Tag: smartwatch

As helpful as wearables can be, they are generating a headache for business IT departments.

A leading law firm has released a statement that has provided a considerable amount of insight regarding a new view of wearable technology, which has to do with the privacy headaches that are being generated for employers.

Smartwatches and augmented reality glasses are now stepping into the workplace, with benefits and drawbacks.

As helpful as these wearable technology devices can be, they also have an intrusive side that can be utilized by workers in order to take secret videos or photographs. These are starting to cause many employers to feel a considerable amount of concern, according to a lawyer from Morrison and Foerster, Susan McLean.

There are a range of different types of privacy implications resulting from the use of wearable technology in the workplace.

According to McLean, “There are huge privacy and ethical implications around wearable technology.” She went on to express that this struggle regarding the use of wearables by employees will only continue to become greater as time goes on. As Google Glass, smartwatches, and other wearable mobile devices start to be owned and used for a growing number of purposes at home and at work, the problems with privacy and security will rise, particularly throughout the first several years of their evolution.

As this mobile technology continues to become more mainstream, it will be up to employers to come up with the necessary policies to decide exactly how workers will be able to use these devices, and then to know how to enforce these regulations. McLean provided the example that if Google Glass were used in a workplace to record videos of a meeting that includes other workers, it could be interpreted as bullying.

Another example is that an employee who is facing disciplinary action would be able to use augmented reality glasses to secretly record a meeting so that this video could be used later on in legal proceedings. Due to these types of risk, McLean cautioned that “Companies have to be very clear on how and why employees use wearable technology.”

Consumers can purchase new wearable devices from Google Play.

Yesterday, Wednesday, June 25, 2014, the long awaited Android Wear powered and web connected LG G and Samsung Gear Live smartwatches were made available at the Google Play store for consumers to pre-order.

Google announced that this wearable tech is ready for the market.

During its annual I/O developers conference, which was held in San Francisco, California yesterday, the search engine giant made it known that the Samsung Gear Live smartwatch and the LG G smartwatch are market ready. However, the company stated that Motorola’s smartwatch – Moto 360 – will not be going on sale until later on in the summer.

In addition, Google declared that the voice enabled Android Wear platform is available in API for developers. This feature allows users to verbally interact with their wearables in a way that is not unlike Google Now.

Furthermore, social media has been integrated into the devices. For instance, if a user likes another person’s pin about a restaurant on Pinterest, the watch will alert the user when they are near the restaurant. Also, users can ask their smartwatch to call them a car with Lyft, which knows where the user is located from the watch’s GPS. Google demoed the notifications and voice commands during the conference.

Android Wear smartwatches will be available with circular and square screens.

According to Google’s director of engineering, David Singleton, Android Wear devices will be made available with screens of different shapes and sizes. He said that both smartwatch models from Samsung and LG have square displays, but Motorola’s will be round. He also said that the devices will be available in a diverse range of “fashionable designs.”

“We’re right at the beginning of a new phase of the miniaturization of technology, which means it’s finally possible to make a small computer that can fit comfortably on your body all day long,” Singleton said during the conference.

The Samsung Gear Live costs $199 and the LG G carries a $229 price tag. Those who pre-order either of these smartwatches from Google Play should receive them on July 7.