand...easy to see, manipulate, and share information. The watch is a tiny device stuck to my arm...the same arm, accessible with only one hand, and awkward to hold close to the mouth (supposing anyone will ever use it as a phone). Should one plug in ear buds he'll immediately find the cable awkwardly hugging his elbow. Things I do easily on a 3.5 inch/plus sized screen: browse the web, watch movies, type emails and texts, etc.
I can see a cheap wrist accessory becoming common...but as Apple was fond of saying of netbooks...what on earth does the watch "do better" than a 4inch phone, aside from tell the time a few seconds faster and cost me at least $150 just so I can see my messages without the "hassle" of looking at my phone? In fact, why not avoid spending $150, charging a second device, and get each of those features on my mobile device...but better?
I don't see the "smartwatches perform X function better" except as a niche product for people wanting to keep track of their steps while they run. I don't see instant message viewing from a watch as "solving" any "problem" that a smart phone has, let alone paying $150 for that kind of functionality.
I love gadgets, and I'd love for somebody to describe this in a way I haven't thought of (please do, I think the idea is cool), but I just don't see it happening. I can't easily compose a text message on a tiny screen. I can't easily read emails on a tiny screen. I can't easily read a book on a tiny screen. I can't easily do anything on a tiny screen. While people will claim it can be used for "fitness"...well, I'm an athletic guy, having spent a fair amount of time at the gym and with personal trainers in college and post...and people who are in good shape or committed to being in good shape don't need or even rely on gadgets. They rely on consistency and diet.
I'd rather be wrong, but as hard as I try to make this gadget seem like the next awesome thing I have to have, I simply don't see it. I don't get it. If you "know" I'm wrong...let me know what you think. I'm all ears, I'd love to hear it. Maybe I'm suffering from lack of imagination.
Thoughts?
Quote:
Originally Posted by ascii
Absolutely right. The watch seems like a logical place for the first-gen wearable computers because it's non-threatening, but I do wonder if some sort of eyewear might not take over once people are socially comfortable with such a thing.
I'm not convinced of the eyewear thing, either. I initially thought, "hey, I've spent the last fifteen years or so playing games like Halo with heads-up displays...wouldn't I find that useful?" But in a video game you're basically in a virtual cockpit, constantly engaged with immediate variables that require immediate information and feedback...the same isn't true of the average walk-down-the-street scenario. In fact, the entire purpose of a heads-up display is to connect you to PERTINENT information. The "pertinent information" of the average stroll through the city or down the street is primarily sensual...more likely than not you already know where you're going, and are much more naturally concerned with what is right next to you, in front of you, beside you. I mean...that's why you're there. I understand why you need huds-up displays in video games...the "pertinent information" is "will I be dead in two seconds? Are there people behind me enemies or friends? Will I be out of ammo in five seconds or two minutes? Is there ammo in the immediate vicinity? Who has the damned flag?" The entire purpose of a huds-up display is to deliver information immediately *because that information is immediately necessary*, as though that information were as immediately necessary as combat information in a video game. I can see this being useful IN COMBAT, but walking down the street? To "remember names of people I met at the party last week? Seriously? Sorry, but I'm not going to wear glasses so that I can remember somebody's name, and the information I want immediately delivered to my brain as I walk down the street is not the weather...I only need to glance at the weather ONCE a day, and usually only once every three days. Do I need to know where a store is...every visual second as I walk towards it? When I no longer need the few pieces of information "glass" is capable of giving me...do I need to have it on my face? Annoying. Here's the "pertinent information" of walking from point A to point B anywhere: "I'm here, I'm thinking about stuff...my dog, my day, thinking about my girlfriend...oh, I need to buy X, need to be done by x oclock, that avengers movie was cool...." In other words, pertinent information is the stuff my mind wanders through...not weather searches, the location of point B, etc. It's not that this information is "more human," but that it is the stuff that is more pertinent. When do I look up information? Usually when I'm relaxed on my couch or bed. When I'm headed to point B...I'm headed to point B, not browsing.
I love this technology...will probably even buy "glass" or whatever smartwatch comes out (eventually...if it's cheaper than currently advertised)...but I don't see any of this becoming mainstream. From my repetition, I think it's obvious my concern is "PERTINENT information." Walking from point A in the city to point B might require that I get directions...but I only need directions once...maybe twice...I don't need a device on my face and a $1000 hole in my wallet. And I don't want to talk to my device. It's annoying and slow... If I'm looking for a store, I can open maps and type the store name and enter...that's easier than wearing glasses, causing marks on the bridge of my nose, and talking. I want an "object in hand" that I can manipulate easily, see easily, use once, then put back in my pocket. Until I'm in a war and need constant, immediate environmental feedback, these devices are just the video game generation thinking, "the heads-up display I use in video games would be great in real life." Yeah...no. I agree that we want immediate access to pertinent information, but how much pertinent information IS THERE between point A and point B? If I'm using a map, can I pinch zoom, expand, rotate as easily as I can with my fingers? Do I really need a $1000 device, or even a $200 device that leaves marks on my nose in order to remember people's names or to "spare me the trouble" of easily removing my pocket computer and easily accessing all the information in the world with finger swipes? Does anybody other than an alzheimer's patient need name-remembering gadgets? I checked the weather a day ago...I'm pretty sure not much has changed since then. I might check it when I go to sleep...between reading on my device and maybe showing a youtube video to my girlfriend.
I also don't understand the obsession with "talking to my device." Maybe if the device could actually offer a human level experience, but seriously...when you're tired and your friend says, "which way?" do you reply with a sentence, or do you point? You point, because a gesture is easier than talking. It's cool and gimmicky to say things to a device, but I still prefer to swipe or touch to get my music playing...and I prefer to simply hand a glass of water to somebody rather than say, "here, take this glass of water." Similarly, we use gestures and tugs with dogs when walking, and only talk when we are A) anthropomophizing (something you aren't going to do to a device...it's not a pet), and when it ISN'T doing what we want it to. I think root argument is that talking requires more energy...if you doubt that, consider that whenever you're tired, you prefer to point or grunt rather than cognitively focus on communication.
I want to see the next big thing, but I don't think either of these devices are going to be "it." Open to thoughts!
How about an app that retrieves vital information from my car, displaying mileage, oil, gas, mileage of last tire change/rotation, mileage of last brake pad change, miles per gallon...I'd enjoy having that information displayed and updated every time I'm within bluetooth range of my car.
How about the ability to assign "hot sides" to the top, bottom, left and right of my phone...so when I'm reading an article, viewing a movie, or in an app, I can have my ipad or computer assigned to a virtual side, and simply swipe that information over with a two finger gesture, effectively "moving" it over to my computer or ipad in the same state?
How about apps that simulate running through gorgeous, real or fantasy, pre-rendered environments so that running on treadmill could be more interesting? Maybe even have avatar racers that represent you when you began your training, where you want to be, where you were last run, etc... Why not? That's better than a fit bit...you literally have friendly competition, and it's more natural than counting steps. Seriously...how many overweight nerds do we have who might enjoy running through middle earth with Orcs chasing him? Or running a jogging trail through Rivendell? If I could place a racing game on my ipad on a treadmill...that'd be worth a hell of a lot more than a wii fit. What if I could start a training routine with dozens of avatars who run at a range below and above my predicted level, and at my target level, such that the day I come in first is the day I've reached my target? Why doesn't this exist yet for ipad? Strap a nike thingy on your shoe/leg (yeah, I don't know how it works) and connect it via bluetooth to the ipad and GO!
How about we finally get a full fledged MS Word or Pages on our "mobile devices" and a legitimate, sturdy, folding, full sized keyboard with a mount? (Okay, maybe I'm niche, but please?). Then implement the "hot side" idea so that I can swipe what I just wrote on my computer to my phone, having it instantly appear in the same state.
Anyone else have ideas?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sol77
I don't see this happening. If the only consideration is "the same information instantly available on your wrist instead of in your pocket," then yes, but that's not the only consideration. The increase in screen size during the last five years is indicative of a general tend towards using the "phone" less as a phone and more as a "mobile device" for consuming and preparing information in a visual and tactile medium. While this is opinion, I think people inherently enjoy the visual/touch interaction with a screen that is large enough to manipulate objects. No one "needs" a $150 device to perform functions that are already performed by a superior device that is pocketable, let alone replacing that device every two years. Moreover, in my opinion, a phone is a more natural device to "hold and manipulate"...in a primal sense, it is an object in hand...easy to see, manipulate, and share information. The watch is a tiny device stuck to my arm...the same arm, accessible with only one hand, and awkward to hold close to the mouth (supposing anyone will ever use it as a phone). Should one plug in ear buds he'll immediately find the cable awkwardly hugging his elbow. Things I do easily on a 3.5 inch/plus sized screen: browse the web, watch movies, type emails and texts, etc.
I take your point about the big screen, I don't know the answer to that. And you have lots of good ideas in your other posts. And that will be key to whether it succeeds or not, whether people can come up with compelling new uses.
One "out there" theory I had was that it is not an iPhone accessory at all but a fully self-contained phone. And that it is the "budget phone" that Apple has been criticised for not making for the developed market. The small size would keep the cost down, and something with an Apple logo strapped to your body would be a good status symbol such as people in the developed world seem to like.
But more likely it is an iPhone accessory for the developed market, and it will (ultimately) do the kinds of things you describe.
Not everything Apple does is niche btw. And by niche I mean making a product that only a few desire. MBP might be niche in terms of market size relative to
the pc market, but the laptop is not a niche market. Everyone has a computer
This type of watch just doesn't seem to have the ingredients to reach that level of acceptance.
It isn't valid to debunk a future product by debunking all the use cases that are thrown at it in articles and forums? Absurd. That is all I'm doing. Pointing all that many of the uses for a smart watch aren't all that strong.
And you saying we will have wearable computers in the future is like me saying we will have flying cars in the future. Great. But I don't think this discussion is about 50 years from now nor 20 years or even 10 at least for me. We are talking about the next year or two. And talking about Smart watches.