iWatching you

That computerised watch on your wrist is more powerful than the computers that sent a man to the moon. Madness right. From the first Apple iPhone to the latest Samsung Galaxy, phones have got noticeably smaller if not a little wider. Recently we’ve looked at a project using wearable technology inside a warehouse, hence this blog post about them.In 2012 a kickstarter was launched. For those of you who don’t know kickstarter is a crowdfunding campaign website. This kickstarter went on to be one of the greatest kickstarter campaigns of all time. It was for the first ever smart watch, the pebble. Using technology similar to the amazon kindle this watch would start a trend of wearable technology. With a goal of $100,000 the kickstarter ended raising over $10,266,845 and with it started a wave of new fitness wearables.Fitness TrackersWith ever growing obesity levels in the UK I feel that this kind of wearable technology are the best form. They allow you to see things such as steps walked, heart rate, monitor your exercise etc. Even so much so as to remind you to drink every so often or move when you’ve been stationary for so long. They can monitor your sleep, tell you when you hit REM as well as give you a general overall about how you slept that night and more importantly in the active world we live in how much sleep you got. The importance of these futuristic technology is so great that an American insurance company is even refusing to sell a policy unless they can have the data from such a device.Smart WatchOn 12^th September 2018 Apple announced their 4^th series of the iWatch. Samsung have their own version, the Galaxy Watch. These watches feature the majority of the fitness trackers abilities such as step tracking, sleep cycles, heart rate monitoring, etc. As well as that they open your world to having apps right on your wrist. Catch up with the weather, news and even Facebook on your wrist. You can even use these watches to pay. All without having to take your phone or wallet out of your pocket.Dangerous GameAre these wearables technologies the best thing to grace our earth, I’m not sure. In a world where social networks and technology rule. Are these devices really going to help us? They let us know when any app sends us a notification. They can vibrate your wrist and make you turn it. Apples new watch does more extensive heart ECG, is this helpful, will everyone start to panic visiting hospitals and telling them that their heart isn’t normal.In SumIn conclusion, if I were to get any form of wearable tech I’d be using it mainly for the fitness reasons I sit at a desk the majority of my day, things such as step tracking and telling me to move could be really handy for me. As for the apps and notifications on my wrist? I’m not so sure I’ll use them. I’ve turned off the majority of my notifications and I like to check them when I want. Not be forced to look at them. Give me a Fitbit over an Apple watch anyday.Thanks for reading,Andy