Wearable Technology

The year of smartwatches

Taken from CNET

Within the past 2-3 years, there has been an increased effort from major companies in the marketing and selling of smart watches. From the physical fitness watch FitBit to the AppleWatch. 

In this day and age, you would think that people would be excited and more enthusiastic about purchasing something a new piece of technology that you can wear and virtually take anywhere. According to an article by CNET, this has not been the case. 2016 was a "lackluster sales for wearables...Smartwatches, in particular, were a disappointment as consumers still weren't sure what to make of expensive gadgets". 

However, the article predicts that in 2017 that the wearable tech will rise and increase 18.6% within the next five years. The companies and manufacturers are really trying to push the smartwatches in 2017 by trying "to serve specific niches, such as connected kids' watches, athletic watches, luxury and fashion watches. Some makers may make 'lifestyle watches' that better address different needs, whether that's communication or health and fitness." 

While I enjoy the idea of a smartwatch, I don't know if the expense is worth it. I personally, would be more inclined to purchase an Apple Watch since I personally already own an iPhone and Mac computer. However, the price for an Apple watch is almost as much as purchasing iPhone. If the price went down over time, then I would probably be more inclined to purchase it. Also, I don't necessarily the purpose of purchasing a smartwatch when I already have a smartwatch. 

YouTube TV

Can YouTube keep up?

There are many companies that have created a form of live streaming. For example, you have Sling TV, PlayStation, Vue, and DirectTV Now. YouTube has now recently joined the group by announcing the addition of YouTube TV. It will cost approximately $35 per month to have this service. 

YouTube will have a lot of similarities with its counterparts such as live streaming major networks like ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC. They will also be streaming "cable stalwarts like ESPN, the Disney Channel, Fox News and Bravo". Below are pictures of the channels that are confirmed (they are currently negotiating with other channels):

Channels that have been confirmed for YouTube TV
Courtesy of CNET

Personally, I this is something that I would consider investing in. My household uses AT&T as a service provider and uses a DVR. One of the most frustrating things about having a DVR is the limited space you have available. Especially when there are certain shows or movies that you have saved and now have to delete to create space. However, YouTube TV will have a cloud DVR with unlimited storage. To me, this would definitely be worth paying the money. Another feature that will be included with YouTube TV is being able to have multiple different users on one account similar to Netflix and now Hulu. This is another feature that attracts me to this product. Everyone can have their own personal account with their favorite shows and movies without having oversized Que or cluttering of tv shows all under one profile. There is still much unknown about this new Live streaming service that is supposed debut very soon. I am excited to see where this new service provided YouTube leads.