Smartwatch Powerhouses Meet Their Match with Startups as Wearable Tech Hits Mainstream -- Michael Dowd

This article is part of a series inspired by GroupM Whatamp8217s Next 2013 an annual event for marketing and media executives taking a forward look at media and advertising and what brands should be preparing for in order to succeed Wearable technology is presented as a single trend but it is in fact the convergence of two trends amp8211 fitness tracking and smartphone connectivity The next wave of wrist technologies is trying to bridge this divide with broadspectrum multipurpose devices The problem is that these devices are marketed for two very different consumers amp8211 outdoor enthusiasts and technology geeks The Galaxy Gear is far too bulky to wear during rugged exercise and fitness trackers lack the depth in functionality expected of smartwatches While I prefer the simplicity of fitness trackers I have learned not to underestimate consumer appetite for additional screens Even though fitness tracking is the more established trend of the two the smartwatch will eventually consume it and become the hub of wearable technologyUnfortunately the allpurpose smartwatch is proving to be a more difficult proposition than expected as evidenced by the tepid receptions to early products from Samsung and Sony Samsung attempted to put nearly all of the functionality of a smartphone into a wristbased device and the result was a clunky device with poorly executed functionality the most glaring example being the camera embedded into the band adding additional size and weight for the sake of a 19 megapixel camera When the Galaxy Gear is by definition tethered to a smartphone with a 13 megapixel camera the costbenefit analysis becomes cloudy at best The next round of smartwatch innovations wonamp8217t add features so much as edit the existing ones This means taking the essential components of both fitness bands and smartphones and optimizing those features for the minimal real estate available on onesamp8217 wristFortunately for consumers fitness sensors are becoming smaller and consuming far less power allowing manufacturers to pack more into less There is immense potential in the application of ANT and similar open protocols as the future for these multipurpose wearable devices ANT is an ultralow energy standard built specifically for health and fitness sensors to allow for the efficient and standardized communication of data across devices Each type of ANTbased sensor amp8211 accelerometers oximeters thermometers calorimeters amp8211 has a fixed data profile that is recognizable by any device equipped to accept ANT signals It is designed to maximize interoperability and minimize the redundancy of development across applicationsThe benefit of these protocols to the consumer is that they remove the need for a smartwatch to do everything and instead allow it to understand anything The watch will truly become a hub accepting information from ANT sensors throughout the usersamp8217 wardrobe amp8211 pedometers in their shoes heart rates from their chest bands amp8211 regardless of the brand or modelThe most promising device Iamp8217ve seen to date is the WearIT which will be officially released at CES 2014 Though still larger than many consumers may prefer it has a distinct fitness aesthetic while also performing the essential functions of the smartwatch amp8211 music social media and time It is embedded with an accelerometer magnetometer and pedometer and has a development ecosystem allowing it to incorporate sensor data from across the ANT product line In doing so WearIT successfully edited down both the hardware and software of its device while preserving the elements which are most important to both demographicsWearIT and other startups face an uncertain future in the face of behemoths such as Samsung and Sony But they are performing a great service to consumers by helping to show those companies how fitness tracking and smart functionality can coexist in a single device Until the major players resist the need to embed cameras into my wrist and loosen their restrictions on crossdevice compatibility I plan on sticking to the startup fringes of this revolutionMichael Dowd is Chief Technologist for GroupM Next the media innovation specialist division of GroupM that provides thought leadership industry perspective operational support and scalable business solutions to GroupM agencies MaxusMECMediacom and Mindshare Michael monitors the trends which are driving where and how consumers interact with technology and develops perspective on how those changes will impact GroupM brands As part of this process Michael manages firstparty and thirdparty technology expansion to ensure that GroupM advertisers are equipped to take advantage of new opportunities afforded by these trendsCheck us out on Facebook at MediaBizBloggerscomFollow our Twitter updates at MediaBizBloggerThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaBizBloggerscom management or associated bloggers MediaBizBloggers is an open thought leadership platform and readers may share their comments and opinions in response to all commentariesamp160

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Smartwatch Powerhouses Meet Their Match with Startups as Wearable Tech Hits Mainstream -- Michael Dowd

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