Mar 19

Bluetooth ear pieces have been around for a while, but with the explosion of iPhones and other smart phones, they're everywhere. And even I finally broke down and got one. But now I want more. I want to be a cyborg!

When will "mini cameras" appear on bluetooth headsets?

As a late, recent adopter of using a bluetooth ear piece I figured it would take me a while to get used to it. And while the use of it still has its quirks, now I've discovered, I'm looking for it to do even more. One scenario I ran into; I want it to do video. My wife is pregnant and on bed rest, so I've had to run all the errands and such, which I'm happy to do. But she's particular about certain things we buy....so recently, as I've shopped, I've had her on my cell phone while I'm shopping, so I can ask her and confirm if I'm buying exactly what she wants.

 

And that's when it happened. I was in an aisle in target, talking to her on my bluetooth headset, appearing to other shoppers as some mumbling lunatic that talks to himself, when I quipped to her, "this would be a lot easier if you could just see what I'm looking at and comment." To which she replied, "take a picture and email/text me." So I did, I took a picture with my iPhone while we talked and I emailed her. I couldn't text the image, since it appears you can't talk on the cell and text message at the same time. But I can email.

 

So then I thought, why can't they just put a camera on my ear piece and allow me to stream video? OK, I know there's limitations, you've got limits on bluetooth signal speed, the speed of cellphone connections, etc. So it started me wondering, when can I become a cyborg??

Video conferencing is coming to our cell phones, so how far behind can streaming video be?

Let's face it: In the next year or so, two-way video conferencing will arrive for our cell phones and iPads; I'm almost certain of it. I think the only reason it's not here now is that cell carriers can't handle the bandwidth necessary. But they have to be working towards it. It's almost a given. So once the iPhone and iPad (and others) enable video conferencing....in short order I can imagine headset makers will incorporate video cameras. And we will have our first opportunity to become cyborgs - even if only slightly.

 

Imagine the benefits. Not only would it help with my scenario I described above. But it would allow you to be "talking and video chatting" with someone via your ear piece - where  they could see who or what you're looking at in real-time. So an assistant could be on the phone seeing who their "boss is looking at" and whisper in their ear their name, vital info, etc. And of course, they could also be feeding them talking points etc. And then of course, software will evolve so that it will have face recognition. So you won't even need to be talking to someone, your "phone" will simply recognize who you're looking at and whisper in your ear - "that's John Smith, from Widget Inc." or something. And imagine the advantages for GPS navigation - when your "phone" can see what you're looking at and tell you exactly "when" to turn or where you're going. It will be remarkable.

 

So I wonder....how long until I can be a cyborg?