Wearable Tech
MEC, 2014
From Connected Devices to Connected Living
MEC's Perspective
As the notion of wearable technology becomes increasingly commonplace, people are turning towards the notion of connected living, moving beyond their smartphones towards a variety of lifestyle devices and technologies that leverage the power of digital connectivity to help people live the best life possible. As both digital and physical infrastructures are built upon the Internet, we’re seeing increased fragmentation of mobility and increased connected living.
While more and more consumers flock to strap on the latest in fitness technologies or drool over the futuristic capabilities of wearable tech, it is clear that, while there is no distinct winner (yet) among feature-rich, functional devices, wearable technologies will continue to take on an increasingly important role in consumers’ lives.
While the wearable revolution offers virtually limitless applications across a number of verticals, we have only begun to scratch the surface. As we embark on 2014, vast opportunities exist for marketers to enhance their mobile and location marketing strategies based both on what people do, as well as how they feel.
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WIRED January Issue
by Bill Wasik, Senior Editor
Google Glass was just the beginning. A new generation of wearable tech is coming – and it will transform the way you experience the world.
Top 3 Takeaways from the Article:
A new device revolution is at hand: just as mobile phones and tablets displaced the oncedominant PC, so wearable devices are posed to push smartphones aside.
In purely technological terms, the wearable revolution could take shape faster than the mobile revolution that preceded it. Sensors and chip sets are cheaper now than ever, making it easier for small companies to incorporate sophisticated hardware into wearable devices. And while smartphone manufacturers had to master the tricky art of providing dependable mobile Internet service, wearable manufacturers can piggyback on those innovations using simple Bluetooth or other protocols to communicate with a smartphone and thus with the outside world.
For this transition to take place, wearable devices – technology that people will want to display on their bodies, for all to see – represent a new threshold in aesthetics. The tech companies that mastered design will now need to conquer the entirely different realm of fashion because this new world of wearables will never arrive if nobody consents to wear them.
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