Wearables, 'Phablets' Command Consumer Interest

Add two more types of devices consumers want to a category already crowded with smart­phones, HDTVs, laptop computers and tablet PCs: wearable devices and “phablets.”

According to Accenture’s new Digital Consumer Tech survey, more than half of consumers (52%) worldwide are interested in buying a wearable technology device such as a fitness monitor or Internet-connected headwear. The survey, which covered 6,000 consumers in six countries (Australia, Canada, India, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States) also revealed strong consumer interest in devices such as smartwatches (46%) and Internet-connected glasses (42%).

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Why Can't We Walk And Wear Google Glass At The Same Time?

The era of distracted walking is certainly upon us. Dividing attention between cell phone and sidewalk leaves an estimated 1,500 people a year in the hospital with an embarrassing story to tell. Controlled experiments have found that pedestrians using a phone recall less about their surroundings than other walkers do--with some people so zoned out that they fail to spot a unicycling clown.

Lately any discussion of distracted walking has centered on whether Google Glass will help or hurt the situation. On one hand, the device's very design was supposed to free our eyes to look forward. On the other hand, looking isn't seeing, and some cognitive scientists worry that our inability to see a device and the world around us at the same time could have "potentially dangerous consequences."

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