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

alent1234 said:
i stopped using a watch to check time back when i had a Moto StarTac
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Choosing to use a phone to tell the time instead of wearing a watch is so inelegant...

A watch is convenient, its always there, you don't have to take it out of your pocket, you don't even need to pick it up, you can use it with your hands full, most of all - it's beautiful.

And also, at the risk of sounding controversial, a classic Omega or Rolex will always look better, and more stylish than a phone.
 
cshearer said:
Can it control the rocket-propelled grenade attachments in my Mercedes? :cool:
Click to expand...

You mean your Aston, right?

In addition to the clock faces, they should have a geeky calculator watch app... I had a couple of those nerdy calculator watches in the 80s.

e01907152dc21359b1ca7b2afdbdb1cd-orig
 
I think it's a mistake to make this product require an iPhone to have mobile data. A watch device should stand on its own merits.

Perhaps some integration with the iPhone to notify of calls over bluetooth, maybe some watch FaceTime action, but ultimately, the watch needs a core set of features that the user can enjoy with no iPhone at all, including Siri.
 
dokujaryu said:
I think it's a mistake to make this product require an iPhone to have mobile data. A watch device should stand on its own merits.

Perhaps some integration with the iPhone to notify of calls over bluetooth, maybe some watch FaceTime action, but ultimately, the watch needs a core set of features that the user can enjoy with no iPhone at all, including Siri.
Click to expand...

I totally agree about the core set of features. However, if this is to be more like a watch, people aren't going to want to charge it every day, so that means it has to be low power, and people aren't going to want to have to pay a mobile data subscription for a watch either... So for anything other than those core features, you will need an iPhone or iPad.
 
alent1234 said:
in 2011 what exactly is the point of a wristwatch except for jewelry purposes?
Click to expand...

Valid question. However, I need my wristwatch. Maybe I can't change, but I need to glance at my wristwatch. I'm in the field quite a bit, and don't want to pull out the iPhone. I don't look at my watch driving only because of the dash clock.

It could be some mild OCD, as I am very uncomfortable working on the house/yard with it off.

I don't care for the Nano Concept. I am fairly certain I'll wear a wrist watch till I'm converted into another form of energy. :apple:
 
dokujaryu said:
I think it's a mistake to make this product require an iPhone to have mobile data. A watch device should stand on its own merits.

Perhaps some integration with the iPhone to notify of calls over bluetooth, maybe some watch FaceTime action, but ultimately, the watch needs a core set of features that the user can enjoy with no iPhone at all, including Siri.
Click to expand...
That "core set of features" will be there. It's called showing the time of day.



Michael
 
A timely.. cough.. thread.

I just got in a WIMM One watch module from WIMM Labs:

wimm_one.png

It's running Android 2.1 (soon should be 2.3) and has a multitouch screen, GPS, WiFi and Bluetooth.

It has an eclipse SDK add-on and I've already written a test microapp of my own for it. You can even create your own watchface apps; it has Java libraries for that. Love being able to roll my own stuff!

So far, I've got it set up with world weather, map and time apps, Google calendar sync, an amazingly usable news reader app, a tilt ball puzzle game. The built-in tools like alarms and timers are easy to use. It also comes with a variety of watchfaces, analog/digital and some with your next calendar event showing. And yes, someone on their forum even posted a geeky old style calculator app with tiny buttons :)

Of course, it will also show incoming caller id and texts from your phone if you wish. Speaker, but no microphone, however might be able to use a Bluetooth headset for voice input. Not sure yet.

--

In another month, Italy based I'm Watch should be shipping their Android 1.6 based watch, which they claim is the first with a curved capacitive screen. As befits a stylish country of origin, it's available in materials from inexpensive plastic to $10K diamonds:

im_watch.PNG

No GPS or WiFI on it, but it does have a microphone so there's hope for eventually getting an Android upgrade and voice control.

Smart watches are definitely heating up. I can easily see Apple jumping into this market.
 
Last edited:
If DeVaul divulged any information to Google relating to his time at Apple I hope he can be dragged to court along with Google.

----------
KnightWRX said:
Don't quite sound like a "real man" there buddy. ;)
Click to expand...

I was with him until beautiful ....:)

----------
kdarling said:
A timely.. cough.. thread.

I just got in a WIMM One watch module from WIMM Labs:

View attachment 316636

It's running Android 2.1 (soon should be 2.3) and has a multitouch screen, GPS, WiFi and Bluetooth.

It has an eclipse SDK add-on and I've already written a test microapp of my own for it. You can even create your own watchface apps; it has Java libraries for that. Love being able to roll my own stuff!

So far, I've got it set up with world weather, map and time apps, Google calendar sync, an amazingly usable news reader app, a tilt ball puzzle game. The built-in tools like alarms and timers are easy to use. It also comes with a variety of watchfaces, analog/digital and some with your next calendar event showing. And yes, someone on their forum even posted a geeky old style calculator app with tiny buttons :)

Of course, it will also show incoming caller id and texts from your phone if you wish. Speaker, but no microphone, however might be able to use a Bluetooth headset for voice input. Not sure yet.

--

In another month, Italy based I'm Watch should be shipping their Android 1.6 based watch, which they claim is the first with a curved capacitive screen. As befits a stylish country of origin, it's available in materials from inexpensive plastic to $10K diamonds:

View attachment 316637

No GPS or WiFI on it, but it does have a microphone so there's hope for eventually getting an Android upgrade and voice control.

Smart watches are definitely heating up. I can easily see Apple jumping into this market.
Click to expand...

Of course according to you Steve Jobs had no business or technical skills so your opinions are obviously so worth reading:rolleyes:
 
mcrain said:
I would give my left kidney for a wearable, water and shock proof ipod that had siri and bluetooth. I would consider giving both kidneys for that plus a set of waterproof, shockproof headphones that were lightweight and would actually stay in your ears regardless of how much you exerted yourself.

Apple, you redefined how to listen to music while working out, but you could take over the athlete market with something wearable, wireless, siri (light) compatible (it would be sweet if it understood you underwater), and that actually was an ergonomic home run.
Click to expand...

Both kidneys and a gall bladder.

Matthew.
 
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8C148 Safari/6533.18.5)

Digitalclips said:
If DeVaul divulged any information to Google relating to his time at Apple I hope he can be dragged to court along with Google.

----------
KnightWRX said:
Don't quite sound like a "real man" there buddy. ;)
Click to expand...

I was with him until beautiful ....:)

----------
kdarling said:
A timely.. cough.. thread.

I just got in a WIMM One watch module from WIMM Labs:

View attachment 316636

It's running Android 2.1 (soon should be 2.3) and has a multitouch screen, GPS, WiFi and Bluetooth.

It has an eclipse SDK add-on and I've already written a test microapp of my own for it. You can even create your own watchface apps; it has Java libraries for that. Love being able to roll my own stuff!

So far, I've got it set up with world weather, map and time apps, Google calendar sync, an amazingly usable news reader app, a tilt ball puzzle game. The built-in tools like alarms and timers are easy to use. It also comes with a variety of watchfaces, analog/digital and some with your next calendar event showing. And yes, someone on their forum even posted a geeky old style calculator app with tiny buttons :)

Of course, it will also show incoming caller id and texts from your phone if you wish. Speaker, but no microphone, however might be able to use a Bluetooth headset for voice input. Not sure yet.

--

In another month, Italy based I'm Watch should be shipping their Android 1.6 based watch, which they claim is the first with a curved capacitive screen. As befits a stylish country of origin, it's available in materials from inexpensive plastic to $10K diamonds:

View attachment 316637

No GPS or WiFI on it, but it does have a microphone so there's hope for eventually getting an Android upgrade and voice control.

Smart watches are definitely heating up. I can easily see Apple jumping into this market.
Click to expand...

Of course according to you Steve Jobs had no business or technical skills so your opinions are obviously so worth reading:rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Just what the world needs. More lawsuits.
 
Personally, I wouldn't want a watch with a screen like that. I guess I'm old fashioned.
 
MacRumors said:
Last year, Apple hired wearable computing expert Richard DeVaul to work on prototyping concepts in a secret lab under the direction of Jony Ive.

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

Prediction: future *LTD* posts in MacRumors forums, late 2012:

"Apple didn't go into the search business, so why is Google getting into the watch business?!"

"Just look at all the Android watches coming out each month! And many are discounted, too, so everybody can afford one. It's like the Zune all over again. At least Apple only has one model and they're making huge profit margins from it! Oh, and #$%@ Ballmer! "

Future KnightWRX responses to *LTD*:

"Apple did not invent the watchface, nor the four-icon grid."

"Breitling's community design document was only for a circle with three subcircles. While Germany's courts have banned the Samsung watch, the Netherlands has not!"

Future kdarling comment:

"Good grief. No, that patent does NOT mean Apple has a lock on curved glass watch screens."
 
Will that also include a yacht model with multiple, preferably redundant, dials?

I stopped wearing watches when I got my first iPhone, but I see how they could be handy for some people. Whatever Apple comes up with should definitely be waterproof though.
 
Apple really needs to put effort into its nano and touch endeavors as these have languished as the iphone and computers moved along. Given Apple's past experience with fostering huge developer support, why hasn't the nano been opened? Certainly, such ABC (altitude, barometer, compass) features as seen on the "mega" wrist watches would be an interesting addition that could provide the basis for a host of applications. Make it somewhat weatherproof and jewelry follows function.
 
Wrist watch with FaceTime and Siri

I think the Dick Tracy Watch comment is more likely what the watch can do. Siri and more so - FaceTime - will probably need to rely on your cellphone signal and/or wifi - at least for now. I would think the watch would use something like airplay to communicate to the iphone/ipad/mac. Making calls, FaceTime, Siri, Music, Photo Stream, etc - and many apps all on your wrist - with iCloud - might be really fun.
 
alent1234 said:
in 2011 what exactly is the point of a wristwatch except for jewelry purposes?
Click to expand...
What indeed. These days we bourgeoisie mainly use wristwatches for little more than expensive status symbols, but some of the poorer classes apparently don't have much luck securing a $600 "smart" watch and don't have enough time left over from their two or three jobs to babysit a daily charging process. As a result some of them may use a much cheaper and lighter wristwatch that can keep on running for months or even years at a time. Quite an ingenious device really.
 
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!!!
 
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Maybe this is why Steve was always pushing for thinner devices? Bring on the wearable tech!
 
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