ON WRIST WORN COMPUTERS

READY AT HAND

I've long wondered if mainstream users would ever be comfortable wearing a computer on their wrists. 

With computers morphing into new form factors like the UMPC, and becoming more essential than ever in conducting one's daily life, it's not far-fetched to assume that a user would want one "at hand", as it were, at any time.

Well, a company called Parvus is rolling out a Windows CE-driven wrist computer, designed primarily for military/government/law enforcement applications.  Called the ZyPad WL 1000, the device has a few features besides those found in a regular computer.  NaviGadget explains:

"The ZYPAD™ WL 1000 is a wrist-wearable wireless computer flexibly designed to give the user instant access to computing capabilities while carrying out non-computer tasks in the field. Featuring hands-free operation, robust wireless capabilities, and built-in GPS tracking, this versatile wearable computer serves as an ideal tool for Emergency Search and Rescue, Healthcare, Homeland Security, Maintenance, Law Enforcement, Logistics, Transportation, and Defense applications..."

Integrating a tilt and dead reckoning system, the WL 1000 can be used to determine if a user is motionless or fallen down and then transmit a locator beacon after a specified amount of time. This technology is also used to conserve power consumption by placing the unit in standby mode when the user’s arm hangs down beside the body (patent-pending)."

Full details on the device can be found at Parvus's site.

The question is, if a device like this were configured for mainstream web applications like Google, Yahoo! MySpace, YouTube, Instant Messaging (any flavor), email (any brand), iTunes, etc., do you think ordinary users would wear something this geeky looking on their wrist?

I mean mainstream users already walk around with bluetooth headsets in their ears, seemingly having conversations with themselves

The wrist computer could even come in fashion-coordinated colors.

Any thoughts?

Comments

[candice]

The wrist thing is way more dorky than a bluetooth headset. Painfully so. It seems like a step backwards from the cellphone-as-computer.

(Are you drooling over the tiny flat motorola smartphone yet?)

[Ted Rheingold]

I would wear a palm-sized device on my wrist in a second! I suppose it would require a one-handed interface, which for the most part still cannot best a thumbboard, but I like it!