Ultra-Cool Wireless Wearables 180
moonboy writes "I just saw this story linked to from Ars Technica. Motorola and Frog Design have recently released information about some awesome new prototypes for wearable computing with wireless capability using Bluetooth technology. The wearables group will include a WDA (Wearable Digital Assistant) which will serve as the communications hub, the Wristable, Goggles, Digi-Cam, Comport, Radio-button, and the Intelli-pen. Very cool stuff!" Prototype seems a strong word....
I want one (Score:1, Interesting)
Re:I want one (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:I want one (Score:1)
Re:I want one (Score:5, Funny)
As often as those go down I'll be getting it all the time!
BlueTooth is obsolete, long live Wi-fi. (Score:3, Insightful)
Why would I carry around a WDA that has a range of 30 feet if I'm lucky, when I can wear the same thing that has 10 times the range and 10 times the bandwidth?
I think its time that companies who stupidly spent billions on developing BlueTooth humble themselves
Re:BlueTooth is obsolete, long live Wi-fi. (Score:2, Insightful)
Aside from the obvious benefit of using an order of magnitude less power, Bluetooth's adhoc p2p networking is rather good (up to 7 peers, I believe). I've heard negative things about 802.11b's adhoc protocols, but don't know enough about them myself to comment.
Additionally, the reduced range of Bluetooth is actually a feature. There'll be less interference in the same area given equal density, which is important given these devices' tendency towards dense PANs (Personal Area Networks).
Re:BlueTooth is obsolete, long live Wi-fi. (Score:3)
> why would anyone choose BlueTooth?
Probably, because Bluetooth
can send with only 1mW in contrast to 100mW (WiFi)?
chips are consuming considerably less energy than WiFi?
chips are as small as 3mm^2 in 130nm process?
scales fairly good up to 32 networks whereas 802.11b has only 4 non-intefering channels.
lets most embedded devices transfer their complete memory (persistant and volatile) in less than a second to one another?
is more resistant to interference because o
Mixed results vs. original hype (Score:2)
Low price hasn't happened yet - things like USB-to-Bluetooth frobs cost about $70, and while prices have come down a lot, most Bluetooth devices seem to cost about $50 more than non-Bluetooth. (The original headsets were more like $200, and most are down to
Wow... can you imagine (Score:5, Funny)
Stalkers are gonna have such a blast with all these.
On the other hand, I predict that shit like this will be embedded into our bodies within no time.
Re:Wow... can you imagine (Score:2, Funny)
Of course, because encrypted secure communications is a technology for way in the future, right?
Because WiFi's so secure, right? (Score:1)
Re:Wow... can you imagine (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Wow... can you imagine (Score:1)
black and white (Score:5, Insightful)
Now where does the full-colour-display picture
come from?
Re:black and white (Score:3, Insightful)
Never, repeat, never trust what you see on a colourful brochure.
Re:black and white (Score:2)
Oh! It's isn't gray!
Only one (Score:5, Insightful)
But HUD's in glasses, wireless pens, etc... isn't this all just geared more towards satisfying the cliche markets? Is there anything useful out there?
I can imagine a purpose for current PDA's--they're an appropriate size, and with a screen that can display a substantial amount of information, all with an acceptable battery life. And I can imagine that Bluetooth would be useful in a portable PDA-like system, but it seems like just like buzz on these "prototypes."
Re:Only one (Score:1)
This sounds new to me. I've heard of niche markets though.
Haven't you heard of BillyG giving us useless wrist watches synchronised with atomic clocks? These devices would be much more useful than those watches.
"Is there anything useful out there?"
Maybe not directly, but look at the possibilities. What if you can subscribe to a Proximity Dating Service - one that beeps when your 'soulmate' is around? With the increasing number of introverts these days, such services could d
Re:Only one (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Only one (Score:2)
I certainly hope so. The thing that strikes me is that most early adopters would be lazy fucks like me, and we'd all look stupid sitting motionless in a chair wearing this kind of gear. Seriously, I can't imagine what I would actually do with a wearable. What, am I going to read
Re:Only one (Score:2)
For those of us who ride transit to/from work, this kind of stuff would be ideal.
Re:Only one (Score:3)
Definitely not. Another thing to consider is the comfort factor. Did you see the size of that "Wristable" thing? I mean, I've worn watches before, and I thought the friggin' Timex Datalink watch was uncomfortable from being so large. This thing is at least twice as big. Who's going to want to go around with something that large on their wrist?
And then to interface with the watch, you need to wear this EA
Other Bluetooth Earpieces look bigger (Score:2)
The best-looking one I've seen is from Jabra [jabra.com] - the pictures look a bit clunky, but in practice it wraps neatly around your ear, looking like somewhat spacy jewelry (it made my friend
"Is there anything useful out there?" (Score:5, Insightful)
I think there's numerous applications for wearable technology. The whole desktop/keyboard paradigm has evolved from machines which took up an entire basement - even the best PDAs are still basically trying to fit a conventional office setup (phone, organiser, calendar, word processor, etc.) into a tiny little magical electric gizmo. No wonder people end up leaving them behind when they want to relax. At the other extreme, personal stereos are a great example of wearable technology. They don't read email, they don't browse the web - hell, most of them even use a good old-fashioned cable to connect the player to the headset - but they work, they're useful, and they've gained enough acceptance that you can wear headphones on the train without looking like a freak.
I was reading recently (don't recall where, sorry) about a set of goggles with a build-in camera and HUD, that would OCR Japanese characters on notices and signs and display their English translations. Even if it only worked with basic words like 'hotel', 'metro', 'toilet', this would be of huge benefit to English speakers lost in downtown Tokyo. This sort of angle could be a major selling point for wearable kit once it matures. With GPS, wearable hardware would be able to tell where you are and which direction you're facing - you wouldn't need a keyboard or voice interface to tell it where you were, 'cos it would already 'know'. It'd be like those infrared audio guides in museums, only it would work everywhere. Imagine wandering the streets of Prague or Athens, looking at some wonderful old building, and being able to find out who built it and when without having to dig out the guidebook and hunt through the index.
My point is, everyone's thinking about wearable tech as a way of taking things with you - email, phones, internet access - and missing the potential killer apps which you just *can't* do with desk-based hardware.
Re:"Is there anything useful out there?" (Score:2)
Games such as lasertag are currently restricted to specialized arenas that are capable of assisting backpack/vest units.
What sort of games are possible if you can take the computer with you into the streets without looking like a ghostbuster in the process?
Then again, a nerdy-looking guy in thick glasses running around screaming about monsters might be picked up by the cops...
Re:Only one (Score:1)
I confess, I don't quite know what you mean by "cliche markets". All I can say is: it's coooooool and I want it!
My Palm Pilot seemed like not much more than a nifty toy when I bought it. Now I rely on it every single day for scheduling, phone numbers, portable documentation, entertainment, etc. I'm quite sure that I can find a way to integrate a device (
Carrying vs. Wearing (Score:1)
My PDA doesn't fit in my pocket (well most of the time). Plus, since it's "out of the way", I don't use it. But if the information was popping up on a screen in front of my eyes? Damn right I'd be using it! (Can you tell that I really, really want something like those glasses? I always want to go off and build my own MIThril system and then remember that (a) it is expensive and (b) I am not good with hardware (soldering, etc)).
Rachael
Re:Carrying vs. Wearing (Score:2)
Exactly why I am still using my REX [tripod.com] PDA and LOVING IT! I leave it in my shirt pocket or in my front pants pocket all the time. I use it constantly. I have an old Palm that never leaves it's drawer at home.
I love it so much that when they went on sale for $30 I bought three of them just in case one breaks in the future.
Re:Only one (Score:2)
Only concepts so far (Score:5, Informative)
Ericsson showed similar devices [3gnewsroom.com] years ago, and most other producers have had concept products [3gnewsroom.com] similar to these ones. Lets just hope they start showing up in the stores for real this time. 2 years is a long time.
Re:Only concepts so far (Score:1)
Early adopters forever! w00t!
Re:Only concepts so far (Score:2, Informative)
Difference being, the Samsung device might be available this year
Crashing accessories (Score:5, Insightful)
On the less negative side, there is potential for coolness. My Mac is already Bluetooth-capable so after donning all this electronics, I could watch DVDs with the HUD while on the can, or write on a pad in bed with the pen motions captured and translated into an electronic document. Whoa.
Re:Crashing accessories (Score:1, Funny)
Re:Crashing accessories (Score:1, Funny)
Well, should some small-breasted people want to achieve an illusion of bigger boobs in the year 2010, buying a piece of Microsoft bloatware might be the only viable option short of surgery :). "With Microsoft InternetBra XP^2 can you not only surf the Net at the convenience of your underwear, but it also increases cup size by at least 2 sizes! (Limitations apply; s
Re:Crashing accessories (Score:2)
Having said that, I don't think there's anything 'Windows-like' about the interface on those prototypes. For one thing... no windows. No mouse, no pointing device at all.
Remember, the fact that Windows and older commercial operating systems crash is an anomaly; mostly having to do with the Frankenstein nature of PCs in general (commodity parts cobbled together). Taken as a whole, operating systems are not supposed
Goggles... (Score:4, Funny)
"Goggles: Integrated into the frame of exciting, stylish sports eyewear"
"Stylish" and "geek toys" like this are mutually exclusive aren't they?
Re:Goggles... (Score:1)
Re:Goggles... (Score:2)
Re:Goggles... (Score:2)
Did anyone else read this as: "Integrated into the frame of exciting, stylish sports underwear"???
Imagine you're wearing ... (Score:3, Funny)
oops you're electrocuted!
Re:Imagine you're wearing ... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Imagine you're wearing ... (Score:2)
Ultra-Cool Wireless Wearables: (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Ultra-Cool Wireless Wearables: (Score:1)
Re:Ultra-Cool Wireless Wearables: (Score:3, Funny)
circa 2023, some mega-corporate confrence room.
A dozen people sitting at the table with goggles on.
Time passes.
A cell phone rings.
person 1: Darn, we forgot to have the meeting.
person 2: Well, off to the next meeting.
As if geeks aren't fashionably challenged enough (Score:4, Interesting)
Heck (Score:1, Funny)
Why did you say "halt"? Heck you rebooted the PDA in my shoes.
Wardrobe (Score:2, Funny)
People walking nearby forming clusters (Score:2)
Most of that probably takes more than Bluetooth for range and speed; it's only ~750kbps, presumably less if lots of people are trying to talk to
Not for me no thank you (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Not for me no thank you (Score:3, Insightful)
I have an argument with a friend about it every now and then, who can't quite go with the whole "Don't pick it up" concept. But I'm the one paying for the phone. I don't
The singlasses are the real cool part (Score:2, Interesting)
My only fear is that when they do eventually hit the market, they will be outragously expensive ($2,000 is my guess..)
I'd also hope that they would have some less "fashionable" models.. Those are ugly as sin. And perhaps some that aren't sunglasses at all, but simply a HUD.
Your only fear? (Score:1, Funny)
Re:Your only fear? (Score:1)
I'm generally not the paranoid type though.
Re:The singlasses are the real cool part (Score:2)
hummmm (Score:2, Funny)
Re:hummmm (Score:2)
I remember reading about a stalker in Taiwan who did just that; he stuck up a cheap cam on his shoes and terrorised the subways. No Bluetooth though.
Collect the whole set! (Score:2)
what would be really good is if the pesky things (Score:5, Interesting)
they might even be good to cut down the building wide phone PA paging that used to interrupt me so much that I cut the speaker cable in my desk phone. It could ring (flashing light) but it couldn't speak.
It might even be useful in hosptital if it didn't interfere with the life support.
I think a heads up street map might be handy. Especially in my town, where street signs seem conspicuously absent.
Re:what would be really good is if the pesky thing (Score:2)
Why wouldn't they work in all those places? I can understand there may be interference issues on aircraft, but not with the other things you mention. I use a PDA & mobile/bluetooth combo to browse & email from the train quite frequently right now - works fine.
bus in town maybe but interstate train, not yet (Score:1)
PS I don't think there is any iDEN network in Oz (Score:1)
Does anyone know what the difference is between iDEN and GSM and CDMA, and can one phone run all of them or do you need three phones?
Chick repellant (Score:5, Funny)
Augmented reality (Score:5, Interesting)
Imagine going to an art museum and instead of borrowing a tape-recorder that tells you what you are looking at, you borrow a pair of goggles and information pops up next to the item.
Or - you're trying to find your way around in an unknown city. Large arrows directing you in the right direction will emerge (based on your GPS)
Last, but not least, I can go online with my GPRS phone and follow all my favorite IRC channels while skiing
Re:Augmented reality (Score:3, Interesting)
Seriously. Wearable computing has its place. That place is generaly not in athletics. Sure, there are some devices that could be usefull, but for the most part those devices will incorporate low profile displays with minimal data so as to allow you to concentrate on what's important.
In the case of skiing, that would be the Blue Spruce you're plumeting towards at 55 MPH.
Frankly I don't need to know that the Blue Spruce is a
IMPROVED reality (Score:1)
I can see it now (Score:5, Funny)
Bill's wearable watch: Bill, you've got mail.
Bill: Damn! Couldn't you find a better time?
[Removes watch and flings it away.]
Bill: Ahhh, Traaaaaacyyyyyy......
Tracy's babel fish: No matches found. Did you mean: 1) Trace 2) Tracing 3) Racy
Tracy: Shit!
[Removes babel fish]
Bill remembers just in the nick of time that his goggles are connected to the internet! And he's turned the firewall off, which means that anyone that connects to port 23484 on his goggles can see what he's seeing!!! [Takes goggles off]
Bill starts scratching Tracy's back. Immediately, her intellipen software kicks into action and tries to figure out what he's writing.
[2 hours later]
Bill and tracy are finally done spurning all the advances from their various bluetooth devices, at which point they realize they forgot to switch off the webcam...
Why both with a tethered shutter button? (Score:1, Interesting)
Why on Earth would you bother with a tethered shutter button when the camera's already Bluetooth enabled? Just put the shutter interface on the WDA and have the WDA tell the camera to take a picture whenever it wants, on a sc
Concept designs, not prototypes! (Score:5, Informative)
Cheers,
-j.
Spy? (Score:3, Insightful)
Anyway, the problem is not your scheudle, but for example if they could get your passwords or something, or even, if you were at a high posisition, get the "top" secrets of your company. And when you moved around, the governement could track you. This would give big brother a new dimension. Read the story written by John Bing , called "Big brother's carneval" for more (funny) abbrevations on this topic.
I wonder... (Score:2, Funny)
Resistance is futile, you will be assimilated???
As Eric Cartman teaches ... (Score:2, Funny)
it's about time (Score:1)
Just more industrial design; no usable substance (Score:3, Insightful)
The most significant hurdle for wearables is not styling. It is in developing a user interface and applications designed to be used while walking around, not sitting at a desk or standing still.
Real innovation will be when someone develops the wearable equivilent of the desktop metaphor and wearable equvilent to the mouse for input control. Sorry, current PDA menuing and compass navigation is insufficient.
When the industry gets serious and looks to marketize products like this, I hope they have more vision than simply re-purposing existing user interface mechanisms (and hire me to design the embedded UI). Wearables could be the next killer app.
User interfaces (Score:5, Interesting)
Personal thoughts: I got an M1 head-mounted display, but I found it to be too cumbersome (heavy on the head) and it distracted other people. Not a hardware hacker, so I haven't done any of the covert mods. Anyway, I switched to a monaural headset (just a single earphone+mic, looks like a handsfree kit) and am using Emacspeak for sound output. I still occasionally get confused, but it's pretty decent. I use a Twiddler for key input. The whole thing is pretty unobtrusive. I look like I'm listening to music and/or texting.
Re:Just more industrial design; no usable substanc (Score:2)
One can say the same thing about movies and music.
The key is creativity to bring comprehension to the masses. This was the point of The Matrix. It better told the Alice in Wonderland story to the modern generation. Both are satire and allegory.
Also, just to make
Postulated in 1945, in retail outlets by 2005 (Score:4, Interesting)
Now, we may have it. Of course, he wasn't really a gadget man per se, nor were technology and gadgets his driving force. Founder of the NSF, he saw technology as an enabler to furthering the human condition, improving it's access to information, ultimately making us smarter...
Will this do it? No, but we'll be able to walk around for a bit and show how cool it is to have a $2000 wearables rig strapped to us that doesn't overfill a fanny pack.
The camera worries me... (Score:4, Funny)
(must remember to hit post anon option before clicking submit button...)
Re:The camera worries me... (Score:2)
They defeat a stock grumble? (Score:1)
With this sort of solution, its not an issue to incorporate the tech you need that day and, hopefully, they are each quality components...
Cool... I always wanted to look like.... (Score:1, Funny)
Motorola & the bastard children of innovation (Score:4, Insightful)
I think at this point, Moto is in an 80's Chrysler state. They are putting out ok stuff, but not innovating in design and especially advancing standards or creating new concepts. Chrysler finally learned this wasn't the way to go and started producing the Prowler, the Viper, The PT Cruiser, and even the concept car from 5 years ago, the Atlantic; was WAY AHEAD of it's time. Some of it's features will be in the soon to be released Maybach. But alas, they were purchased by Mercedes. This is possibly the way Moto will go. I think a conglom like Masushita (Panasoinc) or maybe even Sony will buy them out within the next 5 years. Both of those companies have diverse needs for embedded processors, Moto's real money. Sony has always seen merit in the Apple side of computing and could make HUGE inroads with such a purchase. Sony Pres (see mac web sites) recently said he wishes he could buy Apple and has wanted to for a LONG time.
Which segways into this; Moto best exemplifies what I'm trying to say by the lack of innovation and forsight into the PowerPC processor that is used embedded in Cisco routers and as the G4 in Apple products. Motorola single handedly has cost Apple market share. They locked Apple into the processor and made the PowerPC such a proprietary RISC implementation that no one even wanted to copy it. Finally, they have released the Altivec core technologies to IBM, one of the PPC AIM partners. I beleive the muscle and R&D at IBM will bring great things to the PPC line and soon with the Power 4 and Power 5.
Another segway. Truthfully, these products are almost here in some form and two years as the article states for these "revoltionary" products to be realeased will be behind the curve. Moto will just be another player in the market and probably even higher priced. Moto isn't as recognized the name as it was for the 30's 40's 50's generations and few see why they should pay a premium for their products rather than say a Sony something or other.
The pen is basically here from Logitech (bluetooth ink and digipen), the Glasses are basically here from Sony (glasstron), the watch has been here without a big company or mass apeal for nearly two years, the PDA by means of the Zaurus or iPaq, maybe now the Sony P800, and the wireless headphones already exist in close to the same form factor as the article pitched. All of the things I mentioned now have bluetooth too!
Re:Motorola & the bastard children of innovati (Score:2)
My typing and grammar skills diminish dramatically when typing fast.
designers overrated (Score:4, Insightful)
So, yes, these kinds of products will eventually appear. They will probably be boxy and more traditional looking because people likely feel silly running around with gadgets that look like sex toys or sunglasses that are appropriate for a three-year-old. And their release date will depend on such mundane factors as when their power consumption will be low enough that they will be usable. What good is a futuristic wrist PDA, after all, if it only runs for 15 minutes?
Startrek reference (Score:5, Interesting)
In the end, most people would prefer something like on Startrek. Unintrusive devices like the computer you can talk to. The PAD. The communicator. I think that's all I want.
On the other hand, manufacturers will introduce these things and see what sticks. I do reserve the right to change my mind later on.
Wait -- what's cool or awesome about them exactly? (Score:1)
No wait -- they have all these "cool" technical features, like Bluetooth, voice control and stuff. Too bad they're just design concepts that only exist in Photoshop imagery. And were done by people from Frog who dont know sh*t about the technical buzzwords they tag on their creations.
cheers
Feh! (Score:2)
What do I need this crap for? I just buy my clothes at Benetton's [slashdot.org]
MjM
Fashion trend? I think not. (Score:5, Interesting)
Call me when you can implant the HUD emitter on the inside of my iris, the input device under the skin of the inside of my forearm, and the speech synthesizer in my earlobe. =)
Just another distraction (Score:2, Interesting)
---------
cellphone headsets (Score:2)
But, yes, appropriate user interfaces and applications have to be developed to avoid stupidity like that. Some of it may be applications for the camera to detect when you're about to bump into people...
The set is uncomplete (Score:3, Interesting)
What is missing is a ring like device which is "seen" by the googles and used as mouse ersatz or gesture recognizing device.
It seems to passive to just have googles
angel'o'sphere
Have to laugh (Score:2)
I suspect many normal people would consider this statement an oxymoron. Looking like a Borg != Cool.
Yeah, but whence the power? (Score:2)
Matrix phone (Score:2)
Photos here [fcc.gov]
Bluetooth Parts (Score:2)
I would be really excited if they made a Bluetooth transciever with integrated antenae in something like a 20-pin DIP...
-AP
Two years? (Score:2)
But seriously, if it looks cool now, in two years it will be obsolete.
Re:I want one, too! (Score:1, Funny)
Re:Goggles (Score:1)
Re:Goggles (Score:1)