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Disruptions: Wearing Your Computer on Your Sleeve→

Disruptions: Wearing Your Computer on Your Sleeve

The big headline for many Apple weblogs this morning comes from Nick Bilton of the New York Times:

Over the last year, Apple and Google have secretly begun working on projects that will become wearable computers. Their main goal: to sell more smartphones. (In Google’s case, more smartphones sold means more advertising viewed.)

The idea that Apple and Google are working on secret projects like this isn’t interesting, but what is interesting is the idea that wearable devices are going to be sold as main drivers for future smartphones sales. The incentive to buy a future iPhone or Android smartphone would be that it ties into a wearable device you must have.

The rest of Bilton’s piece is a wishful vision that the future holds for us an augmented reality where wearable devices, powered by our smartphones, better describe and organize information in the world around us. Wearable devices will become both fashion accessories and gatherers of information.

Apple has already asked their customers to affirm wether wearing the iPod nano as a watch was a good idea. Maybe the next iPod we’ll see will be an actual watch since we’re already half way there. The iPod nano isn’t either terribly functional or fashionable as a watch in my opinion, but it desires to be a combination of both. Will it be a selling point for a future iPhone in the near future? Doubtful. People have to get comfortable with the idea first.

The tech industry is just starting to introduce wearable devices onto the market. Jawbone’s UP works with any iPhone (and eventually any mainstream Android smartphone), and the Fitbit doesn’t even require a phone tether, but it does have a companion app. These products are successful not because they’re flashy, but because they’re discreet. The UP for example not only blends in with casual attire, but it doesn’t look like a wearable computer at all. It looks like a fancy bracelet.

Smartphones are becoming more common in today’s modern world. We often focus on flagship phones, but smartphones are close to simply becoming the default. No longer smartphones, but just phones. The question we have to ask ourselves at this point is, “What’s the next compelling and logical step?” I’m not sure upselling you a wearable gadget is the answer. Just look at the MOTOACTV for today’s comparison.

But something that’s discreet and functionally works to improve your lifestyle? We’re already doing this and seeking to make it better. Augmented reality might be the next step, but smartphone software will make this a commonality long before we have separate wearable devices doing so. In the meantime people want to quantify their lifestyles. Apple and Google might be working to make wearable gadgets fashionable, but I believe it’ll be companies like Basis who’ll be pushing the envelope of wearable devices with the Quantified Self. Health and mindfulness about ourselves is where the future of wearable devices is currently headed.

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Best Apps Of 2011: Giveaway Details

Last Friday we started the voting period for our search for the best iPhone, iPad and Mac Apps and Games of 2011. As part of that we also announced that we were conducting the biggest giveaway we have ever run on MacStories. Today we are giving everyone more details on what apps we are giving away and when. But first, a quick reminder that you can enter the giveaway by doing one (or all three) of the following:

  1. Vote (when you vote we first ask for your email address, just enter a valid email address and you go into the running to win some free apps).
  2. Tweet about the poll (use the text quoted below).
  3. Let your friends or family know about the poll and have them enter your email or Twitter handle in the referral box that is on the voting page.

MacStories Best Apps of 2011: vote now and enter our huge iOS & Mac app giveaway! http://mcstr.net/rVDwy8

Every day this week (from today till Friday) we will be giving out a number of (single) licence codes to apps in addition to 3 bundle packs which include codes for three apps - details can be seen below the break. In total, this represents of 250 codes that will be given away!

Vote Early

We’ll be randomly drawing entries for the giveaways once a day - but we won’t be limiting the selection to just those who voted on that day. Every vote will have a chance of winning every day. This means that if you enter before the end of today (Monday) you will have five chances at some codes - but if you enter on Friday you will only have one chance at winning.

Remember that you can also increase your chances by tweeting about this poll and by telling your friends and family about the poll (and getting them to put your email address in the referral box).

 

Sorry, voting is now closed. Winners will be announced on Saturday, 24th.

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WSJ: Apple Talks With Media Executives, Apple TV Plans Moving Forward

A report today in The Wall Street Journal suggests that Apple is getting closer to launching a product that will represent the company’s vision for the future of TV. Sources have told the WSJ that Apple executives have met with media executives at several large media companies in recent weeks.

Eddy Cue, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Internet Software and Services, and the other Apple executives discussed their vision for the future of TV, outlining ways their technology could “recognise users across phones, tablets and TVs”. The WSJ also noted that in at least one meeting, Apple executives also described technology that could respond to a users voice or movements to search for a show or change channels. Apple did not go into specifics about what its plans were during the meetings, staying “vague” and not making any proposals to license shows for any new “Apple TV”.

Still, the talks—some of which were made at the request of media companies seeking an update on Apple’s plans—suggest that Apple’s TV strategy is advancing.

What Apple did discuss was about new ways that a user could stream content to multiple devices, allowing them to start watching a video on a TV and then move to another device, with that user’s pause point being synced with that other device such as a smartphone.

[Via The Wall Street Journal]

Siri Becomes Santa’s Little Helper in Latest TV Ad

Apple aired a cute Christmas themed TV ad just in time for the holidays. Santa Claus is the star of the commercial and he is using the iPhone 4S and its most popular feature, Siri, to manage his Christmas Eve deliveries. They found creative ways for Santa to demonstrate the many uses of Siri such as looking up directions, searching for emails (specifically one containing a “Naughty or Nice list”), and he even received a funny SMS message from Mrs. Claus which Siri read to him.

The video can be seen with the rest of Apple’s video ads on their website or just check out the video after the break.

Santa: How does the rest of my day look? Siri: You have 3.7 billion appointments

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Facebook for iOS Update Adds Access to Mobile Timeline

Facebook just rolled out version 4.1 in the iTunes App Store which includes several new features and access to the Mobile Timeline. The Mobile Timeline feature is currently only available on the iPhone and iPod touch and it is only for users that have Timeline enabled on their account. To enable Timeline, log in to Facebook, browse to this website and click on the green Get Timeline button. Other features new to version 4.1 are lists for friend, subscribers and subscriptions as well as an easier way to post, comment on, and upload photos. So head over to the App Store to get this update and let us know what you think of Timeline on your phone.

Enjoy some screenshots from Viticci’s Facebook:

QuickShot 1.7: Back in Action With Better Dropbox Integration

QuickShot 1.7 is not just a maintenance release, but a big update if we look at the changes made to the back end. QuickShot, which instantly saves photos to Dropbox, fixes many of the bugs that were present in the earlier version (1.6.3). The bigger story here, however, is the switch to the new Dropbox SDK. Aside from a big performance boost (apps updated to use the new Dropbox SDK use less system resources in the background), the biggest new feature is a single-sign-on system.

With current Twitter apps, you only need to sign into your Twitter accounts via the Settings app in iOS. Twitter apps will look for those accounts and request access so you don’t have to sign in each time. Dropbox now works similarly; With the Dropbox app installed on your iPhone or iPad, simply logging into their app provides access for other apps using the new SDK. This of course makes logging into and using Dropbox much easier — you’re simply redirected to the Dropbox app and asked whether you’d like to accept or cancel the app link. The feature is pretty cool and it’s the first time I’ve seen Dropbox authentication like this in an iOS app.

With QuickShot, you can easily upload photographs to a Dropbox shared folder to quickly share images and videos for events, parties, and get-togethers. We think it’s a splendid little camera app, and you can give QuickShot a try for only $0.99 on the App Store.

ReadNow 2.0 Keeps your Instapaper and Read It Later Articles in One Tidy App

If you like to read Instapaper and Read It Later on your desktop through your web browser, why not give the second iteration of ReadNow a try? No longer a menubar application, ReadNow 2.0 was built from the ground up to feel like a native OS X application from the start. Based on traditional RSS apps, ReadNow organizes your Instapaper and Read it Later articles for offline access, optimizing articles for a cleaner reading experience on your Mac. ReadNow features a custom article view that let’s you style the article, change the line height and article width, and customize the font. Archiving and liking articles in the app will push those changes to the respective service in realtime. Unlike your favorite iOS apps, ReadNow lets you drag and drop articles into folders and tags to quickly move them from the reading list. You can currently share articles you find interesting to Twitter, Facebook, Pinboard, Delicious and Evernote from within the app. With support for multitouch gestures, search, and tag and folder management, ReadNow gives you access to Instapaper and Read It Later in one easy-to-use application.

An Instapaper subscription is required to use the service with ReadNow. ReadNow is $3.99 on the Mac App Store.