COMMENTARY | As if there was not enough technology running around the streets of America: According to Digital Crave, the smartwatch is one of the latest pieces of tech companies are trying to get into the hands (or onto the wrists) of consumers. The problem is many of the smartwatches available are really just extensions of the smartphones folks are already carrying, which is a relief because who needs to pay for another 4G connection?
Sure, images of video chatting by simply looking at a watch are intriguing ideas, but trying to get folks to pony up for a device that simply does what another already does is kind of a long shot. However, a lot of smartphone users could agree with a Geek.com report about how handy it would be to have a snapshot of their phone on their wrist, which would eliminate the need to grab the phone every time a beep or an alert sounds.
Of course, one of the chief signs that some technology might be better off avoided is that it has failed before. GeekWire.com reported earlier this year that Microsoft pulled the plug on its smartwatch test product in 2008. So where one has failed a few other companies are putting a twist on the tech to appeal to a different market.
Still, like the Digital Crave article mentions, there are a few wristbands that turn the iPod Nano into a fairly impressive smartwatch. Whereas phones and tablets are pieces of technology, watches are part of the fashion sense of a person. The two areas are difficult to put together without extreme customization abilities (which the Nano does offer).
It is hard to see smartwatches getting a firm hold in the typical consumer electronic library, because phones and tablets have left little wiggle room for another device. As a niche product, the smartwatch could succeed; however, becoming a mainstream gadget that appears on the wrist of students and business people everywhere seems like an impossible task.
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