Not Quite Wearable

Wearable tech is one that connects you in some way and not like some people think that it’s something you can wear, confusing? Well think of it in this way, if there really is no reason to wear it then it probably should not really be worn. For instance, if we bought something that would charge using the sun, a solar powered bag maybe, and this bag took all day to recharge our phone, well then we would just buy ourselves a cheap power pack and charge our phone within half an hour or so.

The thing is with buzzwords that it tends to get attached and applied to a great deal of things whether it should be or not. We all know that wearable means something you can wear, it’s not rocket science, but when we speak of wearable technology, it means something you wear that does something involving you, your body, and not just a gadget with a strap.

This marketing misdirection can be very annoying when you are bought a present say for your birthday by someone who is not wearable tech savvy and have purchased in all good faith. Take for instance Tommy Hilfiger’s jacket that includes a mini solar array on the back of it, this is intended for you to be able to charge your gadgets whilst you are on the move. Well really! The problem is not so much that it is not wearable technology more that in order to charge it you have to wear the thing on a hot sunny day, not the most comfortable of solutions.

Another high-end fashion designer who did not quite ‘get’ what wearable means was Ralph Lauren and his Ricky 33 handbag which includes a battery pack and a light inside of it. The problem here is that the handbag costs $1,500 more than the regular bag and a torch and battery pack even if you go for a high end Maglite won’t come even near that cost.

What About a Bluetooth Beany?

Putting headphones into a hat is not a new concept and Archos has updated the style which contains all the necessary to play music wirelessly for up to eight hours, which means you can listen to your sounds and keep your head hot in the process, although putting speakers in a hat just does not make the thing wearable technology.

Understanding Drumpants when you can download an app is a bit difficult as here in the UK drumming on your pants would very most likely get you arrested. Pants stands for trousers in the US so we guess that whacking your upper thighs could be more socially acceptable, and at times it might be fun, trying to think where though, and as was mentioned getting one of the many apps seems a simpler option. Apps in fact offer a great amount of services and are a source of entertainment for where else can you prepare for attack by aliens, enjoy only the best mobile casinos whilst budgeting for a rainy day or planning your next vacation?

One other thing that has to be included in this list is the Acer Selfie Hat. The hat is very, very pink, very, very sparkly and boasts an extremely wide brim in order to house an Acer Iconia A-1840 tablet (not included) so that you can take that perfect selfie. The mind boggles!