Invasion of the Body Snatchers：Wearable Devices Are Coming for You

Martyn+Williams

A place in your pocket is no longer enough for mobile gadget makers： Now， they want your body.

Just last week， Google trotted out1） Android Wear， its first big push to extend the dominant smartphone OS to wearable devices. The first Android Wear device， an LG smartwatch， was also announced and more are sure to come. Theyll add to scores of wearables that have been unveiled this year， starting at International CES2） in January.

The devices purport to improve lives—even to help save them—but not everyone is rushing to buy them. In this untested market， the many unanswered questions include concerns about user privacy and what form-factors will be comfortable and attractive enough for long-term use.

對移動設備制造商而言，你口袋里的空間已經(jīng)不能滿足他們的胃口：如今，他們想要你的身體。

就在上周（編注：英文原文發(fā)表于2014年3月28日），谷歌推出了Android Wear系統(tǒng)，這是其為將占市場主導的智能手機操作系統(tǒng)擴大到可穿戴設備領域而做出的首個重大舉措。首款應用Android Wear的設備——LG智能手表——也宣布問世。可以肯定，更多的同類產(chǎn)品將紛至沓來。這些產(chǎn)品將進一步擴大可穿戴設備的陣容。自今年1月份的國際消費類電子展覽會開始，已有眾多此類設備被揭開面紗。

這些可穿戴設備旨在改善用戶的生活——甚至有助于拯救他們的生命——但并非每個人都會爭相購買這些產(chǎn)品。在這個還未經(jīng)檢驗的市場中，還有許多問題尚未解決，包括對用戶隱私的擔憂，以及哪些規(guī)格足夠舒適和具有吸引力，從而獲得用戶的長期青睞。

Big Business 大生意

Its easy to see what vendors3） are getting excited about. If wearables take off the way some predict they will， their market potential is huge， and the space is still wide open， with no dominant player.

The wearables business is expected to be worth more than US$1.5 billion in 2014， almost double its value in 2013， according to a report by Juniper Research. The U.K. market research company said 2014 will be “the watershed year” for wearables.

Vendors rush to corner4） the market was perhaps best explained by Kaz Hirai， CEO of Sony， while speaking at CES. “You have only two wrists and one head； you cant wear 10 different products，” he said. “Once you secure someones wrist with a particular product， theyll usually stick with it.”

目前各供應商在為什么興奮不已，這顯而易見。如果可穿戴設備像一些人預測的那樣大受歡迎，其市場潛力將是巨大的，而且該領域仍處于相當開放的階段，沒有哪家公司占主導地位。

英國市場研究公司Juniper Research發(fā)布的一份報告顯示，2014年可穿戴設備的產(chǎn)業(yè)規(guī)模預計將超過15億美元，幾乎是2013年的兩倍。該公司表示，2014年將是可穿戴設備產(chǎn)業(yè)的“分水嶺”。

各供應商正急于壟斷市場，究其緣由，索尼公司的首席執(zhí)行官平井一夫在國際消費類電子展覽會上的發(fā)言給出了最好的解釋?！耙粋€人只有兩只手腕、一個頭，你不可能戴十種不同的產(chǎn)品，”他說，“一旦你用一款特定產(chǎn)品占據(jù)了某人的手腕，他通常會一直用這款產(chǎn)品?！?/p>

Small Beginnings 小開端

The current boom in wearables can be traced back to around 2006 when Nike gave the pedometer5） a digital twist. Its small Plus device slipped into a running shoe and counted the steps taken and time elapsed on a run. The information was sent to an iPod application and to an online community where people could track and compare their workouts.

Other companies followed， and in late 2008 Fitbit6） attracted considerable attention with its namesake fitness tracker. It captured the imagination of many because it was small， could be worn easily and silently collected data all day long—no matter what shoes you were wearing.

Whats more， it didnt require a constant connection to a smartphone. It could be worn at work， at home or at the gym and uploaded the data once in range of a docking station7）. The device matched well with the constant connectivity of the smartphone era that was just beginning.

可穿戴設備當前的繁榮可以追溯到2006年前后，當時耐克對其計步器進行了數(shù)字改造，將其小小的Plus設備塞進跑鞋里，計算跑步的步數(shù)和消耗的時間。這些信息被發(fā)送到一款iPod應用程序中，同時也被傳至一個在線社區(qū)。在這個網(wǎng)絡社區(qū)里，人們可以了解自己的鍛煉情況，并與別人進行比較。

隨后其他公司紛紛跟進。2008年晚些時候，F(xiàn)itbit公司憑借其同名產(chǎn)品Fitbit健身記錄器引起了廣泛關(guān)注。該記錄器引起了許多人的興趣，因為它體積小，佩戴方便，可以整天默默地收集數(shù)據(jù)——不論你穿什么樣的鞋。

更重要的是，F(xiàn)itbit不需要一直連接智能手機，在公司、家里或者健身房都可以戴，而且只要有擴展塢，就能上傳數(shù)據(jù)。該設備與智能手機時代的持續(xù)聯(lián)網(wǎng)特點相得益彰，而其時這一時代才剛剛開始。

The Second Wave 第二波

Fitbit followed up with additional products. Its Fitbit Force is a wristband-type device with a small digital display. Its still based on the concept of step-counting， but the app extrapolates additional data including distance traveled， minutes of activity， and calories burned. An altimeter8） estimates the number of steps climbed. If users keep it on while they sleep， it will even attempt to measure sleep quality.

Nike has improved its device and sells the Fuelband SE. The $150 wristband tracks an entire day of activity and measures performance against user-defined goals. Its set up through a companion iPhone app.

As innocuous9） as fitness trackers may appear， not everyone is comfortable having their every move， and sleep-wake cycles， uploaded to become yet another form of very personal “big data” stored and potentially used in as yet unforeseen ways by third parties.

Fitbit公司繼續(xù)跟進，又推出一些新產(chǎn)品。Fitbit Force是一款腕帶式設備，帶有一個小型數(shù)字顯示器。該產(chǎn)品仍然基于計步的理念，但其應用程序可以推知額外的信息，包括行走距離、活動時間和消耗的熱量。設備上的高度計可以估算出用戶所爬的臺階數(shù)。如果用戶睡覺時也戴著它，它甚至能衡量用戶的睡眠質(zhì)量。

耐克也改進了設備，其出售的產(chǎn)品是Fuelband SE智能健身腕帶。這一款售價150美元的腕帶可以追蹤用戶一整天的活動，并根據(jù)用戶設定的目標衡量其活動狀況。該設備通過一款配套的iPhone應用程序進行設置。

盡管健身追蹤器看上去沒有什么危害，但是要把用戶的每個動作和醒睡周期都上傳到網(wǎng)上，成為另一種形式的個人“大數(shù)據(jù)”，由第三方存儲并有可能以無法預見的方式利用，這可不是每個人都樂意的。

Apple on the Horizon 蘋果虎視眈眈

In late 2012， news reports surfaced that Apple was developing a smartwatch with Intel. Apple hasnt confirmed that the project even exists， but its success in redefining the portable music and smartphone markets means a lot of attention is focused on the Cupertino10） company. “I think the wrist is interesting，” Apple CEO Tim Cook told the All Things D conference last May. “But as I said before， for something to work here you first have to convince people its so incredible that they want to wear it.”

Thats what a handful of companies are already trying to do with so-called “smart watches” that connect to Android phones. Sonys Smartwatch 2 runs dedicated apps that bring Gmail， Twitter and Facebook to the wrist. The device has won praise for good looks， but a constant criticism has been the resolution of the 1.6-inch LCD screen. At 220 by 176 pixels， graphics and text sometimes appear a little jagged11）. And notifications arent synched12）： If a message is read on the watch， it remains unread on the phone. Clearly， the technology is still at an early stage.

Samsung jumped into the market with its Galaxy Gear range of products. Originally just a smartwatch—that received a muted13） response from reviewers—the range now consists of two smartwatches and a fitness band.

“Theres no question that Samsung， with the Galaxy Gear， wanted to get in there before Apple，” said Carolina Milanesi， a director at Kantor Worldpanel. Some companies are holding back， she thinks， waiting to see what Apple comes out with rather than competing pro-actively. “Whatever Apple is going to do， it will change the market，” she said.

2012年末，有新聞報道稱，蘋果公司正與英特爾合作研發(fā)一款智能手表。盡管蘋果尚未證實是否真有這個項目（編注：蘋果已于2014年9月發(fā)布智能手表Apple Watch），但它在重塑便攜式音樂播放器和智能手機市場方面的成功使人們的注意力都集中在了這家位于庫比蒂諾鎮(zhèn)的公司身上?！拔覍κ滞蠛芨信d趣，”蘋果公司首席執(zhí)行官蒂姆·庫克去年5月在All Things D會議上說，“但正如我之前所說，要想某個產(chǎn)品有市場，你首先得說服人們，讓他們相信這個產(chǎn)品真的很了不得，這樣他們才愿意戴上它?！?/p>

這正是目前幾家公司業(yè)已著手做的事情，他們針對的是可以連接到安卓手機的所謂“智能手表”。索尼的第二代智能手表運行專門的應用程序，可把Gmail、Twitter和Facebook都集中到手腕上。這款設備的漂亮外形贏得了贊譽，但其1.6英寸液晶顯示屏的分辨率卻一直遭人詬病。由于像素只有220×176，圖像和文本的顯示有時會出現(xiàn)鋸齒。此外，通知也不同步：消息在手表上讀取以后，在手機上仍處于未讀狀態(tài)。很明顯，這項技術(shù)仍處于早期階段。

三星憑借其Galaxy Gear系列產(chǎn)品也投身這一市場。最初其推出的只是一款智能手表，評論者對之反應平平，而現(xiàn)在這一系列產(chǎn)品已包含了兩款智能手表和一款健身帶。

消費者研究公司Kantor Worldpanel的董事卡羅萊娜·米拉內(nèi)西說：“毫無疑問，三星想憑借其Galaxy Gear系列產(chǎn)品搶在蘋果之前打入市場?！彼J為，一些公司目前猶豫不決，正觀望蘋果會推出什么產(chǎn)品，而不是主動競爭。她說：“無論蘋果有什么動作，都將改變市場?！?/p>

Glasses 眼鏡

Google Glass has garnered significant attention， good and bad. The head-mounted display projects information onto a small prism14） above the users right eye and has attracted controversy for its ability to record what the wearer is seeing. Privacy advocates charge that this function essentially turns Glass-wearers into mobile surveillance stations.

Wearers， called “explorers” by Google can read email， get directions and search the Internet. Google is keen to promote real-life applications， like surgeons using Glass in the operating theater， cyclists getting real-time directions and firefighters using it to see floor plans of buildings as they enter， but Glass appears to be little more than a gimmick for now.

Perhaps Googles biggest contribution wont turn out to be Glass but Android Wear， a new version of its Android OS for smartwatches and other wearables.

谷歌眼鏡受到了極大的關(guān)注，有正面的也有負面的。谷歌眼鏡的頭戴式顯示器把信息投射到用戶右眼上方的小棱鏡上，但由于其能記錄佩戴者看到的東西，因而引來了不少爭議。倡導隱私權(quán)的人士指責說，這一功能本質(zhì)上把戴谷歌眼鏡的人變成了移動監(jiān)視站。

谷歌稱戴這種眼鏡的人為“探索者”。他們可以閱讀郵件，獲得導航信息，并能上網(wǎng)搜索。谷歌正積極推廣該眼鏡在現(xiàn)實生活中的應用，比如說外科醫(yī)生將它應用在手術(shù)室中，騎自行車的人通過它獲得實時方向，消防員進入建筑物時用它來觀察建筑物的平面圖。但谷歌眼鏡現(xiàn)在似乎僅僅成了一個噱頭。

或許最終我們會發(fā)現(xiàn)，谷歌最大的貢獻不是谷歌眼鏡，而是面向智能手表和其他可穿戴設備的新版安卓操作系統(tǒng)——Android Wear。

Into the Future 未來前景

One things for sure： Fitness trackers， smartwatches， and glasses wont be where wearables stop.

Thalmic Labs has developed an electromyographic15） sensor called Myo thats worn on the arm and picks up electrical muscle activity to interpret movements and gestures. A demonstration of the $149 device shows a person steering a drone16） by twisting his arm back and forth.

“The relationship between people and devices is getting closer，” said Stephen Lake， CEO of the Ontario company. “People are willing to wear different technology.”

While an armband might not be a stretch， how about a wig？ Sonys Smartwig connects to a smartphone and might include a GPS， camera， ultrasound transducer， and even a laser pointer. With enough sensors， the wig could read facial expressions by tracking the movement of skin， or figure out where a person is and what direction theyre looking in. It might provide a discreet vibration when a message is received.

A new communications protocol17） called Bluetooth Low Energy， which is just making its way into phones， is helping to push the industry forward.

“It enables devices to more easily and quickly connect and disconnect from other devices，” said Thalmics Lake. “Its really good when youre sending little packets of data. Traditionally it was a full-time connection， but Bluetooth LE sleeps and wakes and sends bits of data to bring dramatically longer battery life.”

While the potential uses for wearables are vast and getting more interesting， getting the majority of people to strap a computer on their body could be a tough order， especially in the wake of revelations18） about how much users are already tracked when they are online. In the end， whats still missing is that first killer app that causes consumers to forget their concerns about privacy in order to be part of the next big thing.

“Theres a lot of potential in this space， [but] the jury is still out19） on which applications will really compel consumers to go out and wear these products，” said Sony CEO Hirai.

有一件事是肯定的：可穿戴設備不會止步于健身追蹤器、智能手表和眼鏡。

Thalmic Labs公司開發(fā)了一款名為Myo的肌電圖傳感器。這一設備戴在胳膊上收集肌肉的電流活動，從而解讀用戶動作和手勢的含義。該設備售價149美元，其產(chǎn)品演示展示了一個人如何通過來回扭動手臂來操控無人機。

“人與設備之間的關(guān)系越來越緊密了，”這家位于加拿大安大略省的公司的首席執(zhí)行官斯蒂芬·萊克說，“人們愿意把不同的技術(shù)穿戴在身上。”

如果說智能臂環(huán)還不算離譜，那么智能假發(fā)呢？索尼的智能假發(fā)可以連接到智能手機上，它的程序可能包括全球定位系統(tǒng)、攝像頭、超聲波換能器，甚至激光筆。只要有足夠的傳感器，這款智能假發(fā)就可以通過追蹤用戶的皮膚活動來讀取他們的面部表情，或者測出用戶在哪兒，面朝哪個方向。當收到消息時，它可能還會輕微振動。

一項名為“低功耗藍牙”的通信協(xié)議剛開始進入手機領域，這項新的協(xié)議有助于推動這一產(chǎn)業(yè)向前發(fā)展。

“該協(xié)議使設備與其他設備間的連接或斷開變得更加便捷，”Thalmic Labs公司的萊克說，“當你發(fā)送少量數(shù)據(jù)包時，這一點確實很有幫助。傳統(tǒng)上的通信協(xié)議需要全天候連接，但低功耗藍牙通過休眠、喚醒、發(fā)送數(shù)據(jù)的工作方式顯著延長了電池的使用壽命?！?/p>

盡管可穿戴設備有著廣泛的潛在用途，而且這些用途越來越有趣，但要讓多數(shù)人在自己身上綁臺電腦，這個要求可能過高了，尤其是在用戶上網(wǎng)時所瀏覽的內(nèi)容已被大量跟蹤這一消息被揭露后。說到底，我們?nèi)匀鄙兕^號殺手級應用，這款應用要使消費者為了使用下一項重大的新技術(shù)而忽略隱私方面的擔憂。

索尼的首席執(zhí)行官平井一夫說：“這一領域潛力很大，（但）哪些應用程序能真正促使消費者出門時穿戴這些設備，這一點尚不明確?！?/p>

1. trot out：炫耀地出示

2. International CES：國際消費類電子產(chǎn)品展覽會，通常被稱為CES （Consumer Electronics Show），由美國電子消費品制造商協(xié)會主辦，旨在促進尖端電子技術(shù)和現(xiàn)代生活的緊密結(jié)合。

3. vendor [?vend?（r）] n. 供應商，銷售商

4. corner [?k??（r）n?（r）] vt. 壟斷

5. pedometer [pe?d?m?t?（r）] n. 計步器，步數(shù)計

6. Fitbit：美國舊金山的一家新興公司，其記錄器產(chǎn)品名揚世界。

7. docking station：擴展塢，用來擴展筆記本電腦功能的底座，通過接口和插槽，它可以連接多種外部設備，如驅(qū)動器、大屏幕顯示器、鍵盤、打印機等。

8. altimeter [??lt??mi?t?（r）] n. 測高儀，高度計

9. innocuous [??n?kju?s] adj. 無害的；無傷大雅的

10. Cupertino：庫比蒂諾，蘋果電腦的全球總公司所在地，位于美國舊金山。

11. jagged [?d??ɡ?d] adj. 鋸齒狀的；參差不齊的

12. synch [s??k] vt. （使）同步，（使）同時發(fā)生

13. muted [?mju?t?d] adj. 缺乏熱情的，淡漠的

14. prism [?pr?z（?）m] n. 棱鏡

15. electromyographic [??lektr???ma???ɡr?f?k] adj. 肌電圖描記的

16. drone [dr??n] n. （無線電遙控的）無人駕駛飛機

17. communications protocol：通信協(xié)議，是指雙方實體完成通信或服務所必須遵循的規(guī)則和約定。協(xié)議定義了數(shù)據(jù)單元使用的格式、信息單元應該包含的信息與含義、信息發(fā)送和接收的時序等，從而確保網(wǎng)絡中的數(shù)據(jù)順利地傳送到確定的地方。

18. in the wake of sth.：隨……之后而來

19. the jury is （still） out：（答案或觀點）尚不明確，懸而未決