Wearable Technologies and Use In Business

What is meant by “wearable” technologies? The term includes Google Glass and similar head-mounted tech and cameras such as Autograph which is designed to clip to your clothing and take a photo every minute or so. It also includes watches with computers built in, referred to as “smartwatches”. Examples of these are the Pebble and the Samsung Galaxy Gear.

Benefits of Wearables

Google Glass can display your email without the need to open your computer. It can be programmed to display repair manuals so engineers can have them to hand without having them in hand.  It allows you to video your surroundings very easily and take photographs quickly so you can record some passing moment for future recall. Police forces around the world are adopting head-mounted video cameras so that officers can record their interactions with members of the public. This can be used as evidence against wrong-doers and also protect the police from claims of ill treatment when taking someone into custody. A wearable camera like Autograph can create a record of where you’ve been all day, who you’ve met and what you did. This can be a great help for people with memory problems, such as dementia sufferers. Smartwatches can be connected to smartphones and give the wearer notifications of the arrival of email and messages without having to get the phone out of the user's pocket. It is more discrete to check your wrist during a meeting than get your phone out of a pocket. The Pebble watch permits you to decline an incoming phone call with a press of a button.

Negative Connotations

It hasn’t been launched commercially yet, but Google Glass is being banned in public places as it is envisaged that it will blur the lines between privacy and acceptable technology use. Don’t believe Google when they say everyone knows you are filming because Glass has a little light on it. It is obvious that you should not be allowed to record videos or take pictures in cinemas. Some casinos object to the idea of taking photographs of what goes on in their establishments in case it opens up opportunities for cheating. Patrons of these establishments may well be asked to surrender their Google Glass headset when they frequent them. In November 2013, a diner at the Lost Lake Café (in Seattle, WA) was ejected after he refused to remove his Google Glass device. The owner David Meinert, who owns the restaurant, had banned the devices from his two establishments in the city. He asserts that Google Glass goes against conventional dining etiquette, where using a mobile phone or other electronic devices while eating is considered rude. If you have an Autograph, that automatically takes a picture every minute or so. Who could it photograph? Do you have to let everyone you know that you have taken their picture, in case they want to object? Suppose you are in the supermarket, and your Autograph photographs everyone in the check-out queues or you are walking along a busy street and it takes a photograph every minute. How do you ensure that all people “in frame” are happy to be in your photo stream?  How do passers-by know what you intend to do with your “candid snaps”? You may own a business that would object to someone entering wearing a camera. You might want to consider an acceptable use policy now rather than leave it until something untoward happens.