Friday, September 6, 2013

Crazy concepts vs. sober reality







For some people it's all so very is the smartwatch of technorati dreams?” border=”0″ height=”360″ id=”articleGalleryPhoto001″ style=”margin:0 auto;” width=”640″/>For some people it’s all so very “James Bond.” For others it’s a bit dated — more like Marty McFly from “Back to the Future.” Ever since the grand unveiling of the Samsung Galaxy Gear in Berlin this week, the internet has been awash with mixed reviews. Has it fallen short of the hype? If so, what is the smartwatch of technorati dreams?






Brazilian designer Dinard de Mata proposes the 'Creative Player' - a smartwatch and MP3 player concept that charges with your own pulse. OK so it's not <i>quite</i> in the shops yet but it’s a cool idea, alright? ” border=”0″ height=”360″ id=”articleGalleryPhoto007″ style=”margin:0 auto;display:none” width=”640″/><cite style=Brazilian designer Dinard de Mata proposes the ‘Creative Player’ – a smartwatch and MP3 player concept that charges with your own pulse. OK so it’s not quite in the shops yet but it’s a cool idea, alright?









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Not as smart as we thought?


The specs


Tick Toq


Sony SmartWatch 2


The crowd pleaser


Google Time?


Creative Player


iWatch?


Spider man


The invisi-Watch


iPhone bracelet


Keeping it simple


Doctor Smartwatch


Sun and clouds






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STORY HIGHLIGHTS



  • Samsung launch new ‘smart watch’ with built in camera and pedometer

  • Many commentators critical of the new design

  • Designers have their own visions of the perfect smart watch








Blueprint is a new series exploring the intersection between high-concept design and practical technology.


(CNN) — After months of hype and speculation, the Samsung Galaxy Gear smart watch arrived this week with a bang… followed by a whimper.


Some commentators were impressed with the device’s technical specifications including its 320 x 320-pixel, 1.63-inch AMOLED touchscreen, an 800MHz processor, a 315mAh battery, and the camera mounted in the wrist strap capable of capturing 1.9-megapixel stills and 10-second video clips. But many were disappointed by the countless features the smart watch did not include.


Prior to the Galaxy Gear’s launch, the internet was awash with fervent speculation as to what the watch would do. Many hoped that it would come replete with remarkable features such as acting as a projector, or allowing you to check your pulse and body temperature.


Some commentators envisaged a watch made of radical new lightweight or transparent materials that could interface with the world around you to offer a genuine new experience not currently offered by smartphones or tablets.





How does Samsung’s smartwatch work?






Smartwatch a smart idea?



Read more: 20 wearable technologies from the future


At the device’s glamorous launch, JK Shin, president of Samsung’s IT and Mobile Division, said that the “Samsung Galaxy Gear benefits consumers by integrating smart device technology even deeper into their everyday lives, and bridges the gap between the mobile device and fashion worlds to create truly wearable technology.” But does it really deliver on its promise?


CNN spoke to a number of amateur designers who had mocked up smart watch ideas of their own about their impressions of the Galaxy Gear. Most seemed united in their disappointment.


“I’m waiting for a smart watch that does something extra than just bring my phone to my wrist,” says design engineer Esben Oxholm, who mocked up his own smart watch concept in February. “I can’t tell you what it is, because I don’t know. I just know that I’m not paying 300 to 400 bucks for a wrist attaching remote control that needs to be recharged every day.”


Christoph Behling, lead designer at Tag Heuer watches, shared Oxholm’s criticisms, saying that in his view the Galaxy Gear will not serve as a replacement for regular watches, because it is lacking in two fundamental aspects: both in its form and its function.


Read: Making music from body movement





I can’t see how it will benefit my life

Christoph Behling, Tag Heuer lead designer





“At the moment, it is a decent enough electronics product, but it is not a decent enough watch,” Behling says. “I can’t see how it will benefit my life. Do I really want to leave my lovely Swiss watch at home in order to have a piece of mass produced consumer product with, in my view, limited functionality?”


Behling says that Samsung’s decision to tie the Galaxy Gear to a mobile phone means it cannot act as a proper cell phone substitute. Equally, he thinks that its rather industrial looking design, with exposed screws and a metallic finish will win few fans: “They didn’t really engage with the idea that the watch is an accessory. It needs to be more targeted to a specific lifestyle where it delivers a particular function.”


Not all reviews have been negative. TechCrunch reporter Matt Burns praised the Galaxy Gear’s ‘attractive’ screen and design; The Verge’s Vlad Savov described it as “quite unlike anything you’ve seen before.”


Some have noted that the smart watches have in fact been about for years. Others say that the smart watch proper still hasn’t been invented. Through all the fevered commentary, technological enthusiasts continue to draw up their own visions of what a smart watch should be. Many now rest their hopes on Apple to deliver the device they are waiting for, with countless speculative designs being proffered by the vast community of “Macolytes.”


Read: The dos and don’ts of product design


So how far are we still from a watch that offers haptic feedback, wrist-based payments, gesture controls, and agnostic support for devices regardless of whether they are iOS, Android or Windows phone?


According to some commentators, we are still Galaxies away.





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Crazy concepts vs. sober reality


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