Wearable technology unveiled and turning heads
You already heard about the Galaxy Smartwatch and all the cool features that come with it. We’ve moved into the world of wearable technology, and although it isn’t perfect, it’s still a huge leap from where we were before. The question now is where we will go from here. And maybe the answer to that question was just answered at CES, the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
All about the smartwatch
Here’s what you need to know about the Galaxy Smartwatch. You have to own the Samsung Galaxy Note to be able to get it. The watch will not pair with any other phone. Pricing-wise, it’s not cheap. Between the phone and the watch, you will run yourself up a bill hitting into the thousands. If you can get past the high price tag, though, you’ll end up with a pretty neat piece of wearable technology. The Galaxy Smartwatch works to let you see text messages or answer phone calls. You don’t even have to pull out your phone. Instead, you can just talk into your watch. Though it doesn’t have all the perks people would like in wearable technology, it is a huge advancement over things released previously.
A smartwatch controls your car
The newest ability of the Galaxy Smartwatch is the ability to control the BMW i3. It is no surprise the technology conference would announce a smart car with the ability to communicate with a smart watch. Announced at CES 2014, the i3 concept car is about to communicate with the smartwatch to get directions from you. All you have to do is pull up your smartphone contacts list and send the address to your car to get exactly where you need to go. This can be much more convenient since you can send directions while still inside the house or have it closer to you instead of trying to reach across the dash to get directions.
Why do you care?
Some people aren’t too impressed with the technology thinking it is just as easy to type it into your GPS as it is to type it into your watch, but the watch is mostly used for addresses already in your address list. The best part of it, though, is that you can get turn by turn directions that alter based on traffic and constructions blocks. That means you can be on your way to a friends house and skip an accident on the freeway to take an alternative route because of this great technology. Though not necessary in smaller cities where roadblocks don’t impede traffic to terribly, the ability to update based on road conditions is invaluable in big cities where you need to be updated for the best commute.
Induct’s Navia autonomous shuttle drives itself around a track at CES 2014. (GoodGear Guide)
Can you get it now?
The only downside to the new vehicle from BMW was that it was just a concept. It isn’t quite ready to sell, so you won’t be able to send directions through your phone just yet. At the very least, you can still get your smartwatch though. And the Galaxy Smartwatch is mobile technology definitely worth trying.
Source: LA Times
