Wearable computers may sound like science fiction. But in a world where more and more of us carry laptops and cellphones, the next logical step is outfitting ourselves to be connected constantly. That means PCs small and light enough to wear like clothes or accessories. That's the promise of wearable PCs, as well as the vision that inspires proponents who exhibited a range of products last week at the Fifth International Conference on Wearable Computing here.
Interest appears to be skyrocketing.
A mini-keyboard also is available. Twenty years ago, people crossed the street to avoid me. A 1980 photo on his Web site shows Mann sporting a helmet with a huge antenna like something out of an episode of My Favorite Martian . He's often asked if his inventions were inspired by pop-culture icons like the cybernetic Borg of Star Trek . I think they should be reading philosophy and science.