Smart Watches Have Yet to Really Take Off, So What About a Smart Ring?

A Bluetooth enabled ring that functions as a watch, timer and phone finder may not have proved much use to a sprightly hobbit on his travels, but what about yours?
The 'Smarty Ring' has surpassed its Kickstarter funding goal by over $260,000 to start production of their concept smart ring and bring it to the market by April 2014.
If the latest iterations of wearable tech are anything to go by, then the Smarty Ring is likely to be approached with caution; Samsung's galaxy gear device met with mixed reviews and tepid consumer engagement, coupled with a general lack of interest in smart watches it seems that wearable tech has been over valued and over anticipated by analysts and consumers alike.
However, can the latest smart device from India based developers Smarty Ring buck this trend?
The reasons for a lack of interest in smart watches are plentiful, but essentially boil down to the exorbitant price for a device that functions as nothing more than a notification screen for the phone sitting close by in a pocket or hand bag.
As a disruptive piece of technology, the Smarty Ring is likely to upset manufacturers of smart watches; at least for the time being, until they really start to show the kind of innovation that wearable tech demands.
The Smarty Ring though, is proving far more practical. The waterproof, stainless steel band will feature an LED screen that will connect to your phone via Bluetooth 4.0 wireless technology, and at only four millimetres thick and 13 millimetres wide the device is far less conspicuous than a smart watch.
The site claims the average smartphone user checks their phone every six seconds, and promises to make that unnecessary, saving both time and the battery life of the smartphone.
The goal of the project was to create a high-tech gadget that would also double as "high-end fashion jewellery," said an email to CBC News from the team's elusive marketing director, Karthik, who did not provide his last name.
According to the Smarty Ring site, the tiny device will be capable of far more than being merely a portal to your phone. Features include:
- Incoming & outgoing call notifications
- Accept or reject incoming calls
- Make outgoing calls to preset numbers
- Alerts for Text and E-Mail messages
- Real time updates from Facebook, Twitter, Hangout & Skype
- Control your phone without touching it
- Clock capable of checking up to five time zones
- Stop watch and countdown timer
- Trigger camera
- Control music
- Change profile
In addition, if a user walks more than 30 feet from his phone, the ring will actually beep to alert him that he's left something behind.
All of these features can be managed via the Smarty Ring app, which will be available across multiple platforms in tandem with the ring's launch.
So is this really one ring to rule them all? Or should it be cast in to the fiery chasm?

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The Emerging Market For Smart Watches

It has hardly been a decade since we have witnessed the phenomenon of smartphones. The introduction of devices such as Apple's iPhone and several Android-powered phones literally changed the way we perceived cellular phones. Apart from the capability to make calls and send text messages, these smartphones can also perform most features expected from a computer. However, within the decade itself, we are in brink of another technological phenomenon. A few established organizations have launched smart watches, which do a lot more than just telling us the time.
Smart Watches are wearable devices which act as our digital assistants. Initial studies began in the early 1970s but the concept took a concrete shape in 2013 when electronics majors like Sony and Samsung came up their watch phones. Although, the recently launched devices work in combination with a smart phone, there are several other smart watch manufacturers who offer these gadgets as a standalone model.
Connected to the phone by Bluetooth, these gadgets can display updated weather information, set reminders for users, take pictures through a mini-camera and many more. Since most of these phones run on the Android mobile operating system, the smart watch also shares the same core. The embedded Android system makes it compatible with a plethora of apps that already exists in the system. Moreover, several app manufactures have created apps that are specifically optimized for watches.
Smart watches have also been integrated with GPS tracking devices in order to provide a complete range of navigation services. Moreover, these devices have in-built sensors such as heart-rate monitor, thermometer and accelerometers, which help sportspersons and fitness enthusiasts to track their vital statistics after a workout. Sportspersons extensively use this product to record their workouts and analyse the statistics based on the data collected.
Apart from the watch phones, the standalone smart watches are mostly launched by traditional watch companies, and have limited features. However, connectivity to PC, navigation services and two-communication capabilities are some features that make it a worthy investment.
The future of wearable devices is extremely interesting, considering the fact that organizations like Google and Apple are making substantial investments in research and development of such gadgets. With the upcoming launch of Google glass, another wearable device with similar functions, there is a possibility that we would witness advanced technologies, especially in the field of touchscreens, batteries and seamless integration with other devices in the ecosystem.

The market for watch phones is booming, and one can find good deals in leading online portal like handgiftbox for cell phones and smart watches.

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Smart Watches - A New Era of Mobile Computing

The rapid technological advancements in the last few decades have opened up the possibility to transform the wrist watch into a device that is capable of doing a lot more than keeping time. Smart watches have been in the development since 1972, when the Hamilton Watch Company came up with the "Pulsar" device. However, a major boost to the smart watch development was received with the launch of smartphone operating systems like Google's Android, Apple's iOS and Microsoft's Windows mobile platform.
The developments in computer hardware technology have made it possible to assemble small sensor chips and other circuitry into devices such as watches and eye-glasses. Moreover, the interoperability features of the modern mobile operating system can be used to install the same core on these devices. The first smart watch to be developed by Sony was named as the "Sony SmartWatch", a wearable electronic watch that could integrate with the Sony Android phones. However, this specific device had its own operating system that was compatible with Android devices.
A major boost to this relatively new industry was received when Samsung came up with their advanced smart watch, Galaxy Gear. Unlike Sony SmartWatch, this device runs on the Android platform but its connectivity to smartphones and tablets is currently limited to the latest Galaxy Note and Tab devices. It incorporates most features that are expected out of a next-generation wearable device.
Galaxy Gear can connect to a mobile device using the latest version of the Bluetooth technology, and perform tasks that make certain features in the phone redundant. The smart watch can view incoming calls, make outbound calls based on voice commands, can take photos using a small camera located on the watch dial, and many more. Apart from showing the time, the device is also equipped to display the current temperature and can also monitor certain health parameters with the help of Android apps. The best thing about this device is of course the fact that most apps already available on the Google Play store are compatible with it.
It is expected that other operating systems like iOS and Windows 8 would come up with their own versions of a smart watch. In fact, there is a high likelihood that Apple would soon launch an advanced smart watch named Apple iWatch. Other technology manufacturers like Qualcomm have also announced their intentions to develop smart watches, which makes it all the more clear that the future of mobile computing does not depend entirely on smartphones and tablets.

Samsung Galaxy Gear brings technology to fashion watches and can be found online. It is expected to be compatible with latest smartphones such as the Samsung Galaxy I9500 S4.

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The Smart Watch Revolution: Time for Your Wrists to Get Smarter

Dick Tracy was a popular comic book character way back in the 1940s. One thing which made the detective apart from the other comic book characters of his time was his sound knowledge in technology. The two-way communicative watch phone was one of the gadgets which were a recurring feature in all of his comics. Probably the Dick Tracy comic book was the precursor to what we know as the smart watch today.

Smart Watches: Treading through Time
We belong at the juncture where the thin line between science fiction and science is getting blurred. We are expecting the smart watches or the watch phone to become a reality within a few days. There has been instances of the prototype of these watch phones way back in the 1970s by Japanese watch brands like the Seiko. These prototypes could compute but at a very superficial level.
These watches have made its dominance mainly in the spy movies as an imperative tool for espionage. But these concepts with evolving technology became buried under the sands of time. There were flickers about this technology at the beginning of this millennium when IBM came up with a Linux-based prototype for this kind of watches collaborating with the Citizen Watch Company. But the idea was taken-off from the drawing tables until today.
Today in 2013 we see a completely different picture. The mobile phone giants are bent on giving the concept of watch phone a big makeover this year. Be it Apple, Google, Samsung or Sony, they are coming up with their own brand of smart watches which can take a market share from the already established tablets. This article will focus on the variety of avatars of smart watches from different technology giants such as Apple, Samsung and Sony

Smart Watches: What to expect from them
Samsung Galaxy Gear
Priced at a hefty $299, the Samsung Galaxy Gear has a number of features which would definitely attract both Android user and non users alike. Packed with a 1.6 inches image viewer which can produce resolutions 320 x 320 pixels, this smart watch has several things to offer to the users. The watch displays vivid colors and high contrast. With built-in microphone and speakers, the users would be able to talk directly with the help of the watch. Armed with a 1.9 Megapixel camera and 720p HD video recorder would be necessary for the photography enthusiast.
With inbuilt 4GB memory storage space, this watch can easily run small local apps which are necessary for the moment. With inbuilt Intelligent Personal Assistance such as S Voice, the user can easily give voice commands on the go. This contraption would definitely give mobile application developers the opportunity to build more apps specifically catering to the watch.
But one of the biggest drawbacks of the smart watch is that it's pairing can only be done with Galaxy Note 3, which is a new entrant to the Samsung Galaxy Family.

Sony Smart Watch 2
As a smart watch, the Sony's Smart Watch 2 is far less expensive than the Samsung's counterpart. With the 1.63 inch viewer, the Sony smart watch comes with a resolution of 220X176 pixels. The LCD screen of the watch prevents user's view to be washed out in the daylight.
With the first iteration of the Sony Smart Watch been a failure, but this time Sony has packed the phone with several goodies. Touch screen UI, sliding widgets for viewing weather, Facebook, Twitter as well as Phone alerts are all rolled into one. This watch is compatible with other Android handsets. But one of the biggest drawbacks of Sony Smart watch is that it does not have the microphone and speaker compatibility. In this case users have to take out the phone to use it.
Sony has incorporated the NFC technology with the smart watch. With NFC or the Near Field Technology, you would be able to find your phone in a jiffy if you misplace it.
One of the biggest advantages of this watch is that it is dust or water-resistant similar to Sony's flagship mobile phone Xperia Z.
iWatch Or the Apple's Smart Watch
Apple's version of the smart watch is still in the rumor stage. There has been a talk about a device being produced in the Apple labs which looks like a wristband and it runs on the iOS software. The device is rumored to be compatible with not only our personal desktops but other devices which are yet to come. But one thing is certain that the watch would be running on iOS7 or a higher version of Apple OS.
As it is still in its pre-natal stage, it is much to be expected from Apple technologies. Hypothetically speaking, Apple would be incorporating several of its flagship products into the watch. Till now nothing has been revealed.

Pebble
Coming with a 1.26 inch e-paper display, Pebble is considered as one of the biggest contenders against the smart phone giants such as Sony, Samsung and probably, Apple. The Pebble is a package which comprises email and message notifications, SMS and incoming calls, calendar reminders, Facebook, Whatsapp as well as Google Voice to name a few. One of the biggest advantages of this smart device is that, it can get acclimatized with both Android and Apple.
Users have the prerogative of installing third-party Android or iOS applications into their pebbles. Though it does not have a fixed microphone attached to it. It acts more like a notification terminal. With a built pedometer this is definitely a must-have for fitness enthusiasts.
With so many smart watches on the role, the traditional watchmakers are also taking a plunge into this changing trend. They are getting over the marketing myopia inculcated by traditional watch-making and taking the bandwagon along with the modern watch makers. So as for few last words before finishing-only time will tell the tale.

James Adam Roy is a mobile application Developer and a software developer engaged in a Sydney based company GetAProgrammer. At GetAProgrammer, one can find premium level iPhone and Android developer for hire. Find us at our G+ profile.

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Would you wear a Smart Watch?

Popular culture has for decades framed the concept of a computer system that can be used on the wrist as the pinnacle of technological fantasy. As shown by new TELEVISION ads for Samsung's Galaxy Gear, the wise watch has already been brought to life on display numerous times– in The Jetsons, Star Trek, Inspector Gadget, Dick Tracy and Knight Rider, among others versions.


The Korean tech giant's ad project has actually been effective, with one of the areas on YouTube recently reaching 9.4 million views in 12 days and accomplishing a 92 percent favorable rating. Even if the item's tagline wasn't clearly mentioned in the ad, the point is apparent: After all these years, it's finally real.

Sony's SmartWatch didn't influence poetry when it was launched either, and with Apple's smart watch on the way, it will soon become clear whether this is a case of Samsung slipping up in execution, or if the principle was better matched for imaginary worlds.

While the first generation of smart watches isn't really best, the principle is solid, said IT analyst Rob Enderle. The trend in mobile phones is to go bigger, as seen with the success of tablets and gadgets like the Galaxy Note. Even the iPhone is falling back a little with its once-large but now considered modest-size screen, Enderle said. "As you start getting into larger phones, it gets really unpleasant to pull things out and chat on it," he stated. "So with the watch, it becomes what you speak with, where you get your informs and updates, and the phone remain in your purse or pocket or on your belt unless you truly require to get down and do something that needs the screen.".

Smart E Watches asked five public-sector CIOs what they consider Samsung's new product, whether they would think about using it, and if the smart watch market has a future.

Louis Carr, CIO of Clark County, Nev.
Screen shot 2013-11-03 at 7.38.25 AMThe smart watch has a place in the world, Carr said, but the technology is still a little confusing. "I think it would be great for listening to MP3 files, Pandora, that sort of thing," he said. "It will probably be good for instant messaging, Twitter, appointments and calendars, and alarms." However, for tasks like mapping and working on word processing and spreadsheets, a watch will probably be too small.
And how the watch's keyboard will work is also a mystery, Carr said. "If it's linked to your smartphone via Bluetooth, that would give you a keyboard, but if you're using your smartphone, why does it need the smart watch?"
It's an interesting device, Carr said, but it doesn't really do anything new. "The app drives the hardware," he said. "What's the killer application?"
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