Computers are now becoming smaller and smarter. From the size of a traditional PC, computers have become smaller but still retain their ability to perform. Computers are not just a device anymore, they are starting to enter the fashion industry by giving a computers that are wearable.
We have seen "computers" planted into fashion wardrobes like having a watch what could show the current time, date, stopwatch, have a calculator, world time, etc.. But what if there could be more? Technology and computers are seeing far beyond from what are already seen.
The notion of being fashionably smart is getting a makeover as internet-linked computers get woven into formerly "brainless" attire such as glasses, bracelets and shoes.
What will be the era after smartphones and tablets? The answer is wearable computers, devices that really change how users see them and how users interact with them. This can be seen from devices that monitor the physical condition of the body by seeing how we exercise, how we sleep and how many steps we walk each day.
A wearable computing trend is at the heart of the "quantified self" movement in which people track anything from how many calories they burn to how well they sleep or their moods at any given moment.
"We are heading for the wearable computing era," Gartner analyst Van Baker said. "People are going to be walking around with personal area networks on their bodies and have multiple devices that talk to each other and the web."
Not always that wearable computers are devices that do things that smartphones can't. Google Glass, for example, has change how people see a device. And that device is seen to be independent.
"In the future, computers will not only be a part of our lives, but will become more intimate to its users," said Scott Herbst from Herbst Produkt firm. "We will no longer need to reach our pockets or hold a cellphone because the interaction between humans and machines is becoming more organic."
"Wearable computing has to be unobtrusive, fit as a natural extension of your body, and not get in the way," said engineering professor Asim Smailagic.
The era will come since the price for computer chips, and sensors like gyroscope and accelerometer decreases. And the process will go step by step until computers can really become an essential part of a human life. The devices use sensors to detect micro movements and then feed information to smartphones or tablets, where applications tap into processing power to analyse data and provide feedback to users.
These devices complement smartphones with their built-in sensors and operating system features.
Many companies are now investing on wearable computers with features that they describe as "sky is the limit". It won't be long until consumers will engage with devices that are planted in their clothes, belts, shoes, glasses, necklaces to bracelets.
Revealing the Challenges
In its development, wearable computers does have many challenges. For example, in the performance part where engineers are trying to put a sophisticated chip with big computing power into a relatively small device. The next challenge comes from the design sector. Because wearable computers will be worn by its users more than often, the challenges are for the designers to create something that is good looking and fashionable, thus making it a part of fashion it self.
Other problems come from its ability to store power - batteries. The technology behind batteries does not advance as fast as computers.
There will be more challenges when these wearable computers come to the market. But the power of improvement by seeing the "sky as the limit", and by seeing that more and more people uses mobile devices, may lead a bright future for wearable computers.
When it comes to operating systems, both Google and Apple have already made their debut and can be said to perform neck-to-neck in mobile computing. With Google and its Google Glass, analysts have said that the market for wearable computers will not increase significantly until Apple also enters the market.