Apple's Work on Wearable Computer Concepts Includes Wrist-Wrapping iPod with Siri

[639me]

i would feel really silly talking into my sleeve, - even if nobody was around.
no, give us instead a siri only nano clip to clip onto the corner of our mouths, or to the tip of our noses. maybe one could even be hidden inside a fake mustache..

 

[AngerDanger]

Nope, real men tell the time by the position of the sun

Or... Real men don't need to know what time it is

Or...... Real men don't wear watches because they're too busy doing stuff that would break them

Or... All of the above. As in: "I don't really need to know what time it is, but by the look of the sun, it's exactly 4:48pm. Anyway, let's get back to our wrist-stabbing contest."

 

[needfx]

"KIT, where are you?"

 

[JAT]

There are certain situations where I'd prefer discreetly looking at my watch, rather than pulling out a smartphone and generating unwatched attention, for example some boring event or meeting.

But maybe you can hurry it along if the whole audience is observed checking the time.

 

[ironsienna]

Combining one of these with a google car 5-10 years from now gives me shivers! You can be outside of a club, drunk and just say to siri: "I need my car here to take me home… Wake me up when it arrives cause I am gonna have a nap on the pavement..."

 

[JAT]

I was with him until beautiful ....

Real men aren't bothered by such words.

 

[Yumunum]

How practical would this actually be? How helpful? I can't imagine it'd be that great.

 

[MattInOz]

"Do you wear your iPod Nano on a watchband ?"

Hell no. (the fact the LCD is completely broken doesn't quite help either).

Your LCD or LCD in General?

For this to anywhere near a good idea it really does need a good looking low power sun light readable screen tech.

Oh and bluetooth headphones unless Apple is thinking of bring back the fob watch.

Still could be a better option for NFC uses.

 

[trims]

Interesting to watch the debates about ideal form factor. We've read the endless iPhone debates - which seem to average around a 4 inch screen.

There's a much longer history for watches: the maximum limit appear to be about 40mm diameter and 10mm thick. Both the iPod Nano and I'm Watch are around this size (check the specs).

But they just don't look right on the wrist for me. Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I'd like something round and stylish.

Preferably a titanium or LiquidMetal case, and a leather strap, like a proper watch. And a touch sensitive screen, which would have a configurable (and maybe owner designer-able watch face), and access to the 'iFunctions' beneath the face.

Dream on . . . .

 

[ChristianVirtual]

no, give us instead a siri only nano clip to clip onto the corner of our mouths, or to the tip of our noses.

To activate Siri you need to double-bite your teeth

Can't eat a steak anymore; Siri would alway talk to you

 

[trims]

Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I'd like something round and stylish.

Something like this? (choose your own watch face / functions etc.)

 

[cgiugliano27]

Step 1: Instruct Siri that your name is Michael Knight

Step 2: Instruct Siri that your car with the Bluetooth-enabled starter and electronic locks is named "KITT".

Step 3: Talk into your watch and tell Siri "Unlock KITT's door", or "Start KITT".

Step 4: Recieve "It is done Michael".

Step 5: Feel awesome!!!

...sweet...hell yeah, now all we have to do is change siri's voice to William Daniels voice and were golden!

 

[KnightWRX]

Your LCD

My iPod LCD.

 

[639me]

...Can't eat a steak anymore...

no problem, - she'll noise cancel your eating noises

 

[Cruzer442]

Nope, real men tell the time by the position of the sun

Or... Real men don't need to know what time it is

Or...... Real men don't wear watches because they're too busy doing stuff that would break them

Real Men don't talk about what Real Men do.

 

[kdarling]

Ok I don't want to be too harsh on Android or anything, but Android 1.6? ...

You're not being harsh; just perhaps worrying too much

It's a watch, with a tiny screen. It doesn't need a lot of horsepower or the latest OS. Plus newer OS = needs more memory for storing it.

Most of us still write Android apps targeted to 1.6 because it has everything we need. It's not like we'd be playing Grand Theft Auto on it, or needing Flash support.

You're right that later versions were optimized more, but again, most apps for the next few years are going to be very tiny things with limited CPU requirements.

Definitely can see liking a watch that talked to my iPhone.

Besides the obvious features it would be nice if it alerted me when the iPhone was no longer in proximity. Since the watch would always be worn it would be a good way to keep from losing your phone or leaving it behind.

Good idea. Apple could use that to prevent lost prototypes, too

The WIMM One has a "phone not found" option setting. If you go out of Bluetooth range of your phone, it alerts you.

For this to anywhere near a good idea it really does need a good looking low power sun light readable screen tech.

Interesting that you should bring that up. The WIMM One has a very interesting display technology:

- With the backlight on (because you swiped it or are using an app) it's a bright 65,000 color screen.

- If you don't do anything, it goes into standby mode, where the backlight goes off and the screen switches to its low power transflective B&W mode. The current app (usually the watchface app) then is only run once a minute.

As you know, transflective displays use the light around us, so it works in regular room light, and even better in the sunlight. No backlight power needed, and since apps only run once a minute, little power for them, either.

One note: the special app standby mode means each watchface app has to also contain a B&W image to be used when the screen flips from color to B&W mode.

In practice, it works great. I can see the watch just fine in low power B&W mode, but swipe (or press and hold) to bring up the backlight and colors.

 

[mrsir2009]

in 2011 what exactly is the point of a wristwatch except for jewelry purposes?

Glancing at your wristwatch is much easier than digging into your pocket, taking out your phone and clicking a button so that you can see the time. Plus in a lot of situations, such as meetings, school, work or formal situations it can be prohibited or frowned upon to use phones. And if your bored but don't want to appear rude, you can glance at your watch without anyone knowing.

Watches FTW

 

[Lesser Evets]

The wearable barrier has been muddled through and mulled over for a decade or more. Current tech needs both hands for a satisfying interaction, but a limited device on the wrist wouldn't be bad for some functions. When the A5 (and soon A6) are cheap to make, the voice-activated wearable might be a mass-produced reality, but it is a way off.

In terms of productivity, a great voice recognition will do wonders for activating and navigating routine tasks. Once you set up the sites you want to see and programs you frequent, it will be a hand liberating help. However, for searching and intensive browsing, we will always need a double-handed approach; at least until voice recognition and directive recognition becomes sublime.

Something like an iPhone strapped to a wrist isn't so bad, but it is garish. You can call, listen to music, browse with voice and one hand, dictate documents, read (for short times), do video chats, and get all quick, basic information on the run. Youth will think it is cool. Mature people will still favor a lack of ostentatious display.

 

[Varedis]

Just get one of these?

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1104350651/tiktok-lunatik-multi-touch-watch-kits

 

[janstett]

My mistake, I thought I wa browsing MacRumors. I must've accidentally stumbled onto BondNerds.

You're the one who made the reference in a vain attempt to plug a Merc

 

[croooow]

Stupid and horrifying unfashionable!

Says "ILikeTurtles".

Lol. You torched his a$$...

That is not overstating things at all.

 

[cshearer]

You're the one who made the reference in a vain attempt to plug a Merc

The obsessive nature of nerds is often profoundly comical. Clearly the joke was understood, therefore it was successful. Besides that, he has indeed driven a Mercedes in several of the movies, so please save yourself from looking any more like an idiot than you already have.

 

[AppleScruff1]

People will be talking to their phones, TV's, iPods, watches etc. Great! Life will be even more annoying than it is with all of the idiots talking on their phones in in every inappropriate place like they do today, waiting in line at the bank, supermarket, coffee shop, etc. Hey! I've got a great idea, how about people talk to each other again? You know, instead of sitting at the same table texting each other.

 

[LagunaSol]

DeVaul spent only 18 months at Apple, however, before moving on to Google where he is presumably working on similar projects.

Shocking.

 

[kasei]

I have not worn a watch ever since the first iPhone was released. I've noticed people check their phones fro the time now. Granted I of course wouldn't turn a new watch down if Santa were to bring one.