Smart watches not ready for prime time

I take a few weeks off, and the entire world looks like it is falling apart.  Israelis and Palestinians are killing each other again.  The saber-rattling in Ukraine has claimed the lives of innocent airline passengers, and my Chicago White Sox continues to grapple with mediocrity.  It makes me grateful that I can concentrate on my work and my business.  This week on the blog, I would like to discuss something that is all the rage: mobile computing.

It has been no secret that I have been spending the last three years talking about how two major trends are changing computing and how you run your business.  This first was the growth of cloud computing, making it possible to manage your IT infrastructure for pennies on the dollar.  The other is the rise of mobile computing, where smartphones and tablets are taking over the computing world.  Part of this trend is the rise of Google Glass and other wearable computers.

If you are not familiar, Google Glass was a Skunkworks project that made it possible to wear a computer on your face like a pair of eyeglasses.  The user can record videos and surf the net just by using their glasses.  It is expensive, and the users of the product have created a tremendous amount of resentment among those who aren't decked out with the devices.  As a business owner, you can see the potential for the product.  Have people in your warehouse scan bar codes using glasses only.  Truck drivers could get directions beamed to their glasses.  Using facial recognition technology, police could use them to pull up information about criminals.  Sadly, this technology is still in its infant stages, so these dreams will have to wait until Google Glass gets cheaper and they have more valuablel applications.

This brings me to the next big thing in technology.  Smartwatches are now being debuted for the consumer public, and it is clear that while they are a good next step,p they are not ready for prime time.  First, the products require an Android device to connect to so they cannot work independently but behave like Bluetooth devices.  Next, the devices are big, heavy, and clunky.  You can wear the watch, but it looks more like a phone strapped to your wrist than a watch.  Finally, the devices are power-hungry, so they need to be charged with the same frequency as your phone. 

These devices will be great, but right now, I recommend waiting until the technology is perfected.  They remind me of an old Saturday Night Live parody commercial from the 1970s for the “Chromega” digital watch; to tell time, you needed three sets of hands to operate it. I am a big fan of technology and the next big thing, but I am going to wait a while before I get a smartwatch.

Until next time.