MP: Early wearables captured the imaginations of many who saw possibility in "person-based" computing, for others the technology meant the realization of science fiction. But, shortcomings such as the "strap on a laptop" reality of these technologies limited their usefulness.

As the technology improved, short battery life and cumbersome operating systems limited functionality. And, display technology provided the biggest draw back in my opinion - users could not view LCDs indoors and out; eyepieces were expensive, bulky, vision blocking, and of poor quality.

In today's economy - putting aside the severity of the immediate contraction - purchasing managers have to work hard to justify $3,000 - $5,000 wearables when PCs cost less than $1,000. Industry, although less skeptical towards wearable technology, still has a wait and see attitude. No one configuration of presently available technology is appropriate and convenient enough for mass application. Displays need to be scalable, battery life must be at least 8 hours, and operating systems need instant on with simple intuitive interfaces.

Q: What in your opinion has been the most interesting innovation in the wearable community during the past five years, and why?

MP: Having come from the aerospace industry and the early development of rugged computers and heads-up displays, I was amazed that no one had addressed the "wear" in wearable. At the risk of being self-serving, I believe our e-Belt™ with the articulating arm is the most interesting innovation. I say that because with e-Belt, wearers have a comfortable, tough, and adaptable platform to support a wide variety of devices and peripherals with extra batteries, and all of that comes with a waist-level, hands-free display.

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Q: What is the business idea of Hands Free Mobile? How will you make money?

MP: At Hands Free Mobile, we see a market for comfortable to wear, natural to use, and reasonably priced wearable systems: (1) that a corporation can readily adapt for different workers to perform different operations, (2) that offers long battery life, (3) that permits hands-free operation, (4) that does not use vision-disrupting or hand-held displays, and (5) can be easily upgraded as technology improves.

At Hands Free Mobile, we plan to sell our e-Belts into this market, work with alliance partners to combine technologies to increase efficiencies, and license our technology to selected companies.

Q: What in your opinion should be the primary goal for the wearables
industry for the next two years?

MP: Over the next two years, the wearable industry needs to bring prices down to encourage industry use in all corporate functions. The wearable industry needs to take advantage of the power and functionality in the new PocketPC devices - iPAQs and Jornadas - and the new products coming out of companies such as the CF-07 mini-PC from Panasonic. We need to get battery life up to a consistent 8-10 hours running the brains, the communications, and all the peripherals. We need to create systems that workers can use that do not impede workflow. The technology needs not to be about the wearable device, it needs to be about the worker and the work. Without that focus and without efficient, full-function operations, wearables will remain marginalized. Maybe I'm not speaking for the rest of the industry, but that's Hands Free Mobile's goal.

Q: What piece of wearable technology would you most like to have yourself?

MP: I lust for a commercial OLED - Organic Light Emitting Device. As a display, an OLED is lightweight, energy efficient, and scalable - need I say more?
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