The Samsung Galaxy Gear and the Ethics of the Smartwatch by

Samsung’s Galaxy Gear smartwatch is on its way, and while not the first of such technology to debut, the Galaxy Gear is the highest-profile herald of the coming shift from the traditional cellphone-human dynamic.

Also, it means Dick Tracy was the Nostradamus of comic strips…?

But is a 2-way radio/cellphone remote controller as cool when everyone is wearing it and not just a verified O.G. like Dick Tracy?

Time will tell, very soon.

There have been attempts at integrating phones and watches in the past, but advances in mobile phone technology led to this moment in which the smartwatch acts as a remote control device, a User Interface of sorts, meaning you can leave your phone wherever you usually keep it, whether pocket, purse, or red wagon.

However, consider being among other humanoids and making or taking a call with the watch (which is equipped with a microphone and speakers), holding your wrist up to your face like a cartoon detective calling for back-up… Then again, is that weirder than talking on a Bluetooth earpiece in the deli and looking like a crazy person to everyone around you?

The answer is, they will both make you look like a doofus, but they laughed at Jules Verne too…

Personally, I’m already glued to my phone at almost all times so the prospect of a wearable extension makes my inner child jump for joy, but my outer adult fears enhanced bufoonery.

And this is coming from a guy that wore a calculator watch back when they were cool! Right?

But to make this work, the Galaxy Gear and any other smartwatch worth its weight in remote control pleasure will have to learn to share and share alike, and not work exclusively with their respective brethren devices, which seems to be the case with the Galaxy gear, according to ABC News:

… the Gear is hampered by its need to connect with other Samsung devices. “Galaxy Gear isn’t useful at all without a Samsung phone,” he said. “It will only be attractive to technology enthusiasts with a lot of disposable income who prefer Samsung, and that’s a pretty narrow slice.” C’mon Gear, can’t you be more like the Pebble? This li’l bugger is compatible with iPhone and Android devices, the battery lasts for 7+ days, the price is half the projected price for Galaxy Gear, and… Should we go on? Not to mention, Pebble made it’s way the newfangled old-fashioned American Way – through Kickstarter! Of course, the screen is like comparing the Kindle to an iPad, or more appropriately, a Galaxy Tab, but we’re just in the first round here, folks. The great thing about this phenomenon is that paradigm shifts in technology and information keep happening at such a rate that we’ve gone from mastering the pocket computer that is the smartphone, to Google Glass and Dick Tracy watches in the wink of a Googley eye, so what’s next? Check out this TED Talk from John Underkoffler, the man behind all the crazy tech in the movie Minority Report, with a word about the future of User Interface at large: And just when you thought it was safe to surround your body in cellphone and bluetooth microwavery from ear to wrist to pocket:

For the health-weary, there’s a wealth of potential downers to embracing even more wearable Bluetooth technology, and the website emfblues.com warns of Bluetooth hazards from brain tumors to suicide (DISCLAIMER: Emfblues.com sells nifty ceramic disklets to protect you from said dangers):

The FDA has approved Bluetooth Technology for use by consumers without any regulations or premarket testing, which is exactly how cell phones were approved. However, it seems that as of 2006, the FDA felt a need to revisit its approval on cell phones in lieu of a recent study conducted by the Swedish National Institute for Working Life that showed cell phone users have a 240% greater risk of developing brain tumors on the same side of the head where they use their phone. Bluetooth headsets function in the same radiowave frequency as cell phones.

But the common sense seems to point in such a direction, as we know cell phones are dangerous and have been linked to brain tumors and other no-fun stuff, according to Highlight Press, in a report citing over a million British 5-year-olds using cell phones:

The consensus shared between critics is that strong evidence continues to suggest mobile phone radiation massively increases the risk of brain tumors – something that younger users are as especially high risk of.

So be bold, be daring, and don’t come crying to the tech corporations when your wrist glows in the dark.

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