The starship Enterprise, Spock with his tricorder, Captain Kirk with his communicator—Apple and Android users slip on their wearable smart devices. Say what? On the communications side of things at least, the future is almost here, especially if you grew up as a Baby Boomer, enamored by the Star Trek version of it. According to a New York Times report, Apple and Google are secretly working on “wearable” computers.
Nick Bolton’s report on smart devices delves into the logistics and techniques, or the so-called “points of pain” when it comes to smart device use—basically users’ habits or their need for gripping their sleek little iPhones and Motorola Droids. Well, Google’s top secret “X” lab, or Apple’s far out derivative, may indeed bring Star Trek communications (and hands free PC action) into being, and then some.
WIMM Labs, a company on a mission to boldly go where even Google has not gone before, is already into what the company terms “intimate devices and applications” – the next phase of “smartness,” in case you are an investor (huge hint). WIMM One, for instance, is a lot more than just a wearable watch driver, as some tech writers express. Its tiny screen, powered by cool micro technology, may be only the first in a series of new “intimate” and “immediate” devices that are yet come. Watch the video below from WIMM Labs’ YouTube channel.
Now, factor in such developments as Sony’s HMZ-T1 Virtual Reality Headset. If your imagination is firing correctly, it’s not hard at all to envision what’s going on behind-the-scenes at the Google and Apple equivalents of “Q Branch,” or innovative R&D in showcased in James Bond films. Maybe next Christmas you'll be wearing a wardrobe of virtual coolness of extraordinary potential.
WIMM smart-watch technology forecasts for us a wearable technology future well ahead of what we usually see suggested. Those bygone days of Star Trek tech wonder showcased by William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy will soon be bested by heads-up displays that you arranged to have been shipped by Amazon. WIMM advertises their technology as “so intuitive, it’s like an extension of the mind and body.” This is where tech is headed.
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=VRYCkzc4WDw[/video]
As for WIMM, Google X, and the so far unnamed Apple Labs and the edgiest of edgy mobile technologies, one might reasonably expect Google or Apple to announce yet another acquisition if not an X Lab innovation all their own. For would-be developers, WIMM One offers a unique opportunity for those intent on creating the next-gen micro rage too (Google this or visit the links above). Meanwhile, stay tuned for news straight from the horse’s mouth.
Phil Butler is editor-in-chief of Everything PR and senior partner at Pamil Visions PR. He’s a widely cited authority on beta startups, search engines and public relations issues, and he has covered tech news since 2004. You can follow Phil on Twitter: @Philbo.
