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Wireless Networking Hardware Technology

Ultra-Cool Wireless Wearables 180

Posted by chrisd from the eye-candy dept.
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....
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Ultra-Cool Wireless Wearables More

Ultra-Cool Wireless Wearables

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  • I want one (Score:1, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward
    WDA's are sOOOOO much cooler than PDA's ;)

    • Re:I want one (Score:3, Interesting)

      by Blaine Hilton ( 626259 )
      What happens though if I forget to charge the batteries? Will I still be able to use my clothing? If we put computers into everything, everything just might start crashing, at least if it has anything to do with MS. Pass me that linux tie!
      • No, because all buttons and zippers will be electronically operated. So unfortunately if the battery runs out you can open it any longer.

      • Re:I want one (Score:5, Funny)

        by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 13, 2003 @09:53AM (#5502332)
        I know I will be buying my girlfriend some Windows pants.

        As often as those go down I'll be getting it all the time!
    • I'm sorry, but I just don't understand why these companies are continuing to implement Blue Tooth. With the maturity of wi-fi 802.11b, 802.11g, and coming soon UWB, why would anyone choose BlueTooth??? It has inferior bandwidth and inferior range.

      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

      • 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).

      • Um, one hammer fits it all?

        > 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

      • The original hype was that it would use very low power and have very low cost, e.g. $5 to add Bluetooth capability to things, which would lead to everything using it (which of course you'd need to get the production volumes to get the price down...)

        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)

    by lingqi ( 577227 ) on Thursday March 13, 2003 @06:47AM (#5501797) Journal
    Somebody with a high-gain antenna will just immediately "see" what you are seeing. fuck spy-satellites; just let everyone do the spying for you (well, sell a lot of those glasses first, anyhow)!

    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.

  • black and white (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 13, 2003 @06:48AM (#5501798)
    "The Wristable serves the same function and has the same technical description as the WDA, but it is worn on the wrist. The display is black and white."

    Now where does the full-colour-display picture
    come from?

    • Re:black and white (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward
      These are fake pictures intended for advertising purposes, not information.
      Never, repeat, never trust what you see on a colourful brochure.

  • Only one (Score:5, Insightful)

    by ShoeHead ( 40158 ) on Thursday March 13, 2003 @06:50AM (#5501804) Homepage
    Am I the only one that thinks the wearable market, at least for right now, is a little overrated? Most people will admit to at least a small amount of suspicion that technology is taking over our lives. Many mention that they leave their cell phone's and PDA's *behind* when they want to be more productive, and express concern about the amount of technology (like cells, complex radio setups) that distracts drivers.

    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."
    • "satisfying the cliche markets? "
      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
    • Am I the only one that thinks the wearable market, at least for right now, is a little overrated?


      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 /. while rollerskating or something? I don't really get it.

      • "What, am I going to read /. while rollerskating or something? I don't really get it."

        For those of us who ride transit to/from work, this kind of stuff would be ideal.

    • Am I the only one that thinks the wearable market, at least for right now, is a little overrated?

      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
      • That earpiece looked nice and small compared to other bluetooth ones. The early ones had big clunky booms on them like the Plantronics [currid.com] and Ericsson [expansys.com] ones. SoundID [soundid.com] has one that's a bit smaller - still looks a bit obtrusive, but it's got adaptive noise cancellation and personalized hearing tuning, which may make it worthwhile.

        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)

      by Sheriff Fatman ( 602092 ) on Thursday March 13, 2003 @09:08AM (#5502116) Homepage

      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.

      • Better yet -- think about games.

        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... :)
    • 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 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 (

    • 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

      • >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.

        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.
    • Half of the point of wearables is the ability to make the device less intrusive, so that you can have it not get in your way without having to leave it behind. Your cell phone should know when you're in the car and not take calls. Ideally, it would know when you were likely to get where you're going, so the voice mail could tell the caller when you're likely to be able tot take the call. Furthermore, it would know when you got out of the car, at which point you're not in the middle of anything, and it makes

  • Only concepts so far (Score:5, Informative)

    by erixtark ( 413840 ) on Thursday March 13, 2003 @06:51AM (#5501807)
    "plans to bring a product based on the design to market within two years."

    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.

  • Crashing accessories (Score:5, Insightful)

    by 6hill ( 535468 ) on Thursday March 13, 2003 @06:51AM (#5501808)
    Great. Looks like Window-ish operating system. So now not only does my desktop crash, but my wristwatch, pen, and glasses, too. What next -- my bra suddenly losing its support? My shoes suddenly detaching from their soles due to an outdated device driver? The first user that walks into a wall after getting the blue screen of death on the HUD should sue :).

    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.

    • If you have to worry about Microsoft dropping support for your bra, then I think you've got a bit too personal of a relationship with them...

      • If you have to worry about Microsoft dropping support for your bra, then I think you've got a bit too personal of a relationship with them...

        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

    • You're gonna get flamed for knocking Windows and (merely) mentioning Mac in the same post.

      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)

    by siamSam ( 637132 ) on Thursday March 13, 2003 @06:52AM (#5501811)

    "Goggles: Integrated into the frame of exciting, stylish sports eyewear"


    "Stylish" and "geek toys" like this are mutually exclusive aren't they?
    • "Stylish" and "geek toys" like this are mutually exclusive aren't they?
      It doesn't have to be... at least if you look at the gear. The problem are the people using it. Stylish glasses still look horrible on a geek, and a sportsman wearing this surely doesn't know to use the geek features.
    • I don't know, but these people [charmed.com] sure don't think so. Though I don't think those hot supermodels would actually enjoy carrying around computers that are hot and cumbersome.
    • "Goggles: Integrated into the frame of exciting, stylish sports eyewear"

      Did anyone else read this as: "Integrated into the frame of exciting, stylish sports underwear"???

  • Imagine you're wearing ... (Score:3, Funny)

    by borgdows ( 599861 ) on Thursday March 13, 2003 @06:53AM (#5501814)
    a Microsoft-powered Wearable Personal Assistant...

    oops you're electrocuted!

  • Ultra-Cool Wireless Wearables: (Score:4, Funny)

    by tit0666 ( 632749 ) on Thursday March 13, 2003 @06:58AM (#5501823)
    "Brings your porn wherever you are"(tm)

  • As if geeks aren't fashionably challenged enough (Score:4, Interesting)

    by ErikTheRed ( 162431 ) on Thursday March 13, 2003 @07:04AM (#5501835) Homepage
    I guess these are the next steps to full-on gargoyle mode (everyone on Slashdot has read Snow Crash [amazon.com], right?)...

  • Heck (Score:1, Funny)

    by watzinaneihm ( 627119 )
    The WDA is a handheld device that contains the same components as an iDEN phone. This device does not use a numeric keypad. Instead, it contains voice recognition capabilities
    Why did you say "halt"? Heck you rebooted the PDA in my shoes.

  • Wardrobe (Score:2, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Would I have a beowulf wardrobe then ???
    • You'd actually be a grid computing network with the other people walking down the street rather than a single-OS Beowulf cluster. But what applications make sense for that kind of environment - do you want to start seeing what everybody else is seeing, at least if somebody says "hey, look at this!", or doing the Apple Rendezvous automatic music-sharing downloads?

      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)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 13, 2003 @07:14AM (#5501864)
    I've heard much talk about "wireless computing" and "computing on the go" and communication anywhere and I dont believe in any of it. It may be great to carry an entire computer with you wherever you go but i'd never want to. I would hate my company being able to get in touch with me wherever I go (they can be quite of a bother sometimes!) and I'd hate my wife being able to contact me to on a guy's night out. It is more trouble than worth if you ask me. I'll just stick with my good old Motorolapager i've had since 1997 and get in touch with whoever needs me when _I_ want to.
    • I've developed this cool trick of not answering the phone if I don't want to. It's fascinating, really. The phone rings, and I say, "You know, I don't want to take this call." Then I hit the silent button, and the ring...it just stops. It's like magic. Then the voicemail picks it up and I get a message or I don't. It doesn't matter really.

      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

  • I've been waiting for something like the glasses to hit the marked for a long time. They've been showing them in commercials and stuff forever.

    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.

  • hummmm (Score:2, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    It should very interesting to have the cam at my shoes and connecting, via Bluetooth, with my bluetooth enabled glasses....girls should be worried...

    • 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.

  • Talk about "Batman Factor". These go to 11!

  • what would be really good is if the pesky things (Score:5, Interesting)

    by wadiwood ( 601205 ) on Thursday March 13, 2003 @07:33AM (#5501905) Journal
    worked on the bus. Or the plane, or train or long haul travel when you want to look out the window as well as read a book.

    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.
    • worked on the bus. Or the plane, or train or long haul travel when you want to look out the window as well as read a book.

      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.
      • They don't work on an interstate unless they put a web server with satellite link on the train/plane/boat - I don't think anyone has bothered yet. Ie an interstate traveller in Australia, is out of phone range and wireless nets when you get 30km outside the city limits. In fact when I was doing the Sydney commute between Blacktown and Central, the signal on my mobile dropped out there in the middle of the most densely populated bit of Australia, as well. And there was even less coverage west of Blacktown
      • Does anyone know where there is one. I found something on www.motorola.com that said that it wasn't available in Europe. Not very informative.

        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)

    by ageOfWWIV ( 641164 ) on Thursday March 13, 2003 @07:35AM (#5501911)
    The new motorola pda/calculator/cellphone/wap-enabled wristable also works as a high frequency contraceptive offering coverage up to 100 meters (UK) away.

  • Augmented reality (Score:5, Interesting)

    by broothal ( 186066 ) <christian@fabel.dk> on Thursday March 13, 2003 @07:36AM (#5501913) Homepage Journal
    The goggles look really cool, and with a 800x600 display I can think of numerous applications.

    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)

      by TGK ( 262438 )
      Or you could take a tip from the Kennedy's and try playing football while sking.

      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
    • What would be REALY cool is if you can set up Photoshop-like real time filters for the visuals. Change the lighting situation, play with the colors etc.

  • I can see it now (Score:5, Funny)

    by arvindn ( 542080 ) on Thursday March 13, 2003 @07:45AM (#5501928) Homepage Journal
    Bill is getting into bed. Tracy is waiting for him.

    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)

    by Anonymous Coward
    "Digi-Cam: Digital Camera This is a mini-digital camera that is Bluetooth enabled. It has a clip that allows it to be worn on any piece of clothing. Tethered to the digi-cam is the shutter button. After an image is captured, it is immediately sent to either the WDA or the wristable."

    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)

    by jpatokal ( 96361 ) on Thursday March 13, 2003 @07:55AM (#5501946) Homepage
    People, these are concept designs, not prototypes!
    The design is only a concept at this point, although Motorola is preparing for user testing, and plans to bring a product based on the design to market within two years.
    In other words, these are only pretty pictures and hot air, and a "product based on the design" (which means absolutely nothing and/or anything using Bluetooth) may or may not appear in two years. Sure, it's a spiffy design, but with current technology eg. the sunglasses are completely impossible. (The current state of the art is MicroOptical [microopticalcorp.com], whose displays require bulky transformer boxes attached by a cord, and Bluetooth bandwidth is nowhere near that needed to push even a VGA signal wirelessly.)

    Cheers,
    -j.

  • Spy? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by vidarlo ( 134906 ) <vidarlo@bitsex.net> on Thursday March 13, 2003 @08:04AM (#5501962) Homepage
    This is interesting future, but certainly we'll have to make some kind a "failsafe" encryption, that at least is wery difficult to break. If you make this common, you could risk that someone cracked your watch, to get out some , lets say, passwords. Then he maybe could get further into the high security devices you wore. And since it is wireless, it would be wery difficult to find whom that had taken it. A PAN network cant be that small that it only reaches a feet or something. Usually they go at least 20 feet, and at that range, it would be difficult to see who's monitoring you. Of course, you could have a limitation on one foot, so that you had to put your watch up against the main transmitter or somthing, but then half the point would be gone. So, at least I think so, most people would be suspicious as long as it was a possibility that some other person was reading your scheudle.
    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)

    by dstutz ( 639854 )
    Is this how the Borg started out?
    Resistance is futile, you will be assimilated???
  • ... the big issue is not wearing the devices, it's actually wearing the antenna [btinternet.com].
  • Imagine a Beowulf cluster of-- you know what? nevermind. The goggles look like they would might have potential if there was a convient method for input. I agree with earlier posters, devices like these would/will be more useful if they are easily interfaced to (ie not necessarily open sourced/free, but precompiled drivers aren't enough). Overall I feel that this is certainly a step in the right direction. Todays computer _feels_ like a computer, hopefully our children will have the benefits that current
  • This is hardly innovative. Gauntlets, PDAs, and HUDs have been around on the market, in sci fi, and cobbled together by hobbyists for decades to varying degrees.

    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)

      by sachachua ( 246293 ) <sacha.free@net@ph> on Thursday March 13, 2003 @09:18AM (#5502166) Homepage Journal
      Be careful what you wish for. =) The windows-menus-icons-pointers (WIMP) paradigm we're used to on the desktop requires far too much concentration on a wearable, according to WIMP Considered Fatal [washington.edu]. There are, however, people trying to find alternatives. You might want to check out the links and archives on wearables.blu.org [blu.org], and Google for papers related to wearable computing.

      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.

    • But really, one could say that everything we see and will ever see has been thought of already. I think it started in the early part of last century and is peaking right now as far as what is being done, what can be done, and what will be done.

      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)

    by chathamhouse ( 302679 ) on Thursday March 13, 2003 @08:38AM (#5502030) Homepage
    Vannevar Bush thought of a lot of this in his July 1945 article to Atlantic Monthly As We May Think [theatlantic.com].

    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)

    by weave ( 48069 ) on Thursday March 13, 2003 @08:43AM (#5502043) Journal
    The small wearable camera spooks me out. I'll never again walk through the YMCA locker room in the nude again, that's for sure. I can't risk that all that bragging I do at work might be exposed and have the real truth come out.

    (must remember to hit post anon option before clicking submit button...)

  • Everytime a new phone or PDA comes out which incorporates multiple features, at least someone says they want a seperate device which does each thing properly, but they never really want to carry them all around all the time..

    With this sort of solution, its not an issue to incorporate the tech you need that day and, hopefully, they are each quality components...
  • Sssssppppppaaaaacccccceeeeee Ggggghhhhooosssstttt !!!

  • Motorola & the bastard children of innovation (Score:4, Insightful)

    by adzoox ( 615327 ) on Thursday March 13, 2003 @09:11AM (#5502132) Journal
    If Motorola has any track record it is to be a follower and not a leader. It is a few and far between product release that is innovative or not easily "copied" for much less R&D and money than Moto can make.

    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!

  • designers overrated (Score:4, Insightful)

    by g4dget ( 579145 ) on Thursday March 13, 2003 @09:17AM (#5502162)
    People get all excited when design companies put such studies together, and I suppose that's the ponit. But realize this: the reason why we don't have gadgets like these yet is not because engineers lack the imagination. It's because real-world products are constrained by engineering considerations: battery life, transmit power, antenna placement, cost, and all that.

    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)

    by nicotinix ( 648645 ) on Thursday March 13, 2003 @09:21AM (#5502170) Journal
    OK, I'm as much a geek as the next guy, but you won't catch me anytime soon strapped to one of those things. The cell phone and the laptop are enough. And contrary to most people here, I do make liberal use of the OFF SWITCH and am not bothered too much by being on an electronic leash.

    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.
  • that they have arrow keys? that they have round edges? that you carry a computer on a wristband?

    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

  • 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)

    by psoriac ( 81188 ) on Thursday March 13, 2003 @10:20AM (#5502479)
    Why is it that the terms "ultra cool", "wearable", and "computing device" always seem reasonable to string together until you actually see someone wearing this stuff, and then you realize it's not?

    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. =)
  • OK. Let's have a reality check here. As cool as these things are (and yes, I'd like the goggles too, for gaming), the last thing we need is people walking around with this stuff on, bumping into people on the sidewalk, or walking into traffic while reading the latest news. Worse yet, as if cell phones aren't distracting enough while driving, imagine the accidents waiting to happen when new mail notifications pop up on the freeway!

    ---------

    • In the part of San Francisco where I used to work, half the people were walking down the street looking like they were talking to themselves because they were on their cellphone headsets. The other half really _were_ talking to themselves.

      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)

    by angel'o'sphere ( 80593 ) <angelo,schneider&oomentor,de> on Thursday March 13, 2003 @11:33AM (#5503142) Journal
    First, I think the watch is obsolet, a bit to clumpsy. Better to have only a PDA and wear it somewhere in your jacket or even in bag or rucksack.

    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 ... the PDA should be able to route its display to the googles and instead of working on the PDA screen use gesture.

    angel'o'sphere
  • "Ultra-Cool Wireless Wearables"

    I suspect many normal people would consider this statement an oxymoron. Looking like a Borg != Cool.
  • I have a Handspring Prism and boy it's great. Bright screen, vivid colors, and a nifty phone module. Trouble is, the battery sucks dry in no time. cracking it open, it's a pretty big battery. How are you going to fit a battery in those funky goggles that will give it any sort of battery life greater than 15 seconds? And no, sorry, but having a power cord running out the back rather defeats the purpose of having a wearable computer in the first place.
  • Did anybody else notice the site had an article on the Matrix phone? Apparently it will be a Sprint PCS phone, and match one used in the new movie.

    Photos here [fcc.gov]

  • I've been wanting to ding around with bluetooth in a hobbiest fashion for awhile now, but haven't been able to find any parts and/or good websites that outline how one would go about this. Does anybody know of any resources for regular guys with soldering irons w.r.t. Bluetooth?

    I would be really excited if they made a Bluetooth transciever with integrated antenae in something like a 20-pin DIP...

    -AP
  • That's like two years in Internet time.

    But seriously, if it looks cool now, in two years it will be obsolete.

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