The airline passengers of the Virgin Atlantic had a preview of the future of flying as they were met by a crew-donning either a Google Glass or a Sony Smartwatch2 Last February 2014. Google Glass is the most famous and most talked about cutting-edge wearable technology launched the same year. This piece of accessory can provide the cabin crew with personal information as each passenger steps on the threshold of the plane.
That is indeed one unique travel experience you’ll remember for a long time or at least until this technology becomes common for all airlines. Until then, it is something you can boast about.
Wearable Technology: The Jargon
If the term is not that familiar to you, it will soon be as it is expected to rock the world this year. Just like any technology, the wearable genre comes pricey at the onset. It is not for ordinary mortals to own and to wear, yet. Some onlookers are even laughing at these wearables thinking it is something they won’t ever wear; not too fast!
Watching the sales figures shooting from 3.1 million (2011) to 8.3 million (2012), however, it is something worth watching. It is estimated that in 18 months (or mid-year 2016) it will be as common as a smartphone. Maybe you will still feel uncomfortable wearing it until such time when the fashionistas flashing it and starting the craze.
The Fashion
Chic-looking cabin crew wearing Google Glasses will impress you (and everyone else on the flight) as they look like they just stepped from a sci-fi movie. Get familiar with wearable technology, the advanced and expensive technology being integrated into accessories that people can wear. If you are having hesitation about how you would look with it… here’s the good news: Geek chic: Wearable Technology Hits the Road in 2015. This is posted in CNN – Breaking News.
“From musical hats to shirts that not only fit, but help you keep fit, what once was science fiction has become cyber fact.
The good news is that refined designs mean it’s now possible to look chic — rather than geek — in the latest inventions.
Imagine bracelets that give you apps like directions or the beeps of your heart or pulse, a ring that you can use to capture images and send via social media or a pair of eye glasses likes Google Glasses. These are fashionable wearable technology you’ll come to know soon enough.
Travel 2015 and Wearable Technology
In travel where the industry needs to respond to their clients’ needs with haste, it will be hard to ignore its impact. At best, companies must try to invest on some of the most promising ones. At worst, they must monitor how the traveling public is responding to these technologies to stay attuned and be able to join the bandwagon, if needed.
In the article, CNN cited several wearables expected to make it big in this year in the coming years.
Take the Ralph Lauren Polo Tech Shirt.
- First worn by ball boys at this year’s U.S. Open, it’d look good in any hotel gym.
- What’s so smart about it? A conductive band with bio-sensing fibers beneath your chest picks up heart rate and breathing data, while additional built-in wizardry logs every step taken and every calorie burned.
- Available in 2015, the Polo Tech Shirt streams real time data to your smart phone and tablet app.
The Apple Watch …
- It can pull up your boarding pass and flight itinerary, store photos and check the weather while controlling thermostats, door locks and lights back home.
- And, naturally, you’ll be able to access email and your favorite travel apps.
Apps Make Speed Possible
The top apps that are likely to have an impact to travel are the following:
- Apps that are more indispensable to savvy travel as these become more integrated with good travel experience.
- Speed can’t be better emphasized in 2015; it will all be about who can hop on a plane faster with nominal planning and use of a travel agent. Booking will be done mostly, not even by a computer, but by a wearable technology.
- Some Apps mentioned are “Hotel Tonight” that lets you book in 10 seconds and “TripIt “that can get you an alternative flight and give you information about aisle and window seats.
Exploration Apps
Travelers with a penchant for adventure and exploration will get braver with empowering smart apps.
- “Yelp Monocle” can overlay real images using smartphone camera finding spots you need – restaurants and bars, shops, hotels, and other landmarks or attractions.
- “Wikitude” is like Yelp Monocle because it can use real world images, except it has a multitude of worlds, but only shows what are in the locality.
- “Google “can generate and make available information such as translations and agenda. It has to prepare for competition: “Samsung’s Gear Blink” is coming this 2015. It boasts of an augmented reality app that makes a keyboard pop to conveniently let you type into thin air.
- “Hush” comes handy when you want to shut out all noises to better concentrate and relax while taking pictures of fantastic views. It is the smartest earplug to date; it can block everything else but the alerts for your most important calls.
What will it take for you to don these wearable technologies while on travel this year? Rather than wait for celebs and icons to walk the runway or red carpet with these, why not take the lead? You can pick the one that will be most useful and chic for you, set the trend and make life on the road so much easier.
