Tag: wearable technology problems

Intel sees wearable technology challenges to be overcome

| February 13, 2015

There are a number of hurdles in the way of having consumers flock to purchase wearables.

While there has been a great deal of hype about wearable technology from the media and through the companies that manufacture these gadgets such as smartwatches and smart glasses, actual consumers have yet to make purchases in droves.

There are a number of different issues that are still in the way, and Intel says that device makers must solve them.

Among the leading problems identified by the CFO of Intel, Stacy Smith, are that the devices are not very attractive (which is an important factor to consider when people will actually be wearing them) and wearable technology needs to be recharged very frequently. Furthermore, the majority of these devices don’t work on their own, but are actually slave gadgets that require smartphones to be fully functional.

That said Intel feels that the most important issue that is currently faced in wearable technology is GPS.

Intel - Wearable Technology Smith explained that GPS is a core component that requires improvement if battery life is going to be enhanced in wearables. The issue is that GPS tracking technology drains considerably more battery life than it would require to power a color touch screen. However, the GPS can’t be eliminated altogether, as it is required in order to be able to use many apps to their fullest capability.

He underscored the fact that “having that location tracking is important.” There is a great deal going on in geolocation technology, right now, particularly in the world of marketing, and that tech will be needed by users who want to be able to receive a discount coupon that can be redeemed in a store they have just entered, for example.

Intel is hoping to eventually provide a solution to that issue through its Curie system-on-a-chip for wearable technology devices. Curie is a tiny little component that has various forms of sensors, such as a pedometer, among others. It has yet to include GPS tracking, but Smith has said that it is not outside of the realm of possibility. “That’s important, and we’ll get it there,” he stated.

Wearable technology creates all new employer privacy struggles

| June 30, 2014

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.

Wearable technology causing problemsAccording 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.”