Tech Industry Bets on “Wearables”
(PRWEB) May 05, 2014 -- Google announced Android Wear last week, a new version of its operating system for “wearable” smart devices. The move toward wearable devices is a widespread one, according to Jason Hennessey of EverSpark Interactive, but not necessarily one that’s going to go smoothly.
Android Wear is adapted from Google’s mobile OS, and will first appear on watches according to CNN (retrieved 03.24.2014). Google said it’s working on potential devices with Samsung, Motorola and LG—but at present there are no watches that use the new OS.
“Wearables make lots of sense in theory,” said Hennessey, co-founder of Atlanta-based EverSpark. “It saves you digging in your pocket and keeps your hands free. But in practice, they’ve all been clunky and less useful than a regular smartphone.”
That’s because wearables to date have been less powerful than smartphones and generally don’t stand alone as devices, Hennessey says.
“It would be neat if your watch could do everything your phone does,” he said. “But instead they tend to run dumbed-down versions of select apps, and you still need the phone, too.”
But Hennessey says the next few generations of wearables will be improving.
“Everyone looks at Google Glass and says, who would want that on their face?” he said. “But there were a lot of bad handheld games before the Gameboy came out.”
So far, wearables have excelled mostly in the health and fitness niche.
“It’s an easy sell,” Hennessey explained. “Here’s a simple sensor you wear and it reports data to an app on your normal smartphone. Now you have a better workout, or better information for your doctor to look at.”
The trouble, Hennessey says, is expanding that same compact usefulness to other niches.
“Lots of tech companies are hoping this is the next gold rush,” he said, “But right now it’s a juggling act. Do you want a regular iPhone on a giant wrist holster, or something more elegant with no functionality? Most consumers want neither.”
About EverSpark:
EverSpark Interactive is an all-in-one SEO, internet marketing and digital media firm that specializes in gripping, keyword-optimized content. From sales pages to company blogs, PR blurbs to high-quality videos and social media posts, EverSpark's content always gets attention—from both search engines and live customers. The company can be reached at (770) 481-1766 or http://www.eversparkinteractive.com.
Denae Olberding, EverSpark Interactive, http://www.eversparkinteractive.com, +1 (770) 481-1769, [email protected]
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