Wearables Need Tailored SoCs

Jessica Lipsky, EETimes
5/2/2014 05:20 PM EDT

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Wearables won't go mainstream until they get tailor-made silicon, according to a panel at the Linley Tech Mobile Conference here. The nascent market needs clearly defined use cases and SoCs geared for lower battery life, they said.

“We need to figure out a way to build a more engaging model. To be successful you need the right use case and battery life will be important. Wearables also have to be easy to use and compatible with other devices,” said Linley Group principal analyst Linley Gwennap.

Many wearables may be looked at as fashion accessories where bulkiness and the need to charge more than once a month become prohibitive. Users want their wearable devices -- from FitBits to Google Glass and home medical devices -- to be sleek, constantly connected through WiFi or Bluetooth, always on, and with an ultra long battery life, he said.

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