external effects
Connected Republic: Smartphone Trends and More
WORDS BY JAMIE SORCHER Google Glass Sees
à Smartphones Grow Up What’s Going On: Have smartphones
plateaued? No doubt the marketplace is maturing, as evidenced in the last 18 months by a slowdown in actual innovations on both the hardware and software sides of the business. Accord- ing to research firm IDC, the pace of smartphone advancements has slowed down, with some of the latest develop- ments appearing to be just incremental improvements—and possibly ones with- out any lasting value. How It Can Affect You: Smartphone
makers—and therefore retailers—count on consumers to replace their phones every few years or even sooner, but that means
Bright Future What’s Going On: Google has partnered with Luxottica Group, the world’s largest eyeglass company—which makes glasses for brands including Ray-Ban, Oakley and Persol—to design, manufacture and dis- tribute frames for the Internet-connected Google Glass eyewear. It marks Google’s largest effort to make its product more appealing to the mainstream as it steps up its selling strategies this year.
stepping up the advances. As the industry slows down, the category is projected to go in another direction: smartphone as a gateway—using Bluetooth—to emerging technologies. Think smart watches, activity trackers, cars, and even home appliances. According to IDC, vendors will want to position the smartphone as the “center of innovation to other devices and not neces- sarily [maintaining] the smartphone as the end itself.” In turn, smartphones become a remote control that turns on a TV, operates the heating or cooling in a home, or man- ages a security system. It is all part of what is being called The Internet of Things— forecast to be a $20 billion market by 2018.
Distracted Pedestrians
What’s Going On: Distraction is an issue for smartphone users whether they’re driving or walking. Anyone who has watched people cross the street erratically with their eyes on their phones can see how treacherous this can be. Leave it to Apple to come up with a solution—one that is already being patented—called “transparent texting.” Here’s how it works:
The solid white text messaging background is replaced with a live video feed from the phone’s camera, which turns the phone’s screen into a clear window. How It Can Affect You: While Apple has the force of its name behind it, this tech-
nology isn’t new. Type n Walk has been around for several months, available in the App Store and for Android. Not exactly groundbreaking, but it does demonstrate that distraction is an issue for smartphone users whether they are driving or walking. More related apps are likely on the way.
28 Mobile Electronics Month 2014
How It Can Affect You: Google Glass, while intriguing, has yet to make prac- tical sense for most consumers. The product—which is expensive at $1,500 and will now go higher with designer frames, not to mention additional costs for those who need prescription lenses— seems to be somewhat divisive. Certain establishments have banned patrons from wearing Google Glass in their restaurants or stores. Legally, there are questions that need to be answered about whether these eyeglasses should be allowed while driv- ing or whether they should be permitted in movie theaters. But for now, expect to see more interest as Ray-Ban and Oakley frames for Google Glass make their way into the marketplace. æ
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