Invasion of the Body Snatchers：Wearable Devices Are Coming for You

2014-12-24MartynWilliams

新东方英语 2014年12期

Martyn+Williams

A place in your pocket is no longer enough for mobile gadget makers： Now， they want your body.

Just last week， Google trotted out1） Android Wear， its first big push to extend the dominant smartphone OS to wearable devices. The first Android Wear device， an LG smartwatch， was also announced and more are sure to come. Theyll add to scores of wearables that have been unveiled this year， starting at International CES2） in January.

The devices purport to improve lives—even to help save them—but not everyone is rushing to buy them. In this untested market， the many unanswered questions include concerns about user privacy and what form-factors will be comfortable and attractive enough for long-term use.

对移动设备制造商而言，你口袋里的空间已经不能满足他们的胃口：如今，他们想要你的身体。

就在上周（编注：英文原文发表于2014年3月28日），谷歌推出了Android Wear系统，这是其为将占市场主导的智能手机操作系统扩大到可穿戴设备领域而做出的首个重大举措。首款应用Android Wear的设备——LG智能手表——也宣布问世。可以肯定，更多的同类产品将纷至沓来。这些产品将进一步扩大可穿戴设备的阵容。自今年1月份的国际消费类电子展览会开始，已有众多此类设备被揭开面纱。

这些可穿戴设备旨在改善用户的生活——甚至有助于拯救他们的生命——但并非每个人都会争相购买这些产品。在这个还未经检验的市场中，还有许多问题尚未解决，包括对用户隐私的担忧，以及哪些规格足够舒适和具有吸引力，从而获得用户的长期青睐。

Big Business 大生意

Its easy to see what vendors3） are getting excited about. If wearables take off the way some predict they will， their market potential is huge， and the space is still wide open， with no dominant player.

The wearables business is expected to be worth more than US$1.5 billion in 2014， almost double its value in 2013， according to a report by Juniper Research. The U.K. market research company said 2014 will be “the watershed year” for wearables.

Vendors rush to corner4） the market was perhaps best explained by Kaz Hirai， CEO of Sony， while speaking at CES. “You have only two wrists and one head； you cant wear 10 different products，” he said. “Once you secure someones wrist with a particular product， theyll usually stick with it.”

目前各供应商在为什么兴奋不已，这显而易见。如果可穿戴设备像一些人预测的那样大受欢迎，其市场潜力将是巨大的，而且该领域仍处于相当开放的阶段，没有哪家公司占主导地位。

英国市场研究公司Juniper Research发布的一份报告显示，2014年可穿戴设备的产业规模预计将超过15亿美元，几乎是2013年的两倍。该公司表示，2014年将是可穿戴设备产业的“分水岭”。

各供应商正急于垄断市场，究其缘由，索尼公司的首席执行官平井一夫在国际消费类电子展览会上的发言给出了最好的解释。“一个人只有两只手腕、一个头，你不可能戴十种不同的产品，”他说，“一旦你用一款特定产品占据了某人的手腕，他通常会一直用这款产品。”

Small Beginnings 小开端

The current boom in wearables can be traced back to around 2006 when Nike gave the pedometer5） a digital twist. Its small Plus device slipped into a running shoe and counted the steps taken and time elapsed on a run. The information was sent to an iPod application and to an online community where people could track and compare their workouts.

Other companies followed， and in late 2008 Fitbit6） attracted considerable attention with its namesake fitness tracker. It captured the imagination of many because it was small， could be worn easily and silently collected data all day long—no matter what shoes you were wearing.

Whats more， it didnt require a constant connection to a smartphone. It could be worn at work， at home or at the gym and uploaded the data once in range of a docking station7）. The device matched well with the constant connectivity of the smartphone era that was just beginning.

可穿戴设备当前的繁荣可以追溯到2006年前后，当时耐克对其计步器进行了数字改造，将其小小的Plus设备塞进跑鞋里，计算跑步的步数和消耗的时间。这些信息被发送到一款iPod应用程序中，同时也被传至一个在线社区。在这个网络社区里，人们可以了解自己的锻炼情况，并与别人进行比较。

随后其他公司纷纷跟进。2008年晚些时候，Fitbit公司凭借其同名产品Fitbit健身记录器引起了广泛关注。该记录器引起了许多人的兴趣，因为它体积小，佩戴方便，可以整天默默地收集数据——不论你穿什么样的鞋。

更重要的是，Fitbit不需要一直连接智能手机，在公司、家里或者健身房都可以戴，而且只要有扩展坞，就能上传数据。该设备与智能手机时代的持续联网特点相得益彰，而其时这一时代才刚刚开始。

The Second Wave 第二波

Fitbit followed up with additional products. Its Fitbit Force is a wristband-type device with a small digital display. Its still based on the concept of step-counting， but the app extrapolates additional data including distance traveled， minutes of activity， and calories burned. An altimeter8） estimates the number of steps climbed. If users keep it on while they sleep， it will even attempt to measure sleep quality.

Nike has improved its device and sells the Fuelband SE. The $150 wristband tracks an entire day of activity and measures performance against user-defined goals. Its set up through a companion iPhone app.

As innocuous9） as fitness trackers may appear， not everyone is comfortable having their every move， and sleep-wake cycles， uploaded to become yet another form of very personal “big data” stored and potentially used in as yet unforeseen ways by third parties.

Fitbit公司继续跟进，又推出一些新产品。Fitbit Force是一款腕带式设备，带有一个小型数字显示器。该产品仍然基于计步的理念，但其应用程序可以推知额外的信息，包括行走距离、活动时间和消耗的热量。设备上的高度计可以估算出用户所爬的台阶数。如果用户睡觉时也戴着它，它甚至能衡量用户的睡眠质量。

耐克也改进了设备，其出售的产品是Fuelband SE智能健身腕带。这一款售价150美元的腕带可以追踪用户一整天的活动，并根据用户设定的目标衡量其活动状况。该设备通过一款配套的iPhone应用程序进行设置。

尽管健身追踪器看上去没有什么危害，但是要把用户的每个动作和醒睡周期都上传到网上，成为另一种形式的个人“大数据”，由第三方存储并有可能以无法预见的方式利用，这可不是每个人都乐意的。

Apple on the Horizon 苹果虎视眈眈

In late 2012， news reports surfaced that Apple was developing a smartwatch with Intel. Apple hasnt confirmed that the project even exists， but its success in redefining the portable music and smartphone markets means a lot of attention is focused on the Cupertino10） company. “I think the wrist is interesting，” Apple CEO Tim Cook told the All Things D conference last May. “But as I said before， for something to work here you first have to convince people its so incredible that they want to wear it.”

Thats what a handful of companies are already trying to do with so-called “smart watches” that connect to Android phones. Sonys Smartwatch 2 runs dedicated apps that bring Gmail， Twitter and Facebook to the wrist. The device has won praise for good looks， but a constant criticism has been the resolution of the 1.6-inch LCD screen. At 220 by 176 pixels， graphics and text sometimes appear a little jagged11）. And notifications arent synched12）： If a message is read on the watch， it remains unread on the phone. Clearly， the technology is still at an early stage.

Samsung jumped into the market with its Galaxy Gear range of products. Originally just a smartwatch—that received a muted13） response from reviewers—the range now consists of two smartwatches and a fitness band.

“Theres no question that Samsung， with the Galaxy Gear， wanted to get in there before Apple，” said Carolina Milanesi， a director at Kantor Worldpanel. Some companies are holding back， she thinks， waiting to see what Apple comes out with rather than competing pro-actively. “Whatever Apple is going to do， it will change the market，” she said.

2012年末，有新闻报道称，苹果公司正与英特尔合作研发一款智能手表。尽管苹果尚未证实是否真有这个项目（编注：苹果已于2014年9月发布智能手表Apple Watch），但它在重塑便携式音乐播放器和智能手机市场方面的成功使人们的注意力都集中在了这家位于库比蒂诺镇的公司身上。“我对手腕很感兴趣，”苹果公司首席执行官蒂姆·库克去年5月在All Things D会议上说，“但正如我之前所说，要想某个产品有市场，你首先得说服人们，让他们相信这个产品真的很了不得，这样他们才愿意戴上它。”

这正是目前几家公司业已着手做的事情，他们针对的是可以连接到安卓手机的所谓“智能手表”。索尼的第二代智能手表运行专门的应用程序，可把Gmail、Twitter和Facebook都集中到手腕上。这款设备的漂亮外形赢得了赞誉，但其1.6英寸液晶显示屏的分辨率却一直遭人诟病。由于像素只有220×176，图像和文本的显示有时会出现锯齿。此外，通知也不同步：消息在手表上读取以后，在手机上仍处于未读状态。很明显，这项技术仍处于早期阶段。

三星凭借其Galaxy Gear系列产品也投身这一市场。最初其推出的只是一款智能手表，评论者对之反应平平，而现在这一系列产品已包含了两款智能手表和一款健身带。

消费者研究公司Kantor Worldpanel的董事卡罗莱娜·米拉内西说：“毫无疑问，三星想凭借其Galaxy Gear系列产品抢在苹果之前打入市场。”她认为，一些公司目前犹豫不决，正观望苹果会推出什么产品，而不是主动竞争。她说：“无论苹果有什么动作，都将改变市场。”

Glasses 眼镜

Google Glass has garnered significant attention， good and bad. The head-mounted display projects information onto a small prism14） above the users right eye and has attracted controversy for its ability to record what the wearer is seeing. Privacy advocates charge that this function essentially turns Glass-wearers into mobile surveillance stations.

Wearers， called “explorers” by Google can read email， get directions and search the Internet. Google is keen to promote real-life applications， like surgeons using Glass in the operating theater， cyclists getting real-time directions and firefighters using it to see floor plans of buildings as they enter， but Glass appears to be little more than a gimmick for now.

Perhaps Googles biggest contribution wont turn out to be Glass but Android Wear， a new version of its Android OS for smartwatches and other wearables.

谷歌眼镜受到了极大的关注，有正面的也有负面的。谷歌眼镜的头戴式显示器把信息投射到用户右眼上方的小棱镜上，但由于其能记录佩戴者看到的东西，因而引来了不少争议。倡导隐私权的人士指责说，这一功能本质上把戴谷歌眼镜的人变成了移动监视站。

谷歌称戴这种眼镜的人为“探索者”。他们可以阅读邮件，获得导航信息，并能上网搜索。谷歌正积极推广该眼镜在现实生活中的应用，比如说外科医生将它应用在手术室中，骑自行车的人通过它获得实时方向，消防员进入建筑物时用它来观察建筑物的平面图。但谷歌眼镜现在似乎仅仅成了一个噱头。

或许最终我们会发现，谷歌最大的贡献不是谷歌眼镜，而是面向智能手表和其他可穿戴设备的新版安卓操作系统——Android Wear。

Into the Future 未来前景

One things for sure： Fitness trackers， smartwatches， and glasses wont be where wearables stop.

Thalmic Labs has developed an electromyographic15） sensor called Myo thats worn on the arm and picks up electrical muscle activity to interpret movements and gestures. A demonstration of the $149 device shows a person steering a drone16） by twisting his arm back and forth.

“The relationship between people and devices is getting closer，” said Stephen Lake， CEO of the Ontario company. “People are willing to wear different technology.”

While an armband might not be a stretch， how about a wig？ Sonys Smartwig connects to a smartphone and might include a GPS， camera， ultrasound transducer， and even a laser pointer. With enough sensors， the wig could read facial expressions by tracking the movement of skin， or figure out where a person is and what direction theyre looking in. It might provide a discreet vibration when a message is received.

A new communications protocol17） called Bluetooth Low Energy， which is just making its way into phones， is helping to push the industry forward.

“It enables devices to more easily and quickly connect and disconnect from other devices，” said Thalmics Lake. “Its really good when youre sending little packets of data. Traditionally it was a full-time connection， but Bluetooth LE sleeps and wakes and sends bits of data to bring dramatically longer battery life.”

While the potential uses for wearables are vast and getting more interesting， getting the majority of people to strap a computer on their body could be a tough order， especially in the wake of revelations18） about how much users are already tracked when they are online. In the end， whats still missing is that first killer app that causes consumers to forget their concerns about privacy in order to be part of the next big thing.

“Theres a lot of potential in this space， [but] the jury is still out19） on which applications will really compel consumers to go out and wear these products，” said Sony CEO Hirai.

有一件事是肯定的：可穿戴设备不会止步于健身追踪器、智能手表和眼镜。

Thalmic Labs公司开发了一款名为Myo的肌电图传感器。这一设备戴在胳膊上收集肌肉的电流活动，从而解读用户动作和手势的含义。该设备售价149美元，其产品演示展示了一个人如何通过来回扭动手臂来操控无人机。

“人与设备之间的关系越来越紧密了，”这家位于加拿大安大略省的公司的首席执行官斯蒂芬·莱克说，“人们愿意把不同的技术穿戴在身上。”

如果说智能臂环还不算离谱，那么智能假发呢？索尼的智能假发可以连接到智能手机上，它的程序可能包括全球定位系统、摄像头、超声波换能器，甚至激光笔。只要有足够的传感器，这款智能假发就可以通过追踪用户的皮肤活动来读取他们的面部表情，或者测出用户在哪儿，面朝哪个方向。当收到消息时，它可能还会轻微振动。

一项名为“低功耗蓝牙”的通信协议刚开始进入手机领域，这项新的协议有助于推动这一产业向前发展。

“该协议使设备与其他设备间的连接或断开变得更加便捷，”Thalmic Labs公司的莱克说，“当你发送少量数据包时，这一点确实很有帮助。传统上的通信协议需要全天候连接，但低功耗蓝牙通过休眠、唤醒、发送数据的工作方式显著延长了电池的使用寿命。”

尽管可穿戴设备有着广泛的潜在用途，而且这些用途越来越有趣，但要让多数人在自己身上绑台电脑，这个要求可能过高了，尤其是在用户上网时所浏览的内容已被大量跟踪这一消息被揭露后。说到底，我们仍缺少头号杀手级应用，这款应用要使消费者为了使用下一项重大的新技术而忽略隐私方面的担忧。

索尼的首席执行官平井一夫说：“这一领域潜力很大，（但）哪些应用程序能真正促使消费者出门时穿戴这些设备，这一点尚不明确。”

1. trot out：炫耀地出示

2. International CES：国际消费类电子产品展览会，通常被称为CES （Consumer Electronics Show），由美国电子消费品制造商协会主办，旨在促进尖端电子技术和现代生活的紧密结合。

3. vendor [?vend?（r）] n. 供应商，销售商

4. corner [?k??（r）n?（r）] vt. 垄断