Perhaps the most notable of all the wearables currently on the market are smartwatches. Several companies now sell these devices and their accompanying apps. The problem I have with wearables such as smartwatches is that they require tethering to a smartphone via an app, via Bluetooth connectivity, or likely via both. This means that your watch and your phone can never be more than a few meters apart for full functionality.
Perhaps the most notable of all the wearables currently on the market are smartwatches. Several companies now sell these devices and their accompanying apps. The problem I have with wearables such as smartwatches is that they require tethering to a smartphone via an app, via Bluetooth connectivity, or likely via both. This means that your watch and your phone can never be more than a few meters apart for full functionality.
So-called smart devices are only smart if they do something you need. Smartphones provide a computing experience as well as voice and text communication. A smartwatch really has no additional functionality. It can notify you of phone calls, email messages, and text messages and perform perhaps a few other nominal operations, but it really offers nothing new. On the other hand, a smartphone has all the features and functions that you need for business or for personal use. Nearly everyone has a mobile phone that's always close at hand.
For me, the smartwatch is a solution to a problem that doesn't exist. I think today's wearables are a fine example of technology exceeding its usefulness. Personally, I have never exclaimed, "Gosh, if only I had a smartwatch!" Nor have I ever said to myself, "I wish I had a wristwatch that would notify me when I get a text message."
The primary reason for my smart wearable non-epiphany is that my iPhone does everything for me and in a relatively small package. I don't want to wear my smartphone on my wrist or on my upper arm. I am comfortable with it in my back pocket. I seem to have enough padding back there to protect the device, even without clothing it in a protective case.
Smart devices should not only be smart in their own right, they should also represent a smart purchase because of an inherent need. That time is not yet here.
Now, I would trade in my iPhone for a Star Trek communicator pin if it included built-in GPS location, a homing beacon, and
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