More On The Linux Wrist Watch 115
Gareth writes "CNET has more information on IBM's wrist watch running Linux, including an interview with the vice president of research." A lot meatier than we had yesterday. It looks legit, but it's still looks pretty impractical (despite scoring many points on the old cool-o-meter).
About a year from now... (Score:1)
You people should really read.. (Score:4)
Re:Other OS Watches (Score:2)
HP-UX Watch: Rock solid and fast, but uses the incompatible base 8 time system. (ever tried compiling network apps on HP-UX?)
New Amiga Watch: Holographic time display, weighs less than a nickel, does your laundry, and speaks 193 languages, but no one's ever actually seen one.
BeOS Watch: Same as the New Amiga watch but it actually exists.
Re:What the...? (Score:2)
I bet whoever wrote this page was Japanese, and they didn't know exactly how to spell "daily" in English, so they used the kana spelling to guess. Unfortunatly, the Japanese have neither an l nor an r sound, just one that is kind of in-between, so when our hapless translater fell upon this sound he guessed, incorrectly.
Okay... (Score:3)
It's a FRIGGIN WRISTWATCH.
Jesus. I can only imagine the stop-the-presses-obsess-over-this coverage the day they get Linux running on The Clapper.
Another (Score:2)
What about an alert device, a messaging end-point for critical monitoring services on your network. Forget sending a message to your pager (20 seconds to 5 minutes or more delivery time), just send a UDP packet to a process on your watch, and get an instant alert or textual page right then and there. Respond with equal ease.
Granted, these things could be done with specialized software specifically designed from scratch to be put into a watch, but why re-invent when you can re-use? Linux provides the perfect framework for all sorts of experimentation like this. That's what makes it cool.
Re:So how do I use it? (Score:2)
Besides, how geeky would it look to have a big bulky keyboard (even laptop-sized or smaller) connected via a thin ribbon cable to a tiny screen strapped to your wrist. Imagine how annoying it would be to type and watch the screen at the same time. Heh.
cool-o-meter? (Score:1)
I'll second that. (Score:2)
The point is, IBM is interested in open source only insofar as it makes money. While I was there, I attended a seminar on open- source software run by one of IBM's hot intellectual property lawyers, where he did nothing but warn us about the "viral" nature of the GPL and LGPL and advise us about how to circumvent it.
Vovida, OS VoIP
Beer recipe: free! #Source
Cold pints: $2 #Product
Sorry, lcrappy ink (Score:2)
Vovida, OS VoIP
Beer recipe: free! #Source
Cold pints: $2 #Product
Linux seems a little overkill. (Score:2)
Even so there are advantages to using Linux. It means the API is open and programmers can go and set up their own programs to run in the watch as well. Not that I can see a huge range of programs that people would want to run in their watch. A PDA is slightly more usable in that regard for general computing. But no doubt others will manage to think of uses for such a system beyond simple databases and pager/appointment notification. Oh yes, and telling the time as well.
But the interface shown in that one picture we had the other day won't cut it. You don't want any of the conventional command line shells here. GUIs won't hack it here either, I don't think. This is one of those cases where I think you'd be better off defining the thing as a TERM of some sort and uses curses or something similar to manipulate the screen. And I'm being unimaginative when I say that I can't quite see the full point of a color bitmap display there, but I'll say it anyway. A postage stamp screen just doesn't give you much manuvering room for graphics. A PDA is nearing the bottom end in my personal taste on such things.
The inputs are going to be the buttons on the watch. At best you can make them analog buttons and get some degree of pressure sensitivity but that is all. Something like a calculator watch isn't going to hack it. And given a bunch of other problems I don't see voice input on these things either. Too awkward holding your wrist up to your mouth. That defeats the whole purpose to having something on your wrist.
Its an interesting proof of concept but needs a bit of work in the usability area.
What the...? (Score:4)
"Dairy alarm"
Now *that's* an odd thing for a watch to do. Does it let you know when your milk is going bad? When you're getting close to a lactating animal? I'm confused.
Of course, I'm also off-topic. Oh, well...
--- Chris
Re:Never likely to make it in the consumer arena.. (Score:1)
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Re:Whats going on here? (Score:1)
dave
Jikes Project
Never likely to make it in the consumer arena... (Score:1)
Re:Any uses? (Score:1)
No it's not. I can think of a couple dozen uses for a computer that size, especially with an RF communications link. I'll admit, though, that none of them involve strapping the thing to my wrist. (But I'm sure those straps would come off easy enough...)
User Interface (Score:1)
Pervasive Devices and Talent? (Score:1)
Is the shortage of UNIX-savvy folks still a problem, and if so, is the gap between demand and supply of UNIX people widening with all these new applications? Growth market for us UNIX weenies, but if the plumber has to be a sysadmin in the future, are we going to run out of plumbers?
Re:What the...? (Score:1)
Linux ad: (Score:1)
~afniv
"Man könnte froh sein, wenn die Luft so rein wäre wie das Bier"
What I want in a watch (Score:2)
The nice thing about using Linux is that it scales to all of these levels, has the flexibility to allow third parties to add capabilities later, has a huge installed user and developer base to mine for cool applications, is incredibly stable and reliable, and is powerful enough to facilitate uses none of us have yet thought of (multi-user capabilities to allow users to securely move data between watches, lend watches to friends without having to worry about the privacy of their own data, etc. etc.). Give it a nice, friendly palm like GUI and it would be a truly killer app.
[1]Video Phone capabilities optional
Core wearable ubertoy? (Score:1)
I think it is cool.
Airlines? (Score:1)
prototype for teh future (Score:1)
I think it's good to get insight on what is to come. this reminds me of when honda has their design olimpics and engineers are allowed to come up with the wierdest modes of transport. it stretches the brain and opens more venues for inovation. ofcourse it's not practical but soon technology will catch up with the idea. me dream is to live to afford a pocket pc that straps to your arm, monitors yoru vital signs, which has a eyeglass heads up, which is totally undetectable, then uses the focus of yrou eyes to detect mouse movements. then ofcourse voice recognition and an attachable keyboard like interface. then have remote wireless network stations like cell phones do that way yoru constantly connected. just teh thought of being able to communicate like that.
<eyes bulging out> ooohh the possibilities.
Re:AVI Video Codec: Radius Cinepak is unsupported. (Score:1)
IBM Linux Commercial (Score:5)
Re:Whats going on here? (Score:1)
IBM has always been about pushing Big Iron. (For appropriate values of "Big".). Even if they make more money off Software and Services, the company culture seems to revolve around hardware sales. Or, perhaps more precisely "Integrated System Sales".
Linux is another sales point -- it runs on pretty much all their hardware now, and it gives them another way to relatively cheaply leverage the value of their hardware ERR "Integrated System Solutions" for their costomers.
one word (and a modifier) (Score:2)
now that would be a fun wristwatch
I sure hope this is a "proof of consept" (Score:2)
I do NOT want to see this in the stores...
I hear just about enough about problems with "Linux" that are problems in ONE distrobution, problems that no longer exist or problems that exist in the PC hardware design not in Linux.
[This on top of the FUD]
I do not need to be told how horrid Linux is by former Linux watch users...
Great proof of consept... wonderful.. Linux on a watch. Horray. It's done.. now stuff it in the nearest trash receptical and work on some other neat toy.
Re:Wow Dude! (Score:1)
Why too bad? Good for them. But I bet we could make it better and more "open", if what they have is anything like the phone services I know.
PS: No, not "ribit": coâa, coâa (French frog)
Real Groupware (Score:2)
This could make meeting interesting people a lot easier.
Imagine you're at a public place (a bar, a conference, a bus). Your watch contains some things you're interested in or that make you interesting (let's say you speak a weird language, have some furniture you want to sell, loved Stephen King's latest novel, are looking for someone to go white-water rafting next week). This information is continuously broadcast from your watch. Other people wearing/using a similar device can see a small picture of you if something catches their interest. They can then walk up to you and start up a conversation. Or if they're shy, call you or send an instant message.
Battery life sucks. (Score:1)
Whoever said in reply to the last article that you'd be better off with a mobile phone in damn near all situations pretty much had it pegged.
I
Computing power (Score:2)
This article has made me think about that more deeply - nowadays, there is more computing power in this digital watch than in a 10 year old PC.
As Jeffrey Harrow [compaq.com] would say, "We've only just begun!".
"Give the anarchist a cigarette"
very useful in vegas! (Score:1)
much subtler then whipping out your palm pilot or TI-80!
You switched topics (Score:1)
From your first post. Note that you specifically left aside the topic of Linux and confined yourself to HCI issues. I responded to those and successfully refuted you.
Now your question is "why Linux"? Why not? It's got all the items in place: software memory management for devices without the hardware, (wireless) networking, relatively simple API, access to much source code, very very portable. It's the ideal OS for research projects. And despite your claims, multi-process is very nice. I don't want the watch to stop telling time while it relays my secret conversation with Mata Hari. Multi-user is (on the face of it) less useful--but there's no bloat involved--additional users are just additional processes, which is already being handled.
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[OT] HCI (Score:2)
True.
"...more of the problem lies with the actual interfaces (ie: GUIs)." False.
"Most GUIs fall short or delievering a natural way of navigating, controlling and interacting with a computer."
How do we know that there ARE any natural (for humans) way to interact with a computer? A computer is totally unlike anything in evolutionary history, it wouldn't surprise me one bit to learn that most (all?) people just plain CAN'T comprehend it.
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Interaction is irrelevant (Score:5)
How would Linux on a watch be useful?
Telemetry: A million uses summed up in one word. Spies gathering intelligence. Scientists/Doctors gathering data (from the environment and/or from the wearer). Security officers (including police). Tracking/homing.
Data access: Sure, you can't do much general computing--but every (digital) watch has buttons. How about a "what's my current location" button with some GPS software installed? How about a modified Timex DataLink that links DIRECTLY to my PC (wirelessly)?
Communication: We laugh about Dick Tracy, but cellphone small enough to wear on your wrist would be revolutionary.
I thought of all the above while I was writing it. Surely someone who is actually involved in the field will think of many many more immediate uses. Then there is the "new platform" effect: Once everyone has a watch running Linux, what else becomes possible? No one predicted the Internet would explode once everybody had a PC...
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Gotta love the press (Score:3)
I know that IBM has been working for decades trying to modify the mystical "programming instructions" for AIX, and have been unsuccessful to date. Even multi-billion dollar companies have been unable to change their own operating systems. =)
Good way to interact with a watch (Score:1)
Re:Any uses? (Score:2)
Release the thing. The market will discover uses. When the laser was invented, it was billed as "a solution in search of a problem." The wristwatch form factor may not be what folks are after, but the size might be.
Mainframe on your wrist? (Score:2)
Anyone running MVS on their wrist would have to qualify as cool.
Re:AVI Video Codec: Radius Cinepak is unsupported. (Score:1)
Everything I've seen about IBM indicates that they are in it for the long haul. Expect IBM to gradually take a more and more pro-Linux stance. Probably decided that the timing wasn't quite right just yet.
Re: Multi-user (Score:1)
Certain core (root) processes should be protected from anything the user _can_ throw at them. The watch is a good idea, to see how far they can push it , and what the consequences are.
What applications will it run? (Score:2)
So a Linux watch that ran MAME or even Mozilla via the IR link would have enough street cred to allow you to answer the "wow, what a huge watch, what does it do, is it an electronic tag, are you on parole?" type questions. Something that size that allows you have a to-do list unfortunatly dosn't.
Re:Real Groupware (Score:1)
But obviously this would be a real computer on your wrist, and you could load it up with any software you like. So it's a lot more flexible than any specialized equipment.
Of course people are just going to put Tamagotchi and Tetris on it...
Dammit! Forgot the Compelling Application.... (Score:1)
On the screenshots, it doesn't actually display the time anywhere...
Not the point, I know..
Re:Hmm... (Score:2)
Re:Interaction is irrelevant (Score:1)
Check this watch [samsung.com] from Samsung out.
Check out Steve Mann's WearComp! (Score:2)
A GNU/Linux Wristwatch Videophone [slashdot.org]
Dilbert ring (Score:2)
Re:lmao (Score:1)
Hmm... (Score:5)
Of course.
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Quote from the article (Score:1)
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Re:What applications will it run? (Score:1)
Rob.
lmao (Score:1)
Re:A small question (Score:2)
[Note that the QPL does not have this clause; technically, everyone who rights an extension to QT is in violation of the license until they release the code -- even if they're only using it internally (e.g. when it's not done yet). They are required instead to pay a large fee for usage of the "professional edition". Since this is turning into a rant about QT anyway, let me just say that you're never going to get truly cross-platform code with the QPL because windoze use requires the professional edition also. GTK for windows may suck at the moment, but it eventually will be a good, free toolkit for windoze and *nix. QT has no such chance.]
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GPL views from down in IBM (Score:1)
Neaty Tools (Score:1)
BTW, I am still waiting for my Linux powered roller pen.
He said "innovation" (Score:1)
Damn, I wish Beavis & Butthead came back!
RTFA! (Score:1)
The purpose is not Just to run linux to tell the time. I think we all realise that.
Vi and Grafitti! (Score:1)
Re:C'MON ppl.... (Score:2)
great (Score:4)
Hey that's real innovation!
How about... (Score:1)
They could even put a little knob on the side; and when you pull it out and turn it, you can set the time.
Cool-o-meter (Score:1)
MORE POWER! (Score:1)
They've made a wrist watch that has more power then my Mom's computer?
I love technology!!!!
How soon can I get one plugged into my brain running off my body's checmical engery?
Oh... if I could only retake my math exams!!!
Wiwi
"I trust in my abilities,
Re:evolution (Score:3)
Maybe they are simply going to research on gnu/linux and then rewrite everything to their current operating system of choice.......they wouldn't, would they?
Well it's supposed to be impractical (Score:1)
I see this the start of something big (Score:1)
It's about how EVERYONE is getting enthused about linux and open source.
We are watching the public and the best computing firms switch to/embrace Linux.
I don't know about you, but I'm pretty excited about Tux growing up!
Re:Limitations of current HCI models (Score:1)
If.. the battery life can be turned into something reasonable..
This thing can update the time for itself like windows does, it can tell when you change time zones via GPS and always know to change times and update itself for spring/fall
Or just having a way to communicate with some of these cellular phone networks to sync its time(that is probably a whole new ball of wax tho
I think the trick is getting the battery life to something reasonable while keeping the time updates real time..
I am not familiar with ARM processors, is this feasible anyone?
Jeremy
If you think education is expensive, try ignornace
Re:Battery life sucks. (Score:1)
Committed? (Score:1)
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What else? (Score:1)
You've got to wonder what else IBM have cooking behind the scenes. It's highly likely that they are developing some brilliant new technology and keeping it quiet, until it's 5 - 10 years in development and then 'bam!', they'll take out the whole IT industry with a massive technology monopoly.
Now that I think of it, there are more than a few companies with a lot of excess cash to throw around. The mind reels, eh.
nf
Re:*head in hands* (Score:1)
IF you succeed installing Win on a wristwatch you'd still need the three additional keys... Sorry, but that's a fact, man...
Thank you.
//Frisco
--
"No se rinde el gallo rojo, sólo cuando ya está muerto."
Another Original idea by IBM? (Score:2)
ok... (Score:1)
The watch can tell time...
Am I missing something groundbreaking and revolutionary here?
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there already are plans for a watch like this (Score:2)
Or is that four? Or six if you expand the acronym?
Who knows.
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correct link here (Score:2)
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The EP7211 (Score:1)
Chris the MathFreak
Linux on Blue Gene!! (Score:1)
I would be VERY impressed with linux if it would scale up to the level of running on a 2^20 cpu machine. Yes that really is 1,048,576 processors (plus a few extra redundant ones). IBM intend to build a computer capable of a Petaflop or a quadrillion floating point ops a second.
Forget linux on wrist watches - we all knew it could do that, this is the real story.
But at the end of the day all we really want to know is how fast the Quake3 timedemo runs on bluegene
Re:So how do I use it? (Score:3)
They may also have thought that the watch could have an overly simplified menu system, and display data as requested. Since it is just a prototype demonstrating that it's possible to run Linux on a wrist-watch, it makes sense that the user interface isn't well thought out yet. If they ever planned on marketting it, they'd probably need to add some more buttons. Plus the battery only lasts two to three days, making it not the most useful of watches.
Linux on a wristwatch? (Score:1)
You guys have to realize something (Score:1)
This is one of the reasons why.
A small question (Score:1)
Since the kernel code is GPL'd, IBM should release their modifications or am i wrong ?
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Oooooh the precision... (Score:2)
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Re:[OT] HCI (Score:2)
Re:Limitations of current HCI models (Score:3)
Re:Any uses? (Score:3)
Proposed items by IBM research labs (Score:1)
- Clapper
- ToasterPPC
- Christmas lights
- Vibrating bed by Debian (supporting multiple concurrent processes for menage a trois)
- Scissors
- Marv Albert's toupee
The guy is spouting bullsh*t - witness: (Score:1)
>>
I couldn't read past that sentence, due to the infinite bogosity of it.
FatPhil
2nd attempt... The guy is truly spouting: (Score:1)
"Linux is a clone of Unix whose programming instructions can be modified"
What the buggerybollocks does that mean?
I couldn't read beyond that sentence.
(should've previewed last time I guess, ooops)
FatPhil
Cook wrist, season to taste. (Score:1)
Other OS Watches (Score:3)
Mac Watch: Straps to leg, made of transparent material and sphere rolls instead of hands to indicate global postion in relation to the Sun.
Sun Watch: Hands spin too damn fast too read.
Re:Any uses? (Score:2)
Yeap. A few good uses actually. Don't think of "The linux watch" think of it's components:
1) The linux operating system cut down to run an embedded system on an extremely small piece of hardware.
2) The small hardware. A wristwatch sized piece of equipment made by IBM to brag about their advances in shrinking the size of equipment.
3) The marketing. Non computer users and newbies know about watches. They are small. The fact that a computer can be the size of a watch gets more "Oooh" and "Ahhh" from the public than say...a computer the size of a 286 chip. It makes IBM look really good to make a device like this and the average person will remember it better than doubling the RPM's in a disk drive, or making a 2GHZ processor.
I think it's a good idea, and even though the watch itself is pretty useless, it's a good practice for them, and hopefully it precedes something useful.
A real scenario (Score:2)
<Linux Watch user>Yes, just a sec
[root@localhost]$date
Tue Aug 8 10:
<BATT LOW>
<BATT LOW>
<BAT
DAMN! I would swear I recharged it last night! Well, it's ten something, does that help?
<Random person> Umm, yea. Thanks (runs away)
Steven
evolution (Score:2)
Before Linux, IBM's research group had lost its enthusiasm for operating system work, Goyal said.
Linux, though, is ideal for research environments because its open-source nature encourages innovation that's not hobbled by licensing negotiations, he said.
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Let's trust them... (Score:2)
Conclusion, if it's good, IBM will work with it, however reluctant the "partner is". (In this case, Be wouldn't help IBM as they had too much to do with their own stuff, that's why IBM contacted distributors and bypassed Be Inc.)
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So how do I use it? (Score:4)
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Limitations of current HCI models (Score:4)
This may have the "coolness" factor, but it has precious little else in the way of utility. Leaving aside the questions of what point is there running Linux on a wristwatch since this is a "proof of concept" (i.e. scientists being paid to muck around with stuff they like), the fact of the matter is that human computer interaction is woefully lacking at the moment.
Until we can offer some alternative to the anachronistic technologies we are using today to interact with computers (keyboards? mice? not exactly intuitive for Joe Sixpack are they?) extending the domain for computers is going to fail.
We desparately need a new paradigm in HCI, because the ones we have at the moment just aren't applicable to things like wearable computers.
P.S. And I don't mean voice control either.
Here's a practical application (Score:2)