'Wearable' Tech: What Agents Need to Know
by Andrew Sheivachman /If you’ve been in a major city in the last few months, you may have seen someone futzing with their metallic glasses or poking at a large watch on their wrist.
The influx of new devices, dubbed wearables, has the potential to change how people live their daily lives and interact with the world around them – including in their travels.
The future may not be now for these devices but travel agents should be aware of what they are and how clients might use them.
The introduction of Google Glass in 2012 marked the beginning of a trend that connects your smartphone to other devices on your person with a wearable head-mounted display integrated into glasses, a watch with a touch screen or bracelets with a small display.
Users can now seamlessly access information stored on their smartphones, search the Internet with a voice command or take photos without taking their smartphone out of their pocket.
The way we travel
While the devices raise a variety of safety and security concerns, they are likely to become ubiquitous and become a part of how people travel.
Imagine the promise of your client receiving an automatic guided tour of Paris through their Google Glass or flight updates delivered seamlessly to their wrist as they wait at their gate.
The impact
Here are four thoughts on how wearable technology can, and will, impact your life and your clients’ travel experience.
1. Expect a deluge of devices, soon
Most people’s first introduction to wearables was through wearable fitness trackers like Fitbit, Nike’s Fuelband and others.
But now Google has taken the industry lead in wearables, with its pricy $1,500 Google Glass program open to all and its new Android Wear smartwatch program.
Apple is expected to announce its foray into the market later this year with the iWatch, though it has not officially released information on the device. Samsung, LG and other electronic manufacturers have announced their devices already. Microsoft will probably enter the market, too.
This holiday season will likely be a bellwether for consumer adoption of wearables.
2. Bandwidth and battery concerns
Most wearables now work by pairing with your phone and connecting to it like a personal wi-fi hotspot.
However it is often costly to use your phone as a personal wi-fi hotspot; there will be additional monthly fees in addition to the cost of increased data usage.
Your phone battery will also drain faster than ever before.
So in addition to whatever expensive device you buy, you will also likely shell out much more per month on your mobile bill if you decide to invest in a smartwatch. This could turn off many value-conscious travelers from wearables.
3. Not feasible overseas . . . yet
Due to their reliance on using the smartphone as a portable hotspot, it will be impossible or prohibitively expensive to use wearables abroad for now. So unless your client is a wealthy technophile, the devices probably won’t complicate their travel experience just yet.
But over time, as bandwidth becomes more affordable and devices are standardized across different countries, wearables will become more suited for use during travel.
When they do, that will change things.
Companies are experimenting with bluetooth "beacons" that will send information to your wearable as you walk by. Imagine the power of a guided tour of the Louvre that responds to your location or receiving in-depth information as you walk by exhibits at the zoo. Expect tour ops to embrace this technology soon.
4. Effect on travel shopping
The popularity of wearables is unlikely to directly impact the travel shopping experience for most people.
Besides travel deals potentially being pushed to a device, consumers are unlikely to start booking en masse on their wearables.
The devices are designed for more passive use and are more difficult to navigate than traditional smartphones or tablets.
Still, travel agents stand to benefit from consumer confusion as more devices fragment the travel buying process.