Ask Slashdot: What Features Belong In a 'Smartwatch'? 322
Nerval's Lobster writes "If the rumors are true, and Apple is indeed hard at work on a newfangled timepiece (dubbed the 'iWatch'), what unique features could such a device offer a public already overloaded with all sorts of handheld devices? Answer that question, and you're perhaps one step closer to figuring out why Apple — again, if the rumors are true — decided to devote millions of dollars and the precious hours of some very smart people in the effort. This article suggests voice control (via Siri), biometrics, mobile payments, and other possible features, but there must be loads of others that someone could think up."
Time? (Score:5, Insightful)
Hopefully the ability to accurately tell time. But with the way phones these days work at making calls, I won't hold out much hope.
The whole idea of an iWatch just gives me a headache.
How about a SPY WATCH? (Score:4, Insightful)
How about some James Bond-esc features, like a: laser cutter, knife, garrote wire, etc. ??
^_^
I want my Dick Tracy watch (Score:3, Insightful)
I want a souped up Dick Tracy [wikipedia.org] watch... with not just a speaker, but video... like this [pcmag.com]
A battery that doesn't suck. (Score:5, Insightful)
NTP (Score:5, Insightful)
I mean really, it is a time piece after all...
Re:Who needs a wrist watch? (Score:1, Insightful)
Somehow, I find that glancing at my wrist rather than having to dig my phone out of my pocket (which isn't allowed in all the areas I work in) is significantly less intrusive. I also don't have to worry about whether or not I charged my watch recently.
It's not standalone (Score:5, Insightful)
A smart watch only really makes sense as a convenient interface to a more powerful machine. The features important to it are therefore input and output, along with a connection to your phone. So a display, a microphone, and a button are the obvious ones. A smart watch will probably have fewer features than a non-smart watch.
Re:Time? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Time? (Score:4, Insightful)
Take a look at Nike fuelband and pebble smartwatch
It's a watch, biking computer, biometric device, you use it while working out, etc
It's for people who do more than sit in front of computer screens all day and night