This is only a concept for now, but if it makes its entry at under $100, then I'm getting in line.
That is, assuming that I can turn the GPS off whenever I don't want it on.
From Engadget (via GeekPress):
[This is] the Eurotech WWPC (wrist-worn PC) for Dick Tracy-like Linux or Windows CE action- even though it is merely a concept for now. Obviously designed for jobsite use and not to please the fashionista set, the WWPC features (in someone's imagination, at least) WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, a 3.5-inch TFT touchscreen, 64MB RAM/32MB ROM/SD slot for expansion, as well as an unspecified "low-power CPU." Of course you also get built-in speakers and wireless headset support, so your employer can chew you out after GPS narcs you out for those daily three-hour "siestas" behind the warehouse, and an eight-hour battery life from dual 2-cell Li-polymer rechargeable batteries, that should last most of your shift.
This makes me drool, folks. I can't wait for this kind of thing to become reality. Maybe make a Palm-OS version with Bluetooth earphones (yeah, I know the tee-nincey power amp that would be required might suck goat hair, but it can be done well, especially with those little 10-mm drivers) and plenty of flash memory—maybe even a micro-size 20GB HD, since 20- to 30-terabyte hard drives will be cheap and commonplace by then...and heck yeah, I'd wear it in public. I might get two of them, in different colors and with different specialty functions.
Right now I'm imagining changing my playlist from "20th-century classical" to "70s classic rock," checking my calendar for the afternoon, then calling home from a very public location, talking to my wrist like Dick Tracy or something, followed by rocking out to "Kashmir" and "When the Levee Breaks" whilst groovin' on down the promenade. I'd notice all those people staring at my left wrist, but I'd just smile and keep looking ahead, of course. So cool.
When I get home I won't have to connect anything at all to sync it with my computer, updating my music, playlists and calendar simultaneously and effortlessly. (Did I mention the dual-core processor? After all, the average desktop will feature several multi-core processors, say 8x8, by that time. Dual-core will be old hat except in devices where a small form factor is required.)
Even better, it may be able to communicate directly with my home machine within a range of, oh, 20 miles or so, making all that memory and processing power unnecessary unless I'm on the road, in which case I simply plug in a small expander unit with the memory and processor. When I get to my motel room I can wirelessly connect to my home computer, via internet, from there—sort of like "Go To My PC" on steroids.
Yes, an ordinary Palm might be better from a functional standpoint, but I hope not. I hope that this baby will pack the features and functions into a small, light package in ways only dreamed about nowadays, making it truly as cool to use as it is to look at.
It could be the new "pocket protector—" a way to signal your level of geekitude to others. Haven't had one of those since the 80s.
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Where there's a nerd, there's a way. :-)
One thing I live and die off of (career wise) is remote desktop. Why take the time and effort to load up my home machine to look like my work machine when i can VPN in and remote to it? then my environment is all there just the way I'm used to without having to worry about keeping my code in synch, cause it's the same code I mess with during the workweek. Imagine having that everywhere you go. That's the future. Shoot, it doesn't even need to be a desktop, just a computing area that you customize. All your apps and datafiles (and movies and music) all sit there. Anywhere you go you can open a browser and voila, you're there. That's not too far off either. Google is threatening to do that from all the beta stuff they've been doing.
Posted by: Rob | Monday, 20 March 2006 at 03:39 PM