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Steve Wozniak on Galaxy Gear, Google Glass, & Future of Wearables


Steve Wozniak on Galaxy Gear Google Glass & Future of Wearables Xconomy

Source: http://www.xconomy.com/wisconsin/2014/07...

In recent months, smartwatches and other wearable tech has been the hot topic in interviews with Wozniak. So, when the Woz visited Milwaukee last week to speak at theFlying Car innovation conference, I decided to see if his outlook on wireless devices has changed at all.

The short answer: no. But he did share some funny anecdotes about his experiences with wearables and voiced a measured attitude toward the devices’ future that is refreshing to hear, considering the general hype among tech companies (and media).

Wozniak still thinks that smartwatches won’t be truly useful until the screens get bigger. (He’s previously said that foldable, plastic displays could be the answer to that problem. The idea is that wrapping a larger screen around the arm would avoid potential clunkiness.)

And he still wants the world on his wrist.

“I want my smartphone here, but I really want the whole thing,” Wozniak said after his Milwaukee keynote discussion. “I don’t want just a little Bluetooth connection to the smartphone in my pocket because then it’s just an intermediary, an extra thing I buy to get what I already have and have to carry anyway.”

SamsungPebble, and Qualcomm are among the companies that have come out with smartwatches, but thus far, Wozniak’s favorite is one made by Martian. It doesn’t have a touch screen, but a tiny display below the watch hands indicates who is calling, and the watch has a good speaker, Wozniak said.

The worst smartwatch that Woz has tried? The Samsung Galaxy Gear.

“That was the only technology I bought to experiment with that I threw out after half a day, sold it on eBay because it was so worthless and did so little that was convenient,” Wozniak said. “You had to hold it up to your ear and stuff.”

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I wonder why Woz doesn't come back to Apple. He's got good instincts. 

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