SmartWatch

           Google released plans for its first android smartwear, which focuses on a singularly task at once. The focus on a singular task is different in new digital media platforms since most new platforms make use of dual tasking. The design is also different from most watches that are on the market. The design utilizes android technology and relies heavily on Google operating systems that are already in place; the design also plays with square screens and new circular screens.  The Google watch breaks the mold within the smartwatch industry based on its design around singular concept use. Its design also breaks the norms within society surrounding social media.

            Google released the first look at its smartwatch on March 18th of 2014. The verge wrote an article describing the design of the watch along with its identifying components,

“In Google's vision, a smartwatch is focused on a single task at once, but is often displaying two different things. Critical information is placed on the bottom of the screen, while a contextual background usually appears above it.” (Kastrenakes)

The Google watch will have multitasking available but it will emphasize the singular task that may help with people trying to concentrate on the information being presented to them. The Internet has created a format where constant visuals are being thrown at the user. The constant throw of visuals has created the constant need for several screens being open at once. This has in turn made society always multi tasking which in turn has changed the ways people learn and how much information they retain when looking at computer screens.

          In comparison to the course the concept of constantly multi-tasking and looking at so much information has actually changed how the human brain operates. Nicholas Carr wrote an article that talks about the effects of dual screens has on the human brain,

“By changing our habits of mind, each new technology strengthens certain neural pathways and weakens others. The cellular alterations continue to shape the way we think even when we're not using the technology.” (Carr)

The effects digital media platforms are having a more internal effect then society notices. Being constantly connected is convenient and useful but it has changed the structure of our brains where information can no longer be retained to the extent it used to be.  Google smartwear is answering to the concern in utilizing the singular concept design. The design will make relevant information the only information bolded and obvious to the user of the device.  The device will make the watch a user-friendly device that will help the user take in the text or application that they are originally supposed to be looking at. With other smartwatches the screen can become crowded with all the other open applications and texts that are incoming on the synced smartphone. Google watch is designed to prevent the problem of chaos on screen but still incorporates different screens and windows. The new android technology creates a competitive advantage with its use of singular tasks for the user making the device less crowded on the screen then other smartwatches.

Works Cited:

Carr, N. (2010). “Does the Internet make you dumber?” Wall Street Journal June 5.

          Throughout the course we have seen the transition from digital media being calculating machines to digital media being communication machines. The invention of the Smartwatch brings watches along that cycle as well. When watches were first created their main function was to be calculating machines. The calculation was designed to display the correct time for the user of the watch. Smartwatch has brought watches to the level of communication devices. The watch utilizes the same format as a smartphone since it is synced up to the wearer’s mobile phone. When it becomes synced up it allows for the user to communicate with the watch when answering phone calls or even using the applications. 

            The move to a culture of simulation within the smartwatch has contributed to digital post-modern society. With all the new inventions coming out digital platforms are becoming more and more human like with the functions and qualities that they are able to replicate. The smartwatch is just another example of how society is using technology to put screens between us when we communicate to one another. Sherry Turkle brings attention to the new culture of simulation within her article Alone Together, “There is a parallel for the networked life. Always on and (now) always with us, we tend the Net, and the Net teaches us to need it.” (154) Within postmodern society life without the use of technology will be virtually impossible due to our reliance on it. Smartwatch makes technology even more accessible as it is a wearable technology. Although smartphones conduct the same functions as the smartwatch a smartphone can be left behind or forgotten. When a phone is synced to a watch the user is constantly wearing a technology that is connected to the net and individuals in society.

            The constant connection to others and the virtual is what makes the smartwatch technology so appealing to users who are using the product. It creates an easier medium to partake in apps and phone calls because it is constantly within reach and not a portable entity like a smartphone is.  The constant living behind a screen is being further celebrated using smartwatches with a new art gallery that uses the screen of smartwatch to showcase artwork. An article from The Verge discusses the gallery and its importance within the simulation society,

“Hanging from the walls of the gallery are 12 Galaxy Gear smartwatches, all of which have custom, screen-based artwork from different artists… “This exhibit focuses on the powers and limitations of screens, and how physical screens are slowly becoming obsolete.” (Palladino)

A society build around the use of technology screens is not far away and seems to be the want for the new post-modern society. Smartwatches are a form of digital platform that are continuing with the trend of simulation. Along with continuing simulation the smartwatch is introducing new software’s and designs that are making a society behind screens even more possible.

Works Cited:

Palladino, Valentina. "'Full Screen' Exhibit Celebrates Digital Display Art Using Galaxy Gear Smartwatches." The Verge. N.p., 1 Apr. 2014. Web. 4 Apr. 2014. <http://www.theverge.com/2014/4/1/5571040/full-screen-exhibit-digital-display-art-with-galaxy-gear-smartwatches>

         Collection of data has always been essential to companies when it came to marketing, designing and promoting their products. Watch companies were put at a disadvantage to other companies due to their lack of digital data they were able to gather from the watch itself. Within the 21st century, the creation of a smartphone has made data more accessible to the phone companies. Phone companies were able to gather information on applications the user users that lead to deeper data about the user itself and ways to actively market to the companies target market. The Smartwatch technology has brought watch companies up to a place where they are in a better position to collect information for digital humanities.  

            Before the Smartwatch, watch companies would have to rely on their own outside research to gain information on the social lives of their consumers. Collecting research on a social life of a consumer can benefit companies in how to market effectively along with the actual design of the device.  Manovich brings to attention the new research available from digital platforms in Debates in The Digital Humanities,

 “The emergence of social media in the middle of the 200s created opportunities to study social an cultural processes and dynamics in new ways. For the first time, we can follow imaginations, opinions, ideas, and feelings of hundreds of millions of people.” (461)

Digital platforms have brought out new private information about the consumer that companies are able to collect based on the platform of their devices. Watch companies are now able to be apart of the new form of data available. Since Smartwatches are synced through the use of a smart phone, messages, phone calls and contacts become part of data they have access to.  The Smartwatches also have social media applications on them where the user is able to post to different social platforms. From these posts most of the information details a consumer’s private life along with their interests.  The data collected from these mediums gives watch companies ideas on what the new Smartwatch is being used for and how to further develop later designs that incorporate more functions that users will actually use.

            Along with the new access to this data watch companies will also own the data that is found within the Smartwatch technology. By owning this technology watch companies are able to make additional profit from selling their data to research companies who wish to understand users of digital media platforms. Gathering and generating companies own data cuts down costs of research needed outside the use of their technology. Although debates in the media have occurred on whether such data should be public or private to society? Since the data is user generated content society believes that companies should be required to make data available to the public instead of making profits off of users of their platforms. Larger companies who have gathered data disagree with the want for data to be given to the public due to the sheer volume of data systems would crash instead of being beneficial,

“European Union, in collaboration with research organizations, libraries and museums, launched the European online digital library as its much-touted alternative to Google Books… its computing infrastructure crashed within hours, not clunking back into service until more than a month later.” (Data for the masses, 129)

Companies who own large sources of digital data to sometimes release data to the public but not an amount that’s close to the actual amount of data. The crashes of Europeana online may be an indication on why companies that own data can’t make it public.

            The creation of Smartwatch has brought watch companies directly into the debate surrounding digital data. The company is able to gather its own data relevant to its consumer’s personal lives that will evidently help when further developing the software.  The new source of data also allows watch companies to be at an economic advantage when choosing to sell its data to research companies who wish to learn about the new digital platform of Smartwatches.

   Works Cited:

Data for the masses: initiatives for digital research infrastructure should focus more on making standardized data openly available, and less on developing new portals." Nature 457.7226 (2009): 129. Academic OneFile. Web. 1 Apr. 2014.

Smartwatches have been around for some time now, however, the technology being used for the product is becoming increasingly complex and innovative. This poses the question: Is society ready for this technology? These past few years, and within the next few years, society has and will be continuously wowed with new technology, such as Google Glass. In San Francisco not too long ago a lady was literally attacked in a bar for wearing Google Glass- people are clearly having difficulty becoming accustomed to this newer surveillance society that new technology has brought upon us. This is directly related to the idea of information overload- how much information is too much information? Clearly, people in San Francisco are unimpressed with the amount of information of theirs that could be obtained when someone wearing Google Glass, for example, is around. As an extension of the previous discussion about a surveillance society, it does not necessarily seem to be that society is ready for what new technology is allowing us to do. Technology today is so new and innovative that we are now talking to our devices; everything is interactive, and the smartwatch is of no exception. What if there was a smartwatch that didn’t require you to talk to it? What if you were able to type a command into your smartphone, and save yourself the embarrassment of talking to an inanimate object, would society respond to this better? Up until recently, specifically within the last year, Smartwatches were a technology that seemed to be ‘nerdy’ and not ‘mainstream’. Now, however, more and more smartwatches are entering the market with more than just the implication that it is a nerdy product no one uses- though, yet again, this new technology means more and more interaction with the device. The Moto 360 is a smartwatch that will be released on the market this summer 2014. One of its main features is that users will be able to send direct commands to their smartwatch, through their smartphones, without vocalizing a command. The many reviews on the Internet thus far generally state that this is a command they are looking for in their smartwatch- it’ll save them the embarrassment of talking to their wrists, something that sounds crazy, but is not uncommon in today’s society with the new smartwatch technology arising.

This is all directly related to the idea of the digital divide: younger generations are quite fond of these no-hand, vocally-aware devices, however, older generations are still accustomed to their simple manual dialing phones and typical minute-and-hour-hand watches. This is why the question of whether or not society is ready for this new technology applies to the smartwatch. Society right now is going through a weird, yet exciting change with respect to technology, and smartwatches play a large roll in this truth. Watches were always strictly used to tell time, now there is a large list of commands that these devices are able to respond to, and it seems that with the digital divide comes criticism from older generations. Additionally, it is not a matter of whether or not these older generations become accustomed to new technology, it is a question of when they will give in and begin using these technologies- this is the main question because sooner rather than later smartwatches will be the norm for all watches, just like smartphones are dominating society and the cellular world.

So, one last time I pose the question, is society ready for the smartwatch? Because, as seen through the digital divide, the surveillance society and the concept of information overload, it seems to be that this should not be the main question, it should be WHEN will society become accustomed to the smartwatch because, the way things are going, it will be the dominant form of watch technology on the market for the years to come.

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Today, we live in a surveillance society. Bottom line, there really is no way to escape the fact that with the amount of technology we have today, we are always under watch. But what does the smartwatch have to do with this truth? Because of the nature of this recent surveillance technology, just like search engines are monitored and our search results are personally customized due to the surveillance of search history, the smartwatch and what users do on it are under surveillance as well. In an article on Computerworld, Lucas Mearian discusses the fact that geo-locational data is very easily obtained through the wireless signals that are sent out by wireless devices (Mearian). What he is saying, essentially, is that at any given moment, a user’s exact location can be acquired through the use of the geo-locational data. Additionally, this data can be taken from any wireless signal, therefore, through the smartwatch. It is safe to say that no matter what the device nowadays, we will forever be under surveillance.

What the user searches, sends, receives or even browses on their smartwatches- and this is now possible because of the innovative technology that smartwatches consist of- can be easily obtained and used for personalized marketing and advertising material for every single user.

Living in a surveillance society is something that is inevitable when using smart technology, and the smartwatch is of no exception to this rule. If anything, this product will probably be of greater service to those involved in the concept of the use of surveillance for marketing purposes. Further, as Mearian discusses, corporate data warehouse users are now pushing for real-time analytics with respect to new media (Mearian). What this is saying is wherever consumers are, no matter what the time or place, if a user is wearing a smartwatch, data-watchers will know and data warehouses will document, store and use this information. So, just by wearing a watch, you are under surveillance 24/7.

It is both fascinating and scary when coming to the realization that technology is allowing data-collecting warehouses to obtain consumers literal location at all times just by wearing a smartwatch. The capabilities that come along with these smartwatches are clearly much more intelligent than the apps and features that come along with it. Sutrop and Laas-Mikko have studied the idea of surveillance and the privacy, or lack there of, implications that come along with it. With respect to smartwatches and other surveillance-capable products pose two questions:

Will this help society; or

Is this a reason for concern? 

One the one hand, this could help aid in the process of stopping crime, and Sutrop et al. also go as far as to say that the surveillance society will assist in stopping terrorists. On the other hand, however, every single person is now under covert surveillance; essentially this means that privacy can be thrown out the window (Sutrop & Laas-Mikko, p. 23, 2012). Again, just through wearing a smartwatch, all of this is possible within a surveillance society. Such a small device that has such fantastic, innovative and exciting apps and features that come along with it is also a teeny little device that is capable of documenting the users every single move.

Bibliography:

Mearian, Lucas. "Big Data to Drive a Surveillance Society." Computerworld. N.p., 24 Mar. 2011. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.

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There is plenty of controversy revolving around the idea of new media and its implications on society. Negatively, it directly effects our laziness, it acts as a distraction, and is forming a controlled, surveillance society. Positively, it allows for new, innovative, groundbreaking technology that allows us to do so much more than we ever imagined. Does the smartwatch, its components and the features that come along with it directly effect the new media society? Will it contribute to changes in the way we communicate, or is it just another product to add to the long list of technology we use on a day-to-day basis?

It is difficult to distinguish what is considered to be a negative or positive in terms of new media- the sole reasoning behind this being purely based on the fact that society is extremely opinionated; the truth of the matter really being that as much as there is intense discussion revolving around the new media society and its effects on consumers, we will eventually edit our social performances in order to adapt to these changes (Papacharissi, p. 603, 2013). There are so many opinions revolving around new media and technology that is seems all implications can almost be thrown out the window- both the positive and negative perspectives can be argued with a ton of backup information. The smartwatch is a type of technology that provides a middle-ground between these positives and negatives. For example, one negative view that is prominent throughout society is the idea of new media being extremely distracting. Using a smartwatch will allow for the user to know they have a notification, followed by using their own discretion on whether or not to check their phones to further view this notification. Essentially, it makes the use of smartphones less distracting. However, it can be argued that the smartwatch just allows for a much more lazy attitude then ever seen before. Another example of how smartwatches are the middle-ground between the positive and negative arguments surrounding laziness is the fact that the smartwatch may provide instant communication. But, has this type of technology not already been readily demonstrated to us? The idea of instant communication is not a new concept to society today.

The discussion of whether or not the new media society has positive or negative implications on consumers is one that will never simmer down. As the smartwatch is an extension of many different products on the market, it is beginning to establish its own market with its own unique features that will allow it to stand on it’s own, without needing the compatibility with other products. Essentially, the smartwatch will eventually be another competitive product within the new media society that will contribute its own features that no other technological product can withstand- just like every other new, innovative product that is released into the new media society every year. With these new technological releases comes new critiques, both positive and negative, of these products and their effects as a product of the new media society.

  Bibliography

The market for smartwatches is still developing itself within the technological world. Because the smartwatch public market is still establishing itself, it is difficult to interpret whether or not the features and uses of these watches are being accepted by society. The Verge is an online review of new technology that gives full insight on the hardware, software and overall performance of new products on the market. The reviews posted about smartwatches suggest that although it is a growing market, society has yet to really grasp the overall concept of the smartwatch and its uses. The very first smartwatch was created in 1972 by Pulsar, and consisted of basic user-programmable memory; essentially, it was what we now refer to as a digital watch. The early uses for smartwatches focused mainly on calculations which later extended to the use of memory and Bluetooth functions. At the beginning of last year, the market began to branch out and further establish itself in the mainstream, public market for ‘smart’ products. This is the first instance, with respect to smartwatches, where we really see society branching out even further into the ‘smart’ product market. Although the industry is continuing to grow, especially within the past year, the smartwatch market is still quite young and under the radar. All reviews about smartwatches posted on The Verge explain how the idea of the smartwatches, specifically the ones that have been released within the past year, are quite sophisticated and technologically advanced. However, because they have never been widely used prior to this year, this product has major glitches and awkward mistakes that can only be fixed by product testing and consumer feedback. It is quite apparent to see that the majority of the smartwatches already released; the Pebble Smartwatch, Samsung Galaxy Wear and Sony Smartwatch 2, just to name a few, relatively have the same functions and apps to go along with them, like the majority of ‘smart’ products on the market.

A study done by Tamyra Pierce, a professor at the University of Turkey in the Economics and Administrative Science Faculty, conducted a study amongst teenagers in high school and their usage of cellphones. Of those a taking part in the study, 96.7% had a cellphone. Of these 96.7%, 84.3% of them used their phones for social media use as well. (Pierce, p. 108, 2012). This information suggests that younger generations fully rely on the use of smartphones. Almost 100% of those who took part in this study use some form of smartphone. This poses the question; does society need a new ‘smart’ product? We are already lazy and completely dependent on technology, do we need yet another extension that does the same thing as every other ‘smart’ product? If the smartwatch’s use is essentially an extension of smartphones, why is it needed? The smartwatch does not allow consumers to actively type and send personalized messages, it has set functions and allows the user to receive notifications from their smartphones right on their wrists. This plays into societies obsessive attitude towards always needing their smartphones literally in the palm of their hands. This obsession has created such a large market that, as the smartwatch proves, accessories or extensions of these smartphones are now being created. The smartwatch is the perfect example of societies obsessive compulsive attitude towards these ‘smart’ products and their need to always have the ability to communicate and obtain information at the press of a button, or the turn of their wrist.  

Bibliography:

Pierce, T. (2009). Social anxiety and technology: Face-to-face communication versus technological communication among teens. Computers in Human Behavior, 25(6), 1367-1372. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2009.06.003.

            The invention of the smartwatch has allowed companies to bring the classic watch design into the new media culture. Since technology is increasingly integrating itself into society a new societal culture has emerged from the steady fusion of human beings and technology. The new society that has been created is a participatory culture as well as a society that is controlled.  smartwatches are representative of the new counter culture because of the increasingly new software changes that invite the user to participate with the technology.

  A company called Kickstater has just released their version of a smartwatch that is breaking the older models of the ones currently on the market. The new watch, which was released in December 2013, incorporates features that encourage the consumer to participate with it. The phone makes use of hand gestures and the actual consumers hand when interacting with the watch, “it is a watch attached to a smartphone from a wireless link that has the originality to answer some gesture commands.” (Jaikla) One of the many gestures the watch has is the use of your hand as an actual phone, completely replacing the need for a mobile phone. By having the watch respond to gesture commands the watch becomes a medium that makes consumers want to participate with the watch and give feedback to its design and functions.  

   On top of producing a watch that incorporates the counter culture, the new smartwatch software helps reinforce the surveillance culture, along with the control society.  Societies of surveillance were first presented through Foucault’s work and studies. Societies of surveillance were brought about through the continuous use of technology because of the ability to be watched and monitored.  Smartwatches are connected to the consumers phone. Since they are connected and synced it allows the individual to be monitored through their smartwatch now. The surveillance society has turned into a society of control because of the increase and rise of the computer age.  The society of control is a society where the lines between work and play are becoming even more blurred. The smartwatch technology helps to blur the lines even more. Since the watch is linked with the individuals phone they don’t even have to bring a phone around to be able to be reached. The phone also has applications like email that allow the individual to always be in touch and accessible to the outside world. The fact that the smartwatch technology feeds into the wearer always being accessible is a major value within the society of control, “The conception of a control mechanism, giving the position of any element within an open environment at any given instant.” (Deleuze, 7) The wearer can always be tracked or surveyed. The smartwatch is still in an introductory stage within its design and concepts. As technology begins to grow the watch will adapt even more to the control society and continue to compliment the values of the counter culture.

            The new smartwatch introduced by Kickstater is one of the new and upcoming technologies that will compliment the new change in society. It further cements the blurred lines of communication and work. As well as creates a participatory culture for smartwatches in its new design and features.

Bibliography:

 Deleuze, Gilles. Postscript on the Societies of Control 59 (1992): 3-7. MIT Press. Web. 4 Mar. 2014. <http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/778828?uid=3739448&uid=2&uid=3737720&uid=4&sid=21103590196617>

HOT Watch™: Turn your hand into a phone with innovative private calling. Touch screen, Gestures, Apps. Phone stays in a pocket or bag.

The Pebble Smartwatch, known as the Pebble Steel is just one of many different smartwatch’s on the market today. With new technology comes new social implications, and the Pebble Steel is of no exception to this truth. After reading many different reviews, it has become evident that, after its first release, the Pebble Steel is one that has been completely improved to satisfy all of the complaints that arose from the release of its first version. These changes are a related factor to the social implications that come along with a new product.

Objectivity and Efficiency:

There were three main problems with the first version of the Pebble Smartwatch:

It was ugly

There were not enough apps or compatible features with the smartphone; and

It is not predictively interactive

In order to address these problems that the public viewed as negative features, or the lack there of, the Pebble Smartwatch came out with a new, improved version just one year later known as the Pebble Steel. The whole watch’s appearance was changed; it is now a physically attractive watch that can easily hold its own in a watch display. As well, there are now multiple apps that are compatible with both the iOS and Android systems. These apps are easily downloadable, and are all compatible with the watch itself. The Pebble Steel is still not interactive on the spot (for example, it cannot pull up reviews of a restaurant just by the user simply walking into or near the restaurant), however, its functionality was majorly improved due to the new app feature. Just by having compatibility with Android and iOS systems, the Pebble Steel has completely changed the smartwatch game. By merely taking the reviews from society and altering their product, the Pebble Smartwatch satisfied multiple customers and stepped up the smartwatch game in the industry, setting the bar for all other companies producing smartwatches.

Universality:

Simply put, the Pebble Steel uses binary codes, like every other computer system, turning rationality into numbers in order to produce a product that functions according to societies on-the-go lifestyle. This is exactly what society demanded; they wanted a physically appealing, fast and easy system that is compatible with their smartphones- the Pebble Steel satisfies all of these needs.

Automation:

Again, the Pebble Steel is a smartwatch that is able to sync with both the Android and iOS app systems. Automatically, notifications from your phone, such as texts, emails, or any other notification that pops up on your lock screen, will pop-up on the Pebble Steel’s digital face. The user is then able to answer these notifications with a simple touch of the screen. 

With the Internet and strong opinions from society come social implications, positive, negative and everything-between reviews of new products. By using these opinions, the Pebble Smartwatch was able to improve their new product, the Pebble Steel, to satisfy the smartwatch market and completely set the bar for smartwatches to come. It is clearly one of the smartest business-plans in terms of the releaser of new products. Just one year later the Pebble Smartwatch was able to surpass the most successful technological companies; Apple, Samsung, Microsoft etc. by listening to its users opinions and creating the most socially-accepted smartwatch on the market.

Bibliography:

Patel, Nilay. "Pebble Steel Review: Business Class." The Verge. N.p., 28 Jan. 2014. Web. 24 Feb. 2014.