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

iWorkout

How soon until the iPod nano has the following features?

GPS enabled - plug into iTunes to see map of where you walked/ran as well as how long it took to do so, all the while keeping a journal for performance.

All this in addition to: monitoring heart rate, tracking calories, pace, distance and steps.

Similar to TIMEX Ironman, but with the addition of iPod for listening to music while working out.
 
alent1234 said:
in 2011 what exactly is the point of a wristwatch except for jewelry purposes?
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There is something so cool about a mechanical watch. Hundreds of tiny little parts and gears and ruby jewels whirring around in a little stainless case on you're wrist. Kinda reminds me of an air cooled Porsche 911. All this cool mechanical tech in a small package.
Needless to say, I'll always wear a watch...
 
If Siri can be patched through to an iPod wrist watch then I should be able to rename it to K.I.T.T. and change the voice to mirror that as well. And it should be able to remote control my car. :D
 
alent1234 said:
in 2011 what exactly is the point of a wristwatch except for jewelry purposes?
Click to expand...

It's true that a lot of young people especially have dropped watches for phones.

For me, a wristwatch still has the advantages of:

  • Always being there, unlike my smartphone that I sometimes forget.
  • Quicker to glance at than pulling out a phone.
  • Being allowed places that phones are not.
  • Easier to look at without appearing that you're not paying attention to someone else :)

I'd love for Apple to make a nice smart watch. I just hope they don't require iTunes to activate it... and that it would work with anyone's phone. Probably futile wishes, though.
 
globalhemp said:
How soon until the iPod nano has the following features?

GPS enabled - plug into iTunes to see map of where you walked/ran as well as how long it took to do so, all the while keeping a journal for performance.

All this in addition to: monitoring heart rate, tracking calories, pace, distance and steps.

Similar to TIMEX Ironman, but with the addition of iPod for listening to music while working out.
Click to expand...

You mean the MOTOACTV ?

http://www.motorola.com/Consumers/U...and-Services/MOTOACTV/MOTOACTV/MOTOACTV-US-EN

No need to wait for Apple.
 
alent1234 said:
in 2011 what exactly is the point of a wristwatch except for jewelry purposes?
Click to expand...
Helpful when your cellphone isn't on you or conveniently accessible.

For example, I leave my phone in the car when I go surfing.

I assume you're not involved in aquatic sports or activities like snowboarding.

If you scuba dive, a watch is very important for your own safety. You need to keep track of how long you've been in the water, decompression stop intervals, etc.

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.

:D
 
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Hmmm......

Andronicus said:
Real men wear watches.
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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 ;)
 
I've wanted a Nano watch since I first saw them.

But I'm waiting for Bluetooth 4 & Siri to be built in, so it can communicate with my iPhone in my pocket.

Then, I'll have one.
 
pmz said:
I've wanted a Nano watch since I first saw them.

But I'm waiting for Bluetooth 4 & Siri to be built in, so it can communicate with my iPhone in my pocket.

Then, I'll have one.
Click to expand...

Same here: the lack of BT and WiFi prevent me until now to get a Nano. I still want to connect to my BT headset while listen to music.
But having the display on the wrist while keeping the device in the pocket would be cool.
 
timirving said:
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 ;)
Click to expand...

In addition, I was brought up in the South, and at one time it was considered extra gentlemanly to NOT wear a watch on a first date...

...because looking at one would be rude to the lady you were with.

In other words, you were not supposed to want to leave her, until she herself said it was time :)
 
If Apple patents this, Samsung will rip it off 1 day later. Then, Samsung will show a video of Knight Rider and claim it as "prior art" to defend themselves.
 
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...

Ok I don't want to be too harsh on Android or anything, but Android 1.6? Bleech. Android 2.1? Meh. Android 2.3? Still not ideal since it's a watch on a 400ish Mhz processor. I've seen HTC EVO 3Ds lag on 2.3 with dual core 1.5 Ghz processors. It's gonna be rough to use any Android version on a watch. You'll need a more trimmed down OS than Android can offer. I hope this Apple watch comes out soon.
 
The Touch Screen iPod Nano was a step forward for Apple, no one is denying that. I have friends that attempted to use it as a more-than-posh wrist watch, but it just didn't work out. If Apple wanted to create the world's first touch screen wrist watch, it needs to do so much more.

First of all, it needs to be durable. Extra strong glass and metal that isn't going to break under everyday bumps and scratches. Make it amazing - allow checking of emails, Twitter, Facebook...FROM YOUR WRIST! Lots of companies are threatening to beat Apple to produce a product like this. I personally don't think it will take much effort. Hey, iWatch sounds cool, right?
 
When I saw the title, I thought, "How stupid!" But seeing the design, I actually think it looks really cool. I wouldn't want something that looked like a computer. If anyone could make it look really awesome, it's Apple. Custom skins to suit the mood/occasion would be killer! Wi-fi or BT would be a must. Self-charging would really be cool too. I'd buy one for sure!
 
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.




Michael
 
Frosticus said:
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.
Click to expand...
Doesn't work for everyone. The last time I ripped a watch off my wrist by accidentally catching it on something, I knew it was time to give up. Occasionally I wear one for the look.
 
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