From fitness to ‘Glassholes’: Are we ready for wearable technology?

When we talk about technology, it is all about buzzwords. And a few of these buzzwords that have entered our culture have been personal computer, internet, social media, and smartphones.

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Now for 2014, it is WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY. Wearable technology gadgets were all around at this year’s International Consumer Electronics Show or CES. There was everything from fitness bands to Google Glass. Also, you cannot read a technology website or magazine these days without reading news about some type of wearable technology.

But what is wearable technology? One might answer, “It is technology that you wear,” which is then followed by, “Duh!” Let’s take a closer look.

A band that fits you

Wearable technology started inconspicuously enough with fitness bands. These “smart” bands were paired with your smartphone and showed you the number of steps that you’ve made as well as the calories you’ve burned for the day. Some bands even worked to track your sleeping patterns to ensure you get enough sleep and wake up refreshed every morning.

A number of companies have been selling fitness bands for a while now, including the Jawbone Up and the Nike+ Fuelband. Fitbit is known to make a number of fitness bands, such as the Fitbit Zip and Fitbit Force. The Fitbit Zip measures steps, distance, and calories, while the Fitbit Force measures all the aforementioned and adds sleep into the mix.

Now, even Razor, the gaming accessories maker, is developing its own smartwatch and fitness band device called the Nabu.

If you thinking about it, these bands aren’t inherently smart. They are just trackers that save data on your PC or smartphone. However, fitness bands did start the wearable technology trend. It was suddenly hip to wear technology on your body, aside from your smartphone or a Bluetooth headset.

More than a watch

But it was the Pebble watch that really brought the idea of wearable technology outside of the geek-sphere and into the public consciousness. The Pebble is a companion device for your smartphone. The Pebble watch is connected via Bluetooth to give text and call notifications as well as other functionalities from your smartphone. And yes, it also tells the time with the e-paper screen.

However, Pebble wasn’t a runaway hit. But its emergence and rumors that Apple was also making a smartwatch of its own had other technology manufacturers vying to make their versions of the smartwatch.

Samsung released the Galaxy Gear watch late last year as a companion device with their (then) brand new Samsung Note 3 smartphone. Just like the Pebble, the Galaxy Gear shows notifications from your Note 3 smartphone. It also has its own app store where developers could make apps specifically for the Galaxy Gear. The Samsung smartwatch also has a small camera that you can use to capture those precious moments and save them to your Samsung smartphone. Similar devices have also been released such as Sony’s Smartwatch.

As we mentioned, rumors are abound regarding Apple’s own version of the smartwatch. At least as of the writing of this piece, the rumors are yet to be confirmed. But there are solid claims that can be taken as a strong sign that Apple is developing a wearable technology device—whether it is indeed a smartwatch still remains to be seen.

Rise of the ‘Glassholes’

Even Google developed its own wearable technology. But it’s not something you wear on your wrist. Google Glass, as it has been named, is something you wear on your face.

Basically, it’s an Android device in an eyeglass frame of sorts built with an augmented reality screen to allow you to view content without looking at your phone. You control Google Glass through voice, motion gestures, or tapping and swiping the unit.

Although, Google Glass raised a lot of issues, even after it was just announced. There were people complaining about privacy violations the device poses. It has reached a point that certain establishments already banned the device even before it became available.

The term “glasshole” emerged because of the scarcity of Google Glass and news of Google Glass users using the device in socially awkward situations. Stories of glassholes ignoring the person in front of them or taking photos or recording videos of other people without their knowledge are rife in various news outlets.

Recently, Cecilia Abadie became the first Google Glass user to be ticketed when a police officer saw her driving with the device on her head. She was stopped by the California traffic police and charged for violating a California law that “prohibits operating a video-display in front of the driver’s headrest where it can distract the driver.” However, the California vehicle code 27602 was drafted to prevent people from watching TV while driving. She was acquitted when the judge proclaimed that the there was no hard evidence showing that she was using the device while driving.

At the other end of the spectrum, we are seeing how Google Glass can be used to help people. One example was demonstrated last year when Dr. Christopher Kaeding used the video capture feature of Google Glass to live stream and to consult with colleagues at another location. A group of medical students were also watching the surgery being performed at the same time.

We know this is just the beginning of the stories about Google Glass-related encounters. We are all still trying to to sort out what is socially acceptable when using the device after all.

The future is here…sort of

What’s next for Google after Glass? Just this year, the giant search company unveiled a pair of contact lenses with miniaturized transistors to allow the lenses to detect the person’s glucose level from his or her tears. A perfect solution for diabetics. They don’t need to prick themselves everyday just to check their glucose levels.

Admittedly, we are still a long way from having wearable technology become a norm both technologically and socially. We won’t be seeing fitness bands being worn as frequently as we see wristwatches (which come to think of it could be called the first wearable technology) in public.

In terms of technology, wearable technology will only get better with components getting smaller and faster. This means that fitness bands will be more accurate in recording data as well as tracking more information. This also means that we’ll get smartwatches that have better screens, and more importantly, better battery life. We foresee a future where Google Glass and its clones will get less bulky and intrusive.

But as a society, we still need to adapt to this new kind of technology. We need to create new social norms in the same way we did when more compact mobile phones entered into our world.