Wristwatches are not what they used to be. As if drastically changing
our lives and habits with smartphones was not enough, the industry wants us to
use their must-have companion, the smartwatch. Are the days of the traditional
mechanical or quartz wristwatch numbered?
اضافة اعلان
Just like
smartphones, which developed into devices that are much more than mobile
telephones, smartwatches are turning into a new breed of tiny, wrist-worn
computers, and perhaps more importantly, personal health-monitoring and medical
devices.
The market is flooded with models of smartwatches
from different brands, with Apple, Samsung, and Fitbit in the lead. But even
time-honored watch makers like Seiko and Citizen, for example, launched their
own smart lines, though their features and functionality are not exactly the
same as those of Apple, Samsung, and Fitbit.
After all, the
initial concept makes perfect sense. Whereas a classic watch is meant to show
the time, linking it to our smartphone does not only fulfill this essential,
prime function, but also enables a large number of software applications
already installed on the phone set, making them easily accessible and ready to
be displayed on the tiny screen of the watch.
Compared to a smartphone, regardless of where you
usually keep it, a smartwatch provides three essential advantages: it is
constantly worn, it is instantly accessed and checked, and it can continuously
monitor one’s pulse, body temperature, and movements.
Typical smartwatches can count the number of steps
walked in a day, and give a report about the quality of sleep and the number of
hours one actually sleeps at night. For many of us this is precious information.
Seiko and Citizen smart models are not designed to
accomplish the same, but they do present a major advantage: they use solar
energy to power them, thus never needing to be recharged like Apple’s,
Samsung’s, and Fitbit’s, and are directly connected to the web, thus always
keeping the perfect time, regardless of summer or winter time.
Just like smartphones, which developed into devices that are much more than mobile telephones, smartwatches are turning into a new breed of tiny, wrist-worn computers, and perhaps more importantly, personal health-monitoring and medical devices.
Smartwatches are but some of the devices that belong
to the Internet of Things (IoT), the ever-growing world of smart devices, small
or big, that are connected to the web.
If we want to extrapolate and predict what other
devices may soon become smart, it is easy to include those that are already
digital, or that at least are electrically or mechanically powered, and
therefore are potential candidates to join the IoT.
TV sets, for example, have all turned smart by now.
Kitchen and household appliances like dishwashers will soon get their smart
label, too. Audio amplifiers are already Bluetooth equipped and will probably
join the growing IoT family as well.
On the humbler side of digital smartness, objects as
simple and basic as toothbrushes are now part of the game. As reported by
covingtondentalcenter.com, “smart toothbrushes have sensors in the head of the
toothbrush that send information on your brushing habits to an interactive app
on your smartphone, typically via Bluetooth”.
At the same time, electricteeth.com/uk was asked
whether a smart toothbrush is worth it and replied: “No, for the vast majority
of people a smart toothbrush is not worth buying. You do not need a ‘smart’
toothbrush to clean the teeth well. Even the smartest toothbrush still relies
on you, the person holding the brush, to manually correct any errors. As a
result, we don’t typically recommend them.”
As with any trend, digital ones more particularly,
there will be extravagances and gross exaggerations. Some innovations will be
short lived, while others will make more sense and will become habits.
Smartwatches certainly belong in the latter category.
From my personal observation so far this year, about
70 percent of the people I know and meet are wearing smartwatches, and 30
percent are sticking to traditional models. I confess that although I consider
I am a tech-head, I am still wearing a good old mechanical diving wristwatch. I
will probably have to make a move, for fear of looking old-fashioned.
The writer is a computer engineer and a classically
trained pianist and guitarist. He has been regularly writing IT articles,
reviewing music albums, and covering concerts for more than 30 years.
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