Smartwatches - Future Technology With Backwards Thinking
Last year, I became one of the self-named 'early adopters' who jumped on a bandwagon that was going at full speed - I ordered a Pebble watch.
I had a choice of colours - white, grey, red, orange and black; I chose grey as my female fashion mind said 'grey will go with anything and white will get too dirty'.
Because Pebble was THE buzz, as was Kickstarter, I had to wait three months for the watch to arrive. Lo and behold it did and I was SUPER excited.
For those that don't know, the Pebble watch is one of the first smartwatches with actual usability - by connecting via bluetooth to your iPhone and Android through a smartphone app. It uses ePaper techology meaning the battery lasts a good few days and doesn't take long to charge. From there, it accesses your notifications, and any you have set to alert, will appear on your watch. Not only that, you can control your music, answer calls, and develop and download watch apps (I particularly like Snake). The RunKeeper app (though not the best running app out there) syncs with Pebble so you get updates straight to your wrist!
Anyway, I digress - the Pebble watch is pretty amazing. Not long after I got my Pebble, my colleague acquire a Galaxy Gear, that ever so irritating better smartwatch with its own issues. It is bright orange, has a smooth interface, and a creepy camera in the strap (creepy because how do you know when someone is taking a picture?). It also has a shorter battery life than the Pebble and is NOT waterproof (which the Pebble is). So comparing the two, you'd say the Galaxy is prettier, the Pebble is more practical.
Then, CES 2014 came, along with a new Pebble design - the same functionality, just a better model - the Pebble Steel. Ooooh! It's shiny! It's sleeker! It's...totally a man's watch.
My Pebble watch is already quite bulky, and masculine, but you'd expect that from a Mark 1 design; the only time the size and bulkiness annoys me, is that it attracts all the attention on my left hand away from the absolutely BEAUTIFUL engagement ring I have.
Which brings me to the issue with smartwatches. I understand that they have to be large enough to hold whatever computer needed to make it smart; I also get that Pebble's 'basic' design means it is more affordable (a mere $150); but what about us girls?
Granted, I'm not an advocate of the pink laptops that made their appearance designed specifically for women, or the Bic pens for women - we can use the same computers and tablets as you guys - and we think they look quite good. But when it comes to wearable technology, the division of the genders becomes more apparent. I'm also not the most girliest of girls, but I do have an identity as a woman - and I'm proud to do so.
There are numerous campaigns for women to be more involved in tech - I am in the process of becoming a STEMNET Ambassador, something that means you are trying to influence girls to get into such a male-dominated industry. The two 'next big things' in tech appear to be more influential women in the industry, and wearable technology - these two don't mix when the designs of these smartwatches do NOT appeal to the female gender.
Please, Pebble, you're amazing, please think about us girls when you're designing your next one!
I had a choice of colours - white, grey, red, orange and black; I chose grey as my female fashion mind said 'grey will go with anything and white will get too dirty'.
Because Pebble was THE buzz, as was Kickstarter, I had to wait three months for the watch to arrive. Lo and behold it did and I was SUPER excited.
For those that don't know, the Pebble watch is one of the first smartwatches with actual usability - by connecting via bluetooth to your iPhone and Android through a smartphone app. It uses ePaper techology meaning the battery lasts a good few days and doesn't take long to charge. From there, it accesses your notifications, and any you have set to alert, will appear on your watch. Not only that, you can control your music, answer calls, and develop and download watch apps (I particularly like Snake). The RunKeeper app (though not the best running app out there) syncs with Pebble so you get updates straight to your wrist!
Anyway, I digress - the Pebble watch is pretty amazing. Not long after I got my Pebble, my colleague acquire a Galaxy Gear, that ever so irritating better smartwatch with its own issues. It is bright orange, has a smooth interface, and a creepy camera in the strap (creepy because how do you know when someone is taking a picture?). It also has a shorter battery life than the Pebble and is NOT waterproof (which the Pebble is). So comparing the two, you'd say the Galaxy is prettier, the Pebble is more practical.
Then, CES 2014 came, along with a new Pebble design - the same functionality, just a better model - the Pebble Steel. Ooooh! It's shiny! It's sleeker! It's...totally a man's watch.
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| The Pebble and the Galaxy Gear...not so smartwatches? |
My Pebble watch is already quite bulky, and masculine, but you'd expect that from a Mark 1 design; the only time the size and bulkiness annoys me, is that it attracts all the attention on my left hand away from the absolutely BEAUTIFUL engagement ring I have.
Which brings me to the issue with smartwatches. I understand that they have to be large enough to hold whatever computer needed to make it smart; I also get that Pebble's 'basic' design means it is more affordable (a mere $150); but what about us girls?
Granted, I'm not an advocate of the pink laptops that made their appearance designed specifically for women, or the Bic pens for women - we can use the same computers and tablets as you guys - and we think they look quite good. But when it comes to wearable technology, the division of the genders becomes more apparent. I'm also not the most girliest of girls, but I do have an identity as a woman - and I'm proud to do so.
There are numerous campaigns for women to be more involved in tech - I am in the process of becoming a STEMNET Ambassador, something that means you are trying to influence girls to get into such a male-dominated industry. The two 'next big things' in tech appear to be more influential women in the industry, and wearable technology - these two don't mix when the designs of these smartwatches do NOT appeal to the female gender.
Please, Pebble, you're amazing, please think about us girls when you're designing your next one!
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