Issue 002 - Wearables edition
100% written by a human, for humans. Despite what my em dashes say.
I’d say my memory is in the bottom percentile of human adults. I forget things very easily. My brain jumps around from one thing to another. I’ve been trying to fix that. Or at least reduce the jumping. Meditation I hear is good for this but I like tech so I’m going that route. Because more tech is clearly the right solution.
Most people reading this probably have a smart watch or even a smart ring. Wearable tech has a foothold in society already. Think watches, rings, etc. It’s a relatively simple piece of hardware (at least to us) on top of complex software. And that software is what drives a lot of our experience using one of these wearables. This industry is going in an interesting direction and I’m a little hopeful that they can be what normal folks need them to be.
The Good Tools
Google Gemini
Gemini is the engine that drives Google’s AI ambition.
Google is releasing Gemini into the wild. If you use Google Maps, you’ve probably already noticed a little sparkle icon pop up at the top. It makes your maps smarter (Good AI implementation).
Well, the new FitBit Air is coming to everyone, with Gemini built in.
Why you should care
Gemini is Artificial Intelligence for the masses. Google is one of the companies who can put their AI everywhere you are and nearly force you to use it. And can afford to take a loss in the process while adoption increases. The Fitbit Air is something easy-to-use, affordable (hey there, Whoop), and available to the general public. There’s AI built into the software with the ability to make you care about metrics you might not care about otherwise. I think a ton of people will buy this and a smart move by Google to get AI in the hands of a lot more people.
Sandbar
A ring that you can speak in to.
Why you should care
I think this is a step toward where we’re going. Ambient technology that’s there when you need it and responds without latency. The latency is an important point. With things like Siri, Alexa, and others, there’s a small waiting gap that we’ve been trained to expect while the technology does its thing. When that gap is gone, it starts to feel more natural. Like an extension of us rather than a piece of tech welded onto our daily lives.
Plaude
A tiny device you can speak in to. (I bought one!)
Why you should care
This product isn’t new from what I understand. It’s been around a while. But it’s in the same vein as the Sandbar, just not as good(?). Idk we’ll see how it is. I’m highlighting this because they’re one of the big players in this market but I haven’t heard about them until very recently. Not sure if it’s a marketing issue or the product is sub-par.
All these wearables have one thing in common: the ambient nature of them. It’s technology that falls into the background of busy schedules. Software that requires you to pull information out of it but does a bit of push, too. I’m not sure which is the better model but I’m excited to try them out.