The document discusses various wearable technologies that were on display at SXSW 2014, including Google Glass, smart watches, gaming tech like Oculus Rift, and health devices like Fitbit. It provides ratings for each on usability, coolness, practicality, and novelty. While the technologies were novel, the document concludes that most current wearable tech is useless as it replicates what smartphones can already do, and true transformation will require expanding their capabilities to provide useful information that can drive behavioral changes.

1. Wearable Technology
SXSW 2014
Ryan Davidson
Technical Director
@Discorax

2. The good, the bad, and the WTF!?

3. You’re Doing It Wrong

4. Google Glass
Was everywhere!

5. What you actually look like
using Google Glass in public.
So, who can actually use this?
• Technicians
• Surgeons
• Anyone that could use
access to alerts or
information quickly
On a scale of 1-10
Usability: 4
Coolness: 2
Practicality: 6
Novelty: 9
Overall: 5
# of Sightings: ~42
There were easily
hundreds of these
being worn around
the streets of Austin.

6. Smart Watches
While cool, these devices
Appear to have limited
Practical application beyond
what a normal watch would do.
The form factor is so small it’s
difficult to read much more
than your calendar or a tweet
and interaction is very difficult.
Also, you have to pair it with
your phone so you still need
your phone in your pocket to
use the device.
Samsung Galaxy GearPebble Watch
“I love snapping
pictures when people
think I’m just checking
what time it is.”
- H. Casteel
On a scale of 1-10
Usability: 3
Coolness: 7
Practicality: 5
Novelty: 2
Overall: 4

7. Gaming Tech
The wearable
gaming tech had
some bright spots.
Resolution and
latency are still an
issue, but both are
improving rapidly.
Moff smart toyOculus Rift
Usability: 7
Coolness: 8
Practicality: 4
Novelty: 7
Overall: 7
Epson Movario Glasses
Usability: 8
Coolness: 7
Practicality: 6
Novelty: 6
Overall: 7
Usability: 10
Coolness: 8
Practicality: 8
Novelty: 9
Overall: 9

8. Wearable Health
While not as easily
spotted, there were
plenty of people
keeping track of the
miles they walked
between sessions on
their fitbit, Nike
Fuelband, and other
health devices.
FitbitSpree Fitness Headband
Usability: 6
Coolness: 3
Practicality: 2
Novelty: 7
Overall: 5
Nike Fuelband
Usability: 6
Coolness: 7
Practicality: 6
Novelty: 2
Overall: 5
Usability: 6
Coolness: 4
Practicality: 6
Novelty: 2
Overall: 4

9. Other
Some of the best and
brightest from SXSW
2014 included a
motorcycle helmet
with 360 views and
HUD, a solar dress
that can charge your
phone, and a wifi
body suite.
B.B. Suit –
Wearable Wifi
Skully Smart Motorcycle Helmet*
Usability: 8
Coolness: 10
Practicality: 10
Novelty: 9
Overall: 9
Wearable Solar
Usability: 8
Coolness: 8
Practicality: 8
Novelty: 8
Overall: 8
Usability: 4
Coolness: 2
Practicality: 4
Novelty: 7
Overall: 4
*Winner of the SXSW 2014 Wearable Tech Award

10. Key Takeaway:
The current Wearable Tech is pretty much useless at the moment. It’s almost always
an attempt to replace something your smartphone already does. It makes it so you
don’t have to take it out of your pocket, that is the only advantage. That not enough
to make it transformative. It’s simply novel. However, there are opportunities to
expand wearable tech and the data it produces to create smarter systems that
provide us with information that we can use to drive behavioral changes. That’s when
Wearable Tech will become transformative.

11. THANK YOU