I changed the headline - but only to remember you: Please take a minute for my survey:

What is the best wearable product today?

Just click here at Products - then you get a list of all entries in the category product. Choose what you think is the best product in the list and then vote it (At the bottom of every entry.)

Thanks for your participation! Right now I have 100 entries in this category - that means that the market has evolved in an impressive rate. It's time to check what you think will survive or become successful or just is a great idea!

I will report the results here next month. If a product is not listed - just leave a comment. AND - please tell everybody!

sincerely yours,
Michael

Seldom enough I'm at Gizmode the last year - however this entry inspired me:

It creates a body area network (BAN) that lets you communicate with other peripherals by touching them. So for example, you could print documents from your PDA by touching a compatible printer or transfer files from your PDA by touching a computer.

Looks like touch is another element of the social interface. It's is a bit more direct like face2face communication is. What brings me to the next idea that we have to differ between mass, group and personal communication in the social interface too.

Via Gizmodo

"I've been trying to get pregnant, and I haven't been getting pregnant." Ok, sometimes even the most natural things can become difficult. Any help is welcomed - like this sensor watch that helps woman to know when the best day is to get pregnant (or vice versa ;-).

How does it works:

At different days of the cycle women have different surges of salt levels in their body and sensors in the watch pick up on those surges. Some researches suggest the four days before ovulation are the best time to conceive so the makers of the watch say knowing that will increase your chances.

Sounds not sooo precise... But who knows...

Via kutv.com - Device Shows Women Most Likely Day To Conceive

Wearable displays were a real hype some years ago. But this product category had kind of a long sleep.

I always loved that idea. Computing power within a tiny box and a huge (virtual) screen. What the loudspeaker for music (most important), is the display for all kinds of computing applications.

The SeepuStar DV230 allows the user to enjoy high quality digital, flicker free videos that is bright and breathtakingly clear. The two enhanced definition displays gives the user a theatre experience (virtual 35" screen) that is personal and portable.

Price is 250 US$ and 22Moo is currently seeking international distributors, partners, retailers... Just visit www.22moo.com.au.

Via: PR Web - SeepuStar DV230

The mobile will be replaced by wearable computers - that's the prediction of Professor Nigel Linge, University of Salford. He says "the future of telecommunications is "wearable technology"".

I love that quote:

He said the functions of the mobile phone will be dispersed into components which can be embedded within a person's clothing.

So what he predicts is that what happened with computers will next happen with mobiles. First we have the product itself, the computer or the mobile. Then we see some of their functions within little childs, called GameConsole or Gadgets for computer.

Ok, I guess the Professor really means components within clothes (like the micro). But I love the idea of functions like calls or organizer or games or text (or most of all the future functions of mobiles like diary and log and paybox) build into little wearable applications much more. It makes more sense to replace something not onyl with new hardware but software and service too...

Via YorkshireToday

And more here

Part I - What drives the world?

Convergence is probably the word of the century. Convergence of technologies, convergence of media etc. But what's about the structures behind these trends? What about the convergence of organizations, branches -> or even research, business and governement on the level of a society?

I met Mr. Strese from VDI/VDE for an interview about smart textiles and
found exact that. A company that is positioned in the middle of these huge changes.

The intend was to talk about the German project that supports companies in the smart textiles field. But I found much more and learned a lot about changes within a country and how they are managed by the example of Hi-Tech-Promotion.

This will be the content of this interview-series the next weeks.
Stay tuned. It's about the real future.

[Part II Company - Who is this?
Part III Future - How to find it and bring it to live?
Part IV Work - What is a "Call" and who answers?
Part V-VII - The smart textiles project]

WMMNA released an interview with Lalya Gaye from the Future Applications Lab, Viktoria Institute in Göteborg, Sweden.

She's an engineer and PhD graduate working in multidisciplinary projects that search to explore new territories of personal expression and creativity enabled by ubiquitous computing.

That and the fact that the northern countries are very active and successful in using new technologies made it worth to read the interview. Another good reason is that I had two entries the last days about wearable music and Lalya did research in that field too. From that base she moved to one of the hottest topics at all:

Right now the main themes we research on are mobile media, and robotic applications for everyday life. Marketing potential is not on top of our group's list, we would rather prioritise relevant and interesting findings from a research perspective. However, it does not hurt if something we do has some commercial potentials.

There are two notes I like very much: The word "design" for example might mean different things depending on if you are an computer engineer or a product designer for example.

And on the question what an "artistic approach" can offer:
I guess it could be perspectives on the usefulness and meaning of the technology? Art questions common assumptions of what technology is for and what it achieves. Ubicomp is meant to become a pervasive presence in people's lives and with this come issues of personal integrity, democracy, etc. Therefore it is important to question what form and impact this presence could have.

The institute is financed by funding mostly - if you're interested to fund research in this field.

via WMMNA

Just a note to keep that idea: sometimes it's so so simple to find a solution without using hi-tech. If it is always perfect or reasonable is just another question, however this one works fast and easy:

The Clipped Tag, developed at IBM's Watson Research Center, allows consumers to tear off the majority of an RFID tag's antenna, reducing the tag's read range to just a few inches, ensuring consumer privacy while maintaining the benefits of the technology, such as product authentication or recalls.

Via the RFID-Weblog

The electronica 2006 opened in Munich, Germany and they have a wearable technologies section too.

Adidas and Atlantik Networxx present a hi-tech martial arts vest that was tested in Taekwondo already and will be market next year.

A pneumatic system measures the power of impact or the punch and a tiny sender on the back sends the data via Bluetooth to a computer who brings back the information instantly.
Up to five kicks and strokes can be displayed simultaneously.

There are other products of interest too like a tiny new microphone from Infineon using MEMS technology.

About electronica:
For four days, Munich will be staging the international electronics industry's most important event: electronica 2006. The world's leading trade show in this sector presents the entire spectrum of electronics and puts the latest trends and developments on exhibit. The event will be focusing on high-growth applications in the automotive, wireless, and embedded segments as well as in micro- and nanotechnology.

The wearable air guitar is in the news everywhere so here is another one - but much older - concept. It's reminds me to the times of synthi-pop and wave:

Dubbed "Miburi" and released by Yamaha in the 1990s, this wearable instrument allows for 1980s-style outlandish and synthesized performance.

Miburi stands for "Bodyshaker" and it looks like that if you see the video. The whole set you need is made from electronics. A fact that shows why electronic is part of wearable computing or somehow roots and history too.

I would say that everyone feels the fun that one could have with such a product. However both examples doesn't look like you can bring it to the market today. Perhaps it's really time to produce something for the consumer. Even air guitar festivals would be different. But there could be a W-Music festival too.

At the last CeBit I saw a band playing musiv only with joysticks. Perhaps it's time to rethink music-making at all? Remember the movie "The Dancer"? What a great idea to make music with your body. Music-making and dancing becomes one. (I would like to add that even those dancing scenes in SciFi movies would look more "future" with that idea.)

Via CrunchGear

Imagine you play air guitar wearing jeans and t-shirt - but you really produce music! That's whats possible since monday (but in a first easy application).

The T-shirt has motion sensors built into its elbows that pick up the wearer's arm motions and relay them wirelessly to a computer which interprets them as guitar riffs, said Richard Helmer, an engineer who leads the research team from the government's Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization

You can not really play a guitar because the t-shirt can not interpret riffs. But you can have a lot of fun by simply being loud :-)

Via T-shirt turns "air guitar" strumming into music

Big prices were given in New Zealand 4 days ago at the Techno Fashion event in Canterbury.

The description of the event is just another word for Techwear:

Techno Fashion is where technology and fashion combine to create garments worn on the body.
Garments that may even be marketable to the public after the event on November 9th 2006.

And the winner are:
New Zealand Techno Fashion 2006
Supreme Winner 2006
* HITLabNZ Best Functional Design 2006
* Science Alive Best Futuristic Design 2006

Attention: Even if it is TechnoFashion -the site loads so so slow..

But check here for yourself - it's worth it.

Here are the categories and the money included:

An outstanding designer is someone who is able to see and know what the future is about. And so is wearable art - a look into what will happen the next years.

It's just different to Wired and the "tech future scene". Wearable art is about our social life. Even in times of Web 2.o and "social" networks - real life is still much bigger then the "use of interactive media". Yes, I avoid the term virtual life because this "world" still is no world.

Look at the real world - most of mankind even in US or Europe or Asia is offline. And even the Digital Natives (term from Ossi Urchs) are offline most of their times. What I want to say is that if it comes to questions about social trends look at the designer (and artists too).

During the ninth annual Wearable Art Fashion Show one describes the postmodern era:
"We're pieced together by all these different influences within our lifetimes, and we pick and choose what we use for the creation of our own sense of self," said Bauserman, who teaches art to preschoolers in the day and is a wearable art instructor at the Visual Arts Center of Richmond.

What brought me to describe my term "Social Interface". The following quote gives me a starting point:

"It brings another dimension to an art medium that incorporates the human body in a physical level and an emotional level," Blow said.

Long start short end:
Social interface means the third level: communication. We are not only physical and emotional but also social beings. We live in a world of symbols with a lot of meanings. It's not only about language. Communication is so much more.

Whenever you start your day and think about what to wear: think yourself - what are the reason to choose this shirt and not another one?

In a communication age my guess is that the third level will become more important then the other two. And my other guess is that the social interface is the concept that drives Techwear and Wearable Computing.

Enjoy the pictures of the wearable art show here.

Read on: TimesDispatch.com | Pipe cleaners, puzzle pieces, paper create 'uber' fashion