Your latest fashion accessories: computing devices

It seems that computers have really invaded our lives. It has gone all the way from Charles Babage's Mechanical to latest Quantum Model. Now, computers or rather we say, computing devices are all set to decorate you the way your fashion accessories were decorating all along. No wander, one day you will see that some fancy thing hanging on your ear, pricked on your nose or wrapped on your wrist is nothing but powerful computing devices. WAP enabled Cell phones are now a reality, in which you can do various things such as e-mailing and playing e-games, which were, till recently being done by computers. As you know, these are nothing but tiny computers that are capable to help you browse your e-mail, read news or play games and do host of other things. Of course, presently this technology is in its toddler stage, and when it will be really young, you will be amazed to see its real power. The match box size or pocket pen type portable MP3 player are available in the market which are scaled down version of computer to do certain specific task and certainly are status symbol for you if you carry them in front of techno savvy persons. And the list is expanding at the unimaginable pace.

Coming up: Computer Clothes

Yes, your traditional clothes, even Reshmi, Zardoji or Lucknowi including all time favorite pair of Jeans are finally destined to be out. Now, Electronic Clothing that is going to sale on Europe soon will be a craze all across the world. It seems that the famous Jeans maker Levis had sensed the death of Jeans in this age of Computers, that’s why it has collaborated with Philips and had conducted three year's intensive research and succeeded in developing Electronic Clothes. These Clothes are all set to become tomorrow's latest fashion wear. These Clothes will be equipped with latest electronics and computing equipments such as built in mobile phone, audio device, and remote control panel that will able to connect to World Wide Web at all the time and provide you all the computing power. It is being predicted by the experts that Further Technological Advancement in these areas will make these to be the only essential clothing for future mankind. For example, a pregnant lady will wear a gown that will monitor the round the clock development of a fetus and report any abnormality or even any developing genetic diseases. You may soon find a Jacket equipped with sensing devices with powerful processor and other peripherals that will constantly monitor your body conditions such as B.P., heart rate, and body temperature etc. It may adjust the temperature of the jacket itself according to environmental conditions, giving you the air condition effects on the go. Researchers at University of California, Los Angeles predicts that Molecular computers will be so small that it can be woven in to the fabrics, and can be able to do things, which we can’t imagine now.

Electro textile, UK has developed a special “Smart Fabric” that incorporates full functional Key Pad. It can be rolled up to about the size of a cigar and weigh only a few grams. Now you can say goodbye to your bulky Notebooks and Laptops. This roll-able keypad is smart enough to connect to mobile organizer like Palm Pilot and through telephone lines, to which it can connects, messages can be sent and any data regarding computing can be entered. It even had Infrared sensor for freeing you from hassle of wiring these devices together. To top it all, if your fabric key pad will become dirty as any fabric used to be, then you can wash it an iron it.

Next: Computers in Wrist watch, Pen or Matchbox

Casio is all set to enter computer fashion world. It has recently launched a pair of wristwatches having model names WQV-1 and WQV2 that are nothing but wearable digital cameras, powered with small memory and small processor that can record up to 100 images. These images can be sent to a computer through infrared remote for final processing. Simultaneously, the company has also launched a Wrist audio MP3 player model named WMP IV that can play more than half hour of digital music and can be strapped in your wrist. These sleek and fashionable but powerful devices are small enough and weigh barely 70 grams including built in battery. In the Linux world conference, computer giant IBM had showed prototypes of Linux based Wristwatches that are capable to do Internet related things such as getting and sending e-mail and browsing web pages. Thompson Multimedia has introduced a tiny MP3 player that has dimension of a tiny matchbox. It has all the standard features such as built in preset equalizer, LCD display; 32 MB built in Flash memory, USB port for faster downloads, earphones and a sport accessory band. You can strap this on your waist and hear full-one- hour of non-stop CD quality song from this tiny computing device- a cool fashion idea? Isn’t it?

Anoto, a new pen designed to scan the written text simultaneously during its writing can automatically synchronizes everything written with it and can send this as a graphical e-mail, short written message or fax. It is used with specially designed paper. This pen has miniscule digital camera that scan and record images during your hand’s normal writing movement. It also has physical memory that can store hundreds of pages of writing. It has built in Image processor that can process the scribbling for text to be understood by user. This pen has rechargeable battery that can last whole daylong. This pen also has real ink so that you can really write, but with a difference- your writings can also be seen somewhere else 1000 KM apart on other side of the Earth which this pen send through infrared sensor to a nearby PC and finally to Internet.

In Making: Embedded computers

Pretty soon you will find computers and computing devices everywhere. Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) along with other research institute like Nokia Research and Philips Research are working on a five year project that will make a house fully embedded with computers, sensing and communication devices, so that your life may be blessed with extreme easiness. How you feel when your locked door will open automatically when you approach near it. The equipments you use in your house will respond with your voice and you don’t have to flip switches. All your equipments and you along with your wearable computing devices will be securely connected through Internet all the time. An earring or a wedding ring that you wear will be used as GPS devices having infrared sensors capable to communicate with embedded computing devices.

Finally, fashion that will be necessity

Soon, wearable computers will become necessary part of one’s wardrobe or ornament box. Though, full functional wearable computers were a bit year away, but you can have a glance of prototype of such a device. A company named Xybernaughts has full functional working model of wearable computer that has an Intel CPU and a Head mounted Color display. In future, the wearable computers will become necessary accessory for certain professionals, who are in the go. Wearable computer will replace their NoteBooks or Palmtops simply because these will be more comfortable to carry and use. For example, a technician equipped with wearable computer may communicate with its full potential to his colleagues, experts and spare parts vendors all across the world through Internet, still while working and get help from them. The keyboard as standard input devices may vanish and you have to carry a pen or a wireless microphone that will input your commands, which you will write or say. Wearing small tiepin containing microphone and sound processor may be a necessity since all computing devices may work only on voice recognition system like ISAAC (Integrated Speech Activated Application Control), which is being developed by MIT. It will give you hands free control of all the common electronic and computer system available in your home or workplace. Your earring that you wear will have a processor with microphone connected with a speaker inside your ear canal that will be used as language and speech translator. With this, you can freely travel all across the world without worrying any language barrier. You can freely and effectively communicate with a native South African speaking who is speaking Zulu language or to a Chinese in Mandarin. Your earring may be compatible to either all important language translation or it can be refreshed and updated for a particular language through Internet as and when required.

Latest in fashion always excites young and old alike. Now you have enough reasons to embrace computing devices as your fashion accessories. So why don’t you rush to a gizmo shop and look what they are offering today or perhaps, tomorrow?