I saw the future at Internet World – and we’ll be wearing it.The annual show’s sprawled out at the Jacob Javits Center until tomorrow, so Surfer gURL slipped into her comfy shoes to surf the concrete floors.
The World seemed less crowded, less frenzied and less thrilling than in previous years. Maybe it takes more to shock these days.
It seemed more of the products and services were aimed at businesses rather than consumers – how to get everything delivered faster or wirelessly. A lot of it is all that behind the scenes stuff you don’t want to know about. You just want it.
What was hot and sexy and worth the bus fare to the convention center was Charmed Technology’s runway fashion technology showcase, “The Brave New Unwired World,” where sleek models in silver makeup and futuristic outfits – which looked retro in that “Jetsons” sense – displayed the latest and greatest available products and prototypes.
Some of these things were lame. One model wore a plastic-coated ballgown made from Red Herring covers – because the magazine was the sponsor of one of the shows. It was just silly.
And some of the products, or a version of them, we’ve seen before. Like the Palm V with wireless Web service, an MP3 player, or a Handspring Visor Deluxe.
The future in a Charmed world will feature humans wearing wrap-around Web glasses, such as “eShades,” and computers attached to our belts.
This future is almost here. Charmed will launch its Charmed Communicator by the end of the year. The Communicator is a wireless, broadband Internet device, controlled by voice, pen or a handheld keyboard. These modules will also be able to provide GPS (a global positioning system), MP3 players, digital photography and video capturing.
Right now the units cost about $2,000, but Katrina Barillova, a 27-year-old former teenage model from Czechoslovakia (who was recruited for spy training by the Czech government) and co-founder of Charmed Technology, said she wants the price to drop enough so they can practically give it away with a service package – in the same way phone companies give away a cellular phone when consumers buy a service.
Off the wall conceptual prototypes to help one’s love life include the Charmed PheroMate, a device which helps match one’s pheromones with a potential partner and the Charmed AromaBadge, which sprays different fragrances based on one’s state of excitement or arousal.
The models displayed a line of Charmed Alpha series prototypes, including an Alpha AudioPort, which looks like a sleek headset, but uses satellite technology to be a phone, voice messenger, radio and MP3 player.
The Charmed jewelry seemed too small to be true. A silver earpiece wirelessly connects to a cell phone, a ring lights up when electronic messages are received and a necklace is used for dictating e-mail.
Today at Internet World, IBM will unveil some prototypes for its silver digital jewelry, which were created as part of IBM’s research efforts to move the idea of pervasive computing – the idea that technology will be everywhere.
IBM’s craziest product is derived from a ’70s mood ring. Its silver rings include an LED light which can wirelessly connect to a biosensor and then spark the ring to reflect mood swings.
Now when you’re in the mood for love – when a suitable mate’s and your pheromones are in sync – your ring will shine and your perfume will spray.
So much for not wearing your heart on your sleeve.
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