SmartWatches

[Xyphos]

Sort of gaming-ish, I dunno.

I was reading about the WIMM One - <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.wimm.com/">http://www.wimm.com/</a><!-- m --> - <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.amazon.com/WIMM-One-Wearable-Android-Device/dp/B0056BIYQA">http://www.amazon.com/WIMM-One-Wearable ... B0056BIYQA</a><!-- m -->

Which spiraled into reading about the Pebble - <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/597507018/pebble-e-paper-watch-for-iphone-and-android">http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/597 ... nd-android</a><!-- m --> - which broke the record for most money on Kickstarter.

What does everyone think? The wave of the future, where soon everyone will have computers on their wrists, and in jackets, etc? Or just another gimmick that will go the way of the Minidisk player?

I'm personally thinking that the WIMM opened the door, and the Pebble will really help people make the step through it.

[OrsunVZ]

It's an interesting idea for sure. The current applications seem really limited though. I can think of a TON of applications for the tech that makes it much more convenient than having to pull out your phone. But with such a small interface, he kinds of non-gimic uses are definitely gong to be limited. Secondly because of the "paper" display, resolution looks to have suffered, and I would imagine that will create more limitations. The biggest benefit (it's convenient location on your wrist combined with it's small size, and socially accepted accessory/style) is also it's biggest limitation.

Still though, the way the phone and watch work in conjunction seem to me to be the area that some serious innovation can come from. The watch is just a convenient delivery vehicle for information by itself. However, by using the devices together (for instance as distance measuring tools - watch at one end, phone at the other) maybe could bring additional functionality that the phones by themselves can't achieve.

Even that by itself is really just using the watch in its current state. Depending on the tech advances in that watch, it really just winds up speaking to the total integration of all of our devices (TVs, Computers, Phones, Multimedia, Garage door, coffee machine, car ignition etc etc.). The devices that tie in to that network aren't really the onnovation at all. The apps themselves, along with the language the devices are all using is where the innovation is. I think we need to stop thinking about smart phones as phones though, because they really just serve as a portable interface to our digital existence, and I think their portability and current level of wide user acceptence means they are by far the most likely device to become the eventual link between all the devices we currently use. Hell, you can already use your phone to control your TV (and have been for a long time).

[Xyphos]

Well, according to one article I found - <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://thenextweb.com/insider/2012/05/10/twine-partners-with-pebble-to-send-real-time-alerts-to-your-smartwatch/">http://thenextweb.com/insider/2012/05/1 ... martwatch/</a><!-- m --> - another kickstart company called Twine is teaming up with pebble directly for such things as...

Twine in your basement, and alarm setoff to tell you when the basement floods (if that's a concern)
Attach twine to a door, and have it alert you when someone is knocking on your door.
having twine alert you when your house reaches 85 degrees, so you can turn on your AC..

Granted, much of this is gimicky/silly/unnecessary, but it's a start to what I feel could be something much bigger even in only a few months.

[OrsunVZ]

At the moment, only the very wealthy have op-centers for their homes. They control literally everything from alarms to coffee machines, stereos, lighting, locks, computers, etc. They are built in these mini-bunkers inside your home (both physically and digitally). At the moment, every manufacturer is using their own proprietary system to govern everything, but ultimately everythign will becomes cheaper and cheaper and we'll be seeing low income housing being built with this kind of an interface in mind.

There is a project in Denmark right now that is doing this already, it's a development of floating apartments, 800 units, that are all completely monitored through central interfaces in each unit. They aren't low-income houses, but they aren't high-end either. Of course Demark has a very small differential between income brackets in comparison with the US.

[Slamz]

The latest iPod Nanos can be worn as a watch, too. Not sure if they have any connectivity or if they do anything other than music + time, though.

Hadn't occurred to me to wonder about the screen. I imagine the Nano gets washed out in sunlight, like every other LCD. What's the display technology on this WIMM device? I can't find any information on it.

Conceptually I like it. With bluetooth, it should be able to become an extension of your phone. So it doesn't store music -- your phone does, and it accesses your phone. Pair it with a bluetooth headset and you could have your phone in your pocket, get a call, check your watch to see who's calling and then answer it with your headset if you want to. You'll still want to drag out the phone for text messaging and reading emails but the watch interface can tell you there's a new message waiting.


Don't think I'd pay $200 for it, but I like the concept.

[Xyphos]

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WIMM_One">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WIMM_One</a><!-- m --> - Most of the information on the device itself.

From what I understand where the WIMM falls short is the audio capability - it doesn't actually have a headphone jack or any sort of connection other then bluetooth and wifi. Your idea of using a Bluetooth headset sounds interesting though, something definitely to test out.

The "i'm watch" does have audio connectivity directly, so many people are using it as an MP3 player + other stuff, but at an entry price point of 350$, I'd pass on that big time.

The Pebble is SUPPOSEDLY going to start at 150$ with an e-ink style display, but I question the validity of that price since it was originally quoted at that, prior to their 10 million dollars, which upon hitting they decided to add a bunch of different options to the Pebble... which I doubt they'd do for free.