Page 37 - Seniors Toady March 2020

Tech4Seniors
Way to go,
Wearables
Introducing a new monthly column by Sandeep Suri that
will help technology appear easier for our readers.
We are witnessing unprecedented change
around us, especially in the field of
technology. We have gone from Cassettes to
Digital Players, Landline to Smartphones,
Books to Book Readers, Watches to
Smartwatches and now Wearables.
Let’s start with understanding the subject:
Wearables. You may have heard someone
mention wearable technology, but perhaps
you weren’t quite sure what it meant? Simply
put, wearable technology is a general term
for a group of devices — including eyewear,
fitness trackers, footwear, neckwear,
bodywear, smartwatches and so on — that
are designed to be worn throughout the day.
These devices are often called Wearables.
A few popular brands: Watches-Apple,
Withings, Fitbit, Garmin; Spectacles-Snap 3;
Shoes-Nike Smart shoe AdaptBB, Adidas1;
Bra-Nike Motion Adapt; Shirt-Under
Armour Hexoskin etc. Wearable technology
has always held great appeal for first
adopters and trailblazers, but the only piece
of wearable technology that has achieved
true mass adoption is the Smartwatch.
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Doing a lot more
Of late, wearables have become increasingly
popular, but the basic idea is nothing
new. For example, if you’ve ever worn a
wristwatch, you’ve already used a simple
kind of wearable. Today’s wearables can
connect with your devices, like computers
and smartphones, which means they can do
a lot of exciting things. In fact, networking
is the glue that holds the various technology
branches together. Earlier, the worlds of
voice and data were separate. As these two
technologies integrate, this could bring in
endless potential to grow.
Now, talking about the usage of wearable
technology, it is not just limited to health
care alone. Interestingly, it is extending its
reach to the entertainment industry as well.
Wearable technology will soon allow us to
immerse more in entertainment forms such
as video games and televisions. One should
be able to feel and smell things as the film
progresses is something you could only
imagine in the past but would be a reality
soon. Wearable technology that can allow
SENIORS TODAY | Issue #9 | March 15, 2020