Have you ever watched a sci-fi or spy movie and wished you could own some of the technology from the film? Samsung’s latest device could fix that craving. On Sept. 4, Samsung introduced the Samsung Galaxy Gear, a watch with the same capabilities as a smartphone. You can swipe the face of the watch to access a variety of apps, including one that helps you locate your Samsung smartphone. The app would also work vice versa. You can make phone calls, take photos and of course, use it to check the time. The Gear also has a built-in pedometer so you can keep track of how many steps you have walked.
This is pretty freaking cool. I would feel so high-tech if I was walking around with the Gear strapped to my wrist. I can see myself walking through Plant Hall, talking into my Gear like a secret agent on a mission while I watch all the peasants with their smartphones that are not attached to their wrists. Wristwatches can be a stylish accessory, but I rarely ever wear them. Why wear a watch when I have my phone, which can do a lot more than just tell time? Now I can call my friends without having to take my phone out of my pocket.
According to huffingtonpost.com, “Next to the smartwatch, checking a smartphone seems downright cumbersome. It has to be fished out of pockets and purses, woken up from its slumber, unlocked and navigated.” I could question whether people have become so lazy that the act of pulling a phone out of a pocket is too much work, but I won’t. I think the point is accessibility. “I can see the benefits because you don’t have to pull it out of your pocket,” said Christopher Novak, a Communications professor at the University of Tampa. “It’s something out of Star Trek.” Ever since people started carrying devices that told time, they have looked for better ways to access information. People gave up pocket watches in favor of wristwatches. Then time went back into our pockets with cell phones and smartphones. Now, Samsung is trying to put time back on our wrists.
Am I going to ditch my old phone and buy the Gear? Not exactly. From the videos I have watched online, they suggest the Gear is more of an accessory for your existing Samsung phone. Most apps consist of playing music from your phone, setting off an alarm to find your phone and so on. Another setback is the size. On one hand, the Gear’s 1.63-inch display makes it convenient to carry around. On the other hand, that does not leave any room for a keyboard for texting or typing something into a search engine. None of the videos I saw involved keyboards or texting. Voice-to-text programs could work, but the technology for it is far from perfect. Smartwatches will need an effective voice-to-text program and access to social media if they are going to stand out on their own and send smartphones down the path of CDs and pagers. According to huffingtonpost.com, the Samsung Galaxy Gear goes on sale this month for $299, but I am not paying that much for a strap-on phone, at least until it not only matches but surpasses current smartphone technology.
To be fair, this is only the first version of a smartwatch. The fact that Samsung could fit a camera into a wristwatch is impressive. If smartwatches take off, it is only a matter of time before new add-ons and features pop up. A few years from now, you could be talking to your friends through holographic projections on your smartwatch. Maybe you will be able to unlock your smartwatch with a quick retina scan. Also, I cannot be the only one who thinks the camera lens should shoot lasers. Everything is better with lasers.
Another concern with a smartwatch is our continued obsession with looking at a screen. Nathan Jurgenson, a social media theorist and doctoral candidate at the University of Maryland, told the huffingtonpost.com, “The ability to put away a smartphone is a feature, not a flaw.”
While smartphones stay in our pockets and bags when we are not using them, a smartwatch is attached to our wrist like an IV drip. It will only increase the amount of time people stop looking at the world around them and focus on a screen. “It (the Gear) can be a hindrance because people will be looking at it and walk into a pole,” said Novak. “I dare you to text on your wrist in the car. It’s (the Gear) is a great idea, but it poses the same problems as a smartphone.” As much as I like to mess around with my phone, I do not need to spend more time in front of a screen.
Smartwatches seem like a cool concept, but it will be awhile before they start looking less like a novelty and more like a necessity. Despite our screen addiction and my unwillingness to purchase the Gear, it does make me excited for future technological advances. How much longer do I have to wait for a hoverboard? Scientists of the world, do not keep me waiting.
Jake Koniszewski can be reached at john.koniszewski@spartans.ut.edu
