Wearable computing technologies are taking off. While researchers like Thad Starner (inventor of Google Glass) are looking 20 years into the future, others are looking to profit right now.

The Pebble is living proof that people want wearable technologies. Smartwatches were once an American Fantasy from James Bond. Now, the 10 million-dollar Kickstarter-backed product is a world-wide phenomenon with people like Ashton Kutcher rocking it on TV.

Ashton Kutcher in Two and a Half Men caught wearing a Pebble Smartwatch.

So what the hell is the problem with wearable computing? Why doesn’t everyone have Google Glass and a matching Pebble? The answer is simple. The hardware just hasn’t caught up to the exponentially growing software industry. The Pebble is $150, but all it can do is receive notifications. The exorbitant cost of Google Glass will give you a constantly-overheating dorky pair of glasses that can barely stay charged for an entire day. Current wearable computing technologies are gimmicks with potential.

But wait. Let’s take a step back. Before I digress into an endless rant about the pre-matureness of the wearable computing market, I wish to discuss what is the true appeal of wearable computers. It’s not that we wish to move into a future of human-cyborgs with embedded chips and super powers. That may be the dream for us nerds, but we must consider the privacy concerns of non-techies.

The true appeal to wearable computing is the idea of natural communication with your electronics: conversations with your phone, information popups when you need them, and devices that understand you. Using your phone to accomplish tasks has been made easy, but things can always be made easier. We as people naturally thirst for information, and finding a shortcut to this information is always welcome.

Wearable computing provides the integrated experience we dream of. It provides us the absolute shortest route to information at just the right time. This “short route to information” and portability are the true defining features of a wearable computer. Other concepts we have of wearable computers are simply restrictions our mind imposes when considering the possibilities of the future. The truth is, when only considering the two restrictions mentioned prior, anything is possible with existing hardware.

We don’t need expensive glasses or watches that forward

notifications. They are a waste of power, money, and time.

By the definition stated earlier, our phones are “wearable computers”, but they are inefficient to say the least. Notifications such as vibrations and ringtones prompt you to stop what you’re doing to access information. Smartphones don’t follow a natural order. Instead, they interrupt the status quo. We just need to find new ways to interact with phones indirectly at just the right time.