The quarterly publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/230349
(iPod commercials also included music from U2. The U2 commercials were a ruse wherein we, the old people who paid for the iPod, were tricked into identifying with those who did the listening on the iPod. We are not cool because we like U2. We are old.) The era of the iPod has passed, but the lessons have not. The most important lesson is that if you are going to sell something that people will wear (visibly), it must be something people want to be seen wearing. In this era of wearable tech, this lesson bears repeating. Style Matters Having the functionality of wearable tech is nice, but it is not enough. Bluetooth earpieces were hot for a couple of years until we realized they were overkill and looked a little silly. The only people who wear earpieces anymore are former ILTA president Scott Christensen (he favors an app that reads him all his messages in real time) and nerds on their way to a Star Trek convention. It is once again a safe bet the guy on the street corner talking to himself is the unfortunate neighborhood schizophrenic and not a passersby on the phone. Pebble Smartwatch https://getpebble.com Jawbone UP https://jawbone.com/up 78 Peer to Peer New This Year A number of wearable tech products hit the market over the last year. The Pebble watch is pretty cool, but guess what? It's a watch. We've been wearing wristwatches for one hundred years. Despite the fact watch sales have declined in recent years, plenty of kids still wear them. In hindsight, the advent of the Pebble should not be that surprising; it is simply a better mousetrap in a world where we still have mice. Alas, the Pebble has some limitations, and it is not as stylish as it should be. The good news for us is a new and improved model is sure to follow. The bad news for Pebble is that model will be the iWatch. Regardless of who makes the first successful smartwatch, such a device could be quite handy for attorneys who are often in constant communication, particularly in those situations wherein it is inappropriate or inconvenient to fiddle with a smartphone (e.g., in court). The Fitbit, Jawbone, Nike and other health/exercise bracelets look interesting, both literally and figuratively. These devices look kind of stylish, at least as stylish as the copper and magnetic bracelets manufactured and sold within the health and fitness bracelet industry. The makers of tech-added fitness bracelets can rest assured that our minimum requirements for both form and function of things we will wear on our wrists is incredibly low; we'll put a yellow rubber band on our wrists and call it a bracelet. While these smartbracelets provide a log of one's activity, or lack thereof, the real benefit is only realized if one is willing to act on this information. Otherwise, it is just another reminder that we need to lose weight and do not get enough sleep. Of course, geeks often like to know things just for the sake of knowing, so maybe that is all we want. It is difficult to imagine an application for smartbracelets within the legal profession. Maybe Element55 could find a way to discern lost time when a timekeeper spaces out for an hour while reviewing TPS reports using one of these bracelets. Or perhaps clients might demand we provide our vital signs through Fitbit Flex www.fitbit.com