Watch is great, but where’s the shoe phone?

Communities will have to figure out how devices fit into handsfree driving laws

It has taken me a long time to see the appeal of a smart watch.

In a world where we are so tethered by our phones, why would anyone want yet another way for people to reach them?

After all, my smart phone fits in my purse, and holds my calendar, my email and my text messages … and of course, people can go old-school and actually call me on it, too.

In fact, that phone actually keeps track of three different email accounts tied to my job at the newspaper, so I essentially have work with me wherever I go.

That has distinct advantages and disadvantages. When there is breaking news, I know at a glance and can communicate immediately with the Yuma Sun’s newsroom team. But at the same time, I’m constantly checking my phone for said breaking news, which becomes a vicious circle. It’s a circle that I’m not fond of, because frankly, I think it’s rude to check one’s phone all the time.

But at Christmas, I received a smart watch — and it has been a game-changer for me.

My watch connects to my iPhone, and allows me to get as much communication as I want, right there on my wrist.

My phone stays in my purse or my pocket, and when I get a text message, I get a gentle notification on my watch. A quick glance tells me whether or not I need to excuse myself and fetch the phone.

The watch does bring up one interesting question. Yuma has an ordinance in place that prohibits using hand-held devices while driving. But how do smart watches fit into this? Can one legally read one’s watch while driving down the road?

Common sense would say that’s a bad idea anyway — drivers need to keep their eyes on the road. But how do smart watches fit into the letter of the law? If one glances at one’s wrist to read an incoming message, one isn’t using one’s hands at all. It’s a question that cities and states with hands-free laws will at some point have to tackle.

Either way, the watch is fun. I can’t answer phone calls on it, but I still think of Maxwell Smart (Agent 86 on “Get Smart”) just about every time I wear it. Funny to think how revolutionary that show was in the 60s, and here we are, using smart watches today. Of course, Smart also had a shoe phone, which has yet to be developed.

Personally speaking, I think I’ll stick with the watch!

Unsigned editorials represent the viewpoint of this newspaper rather than an individual. Columns and letters to the editor represent the viewpoints of the persons writing them and do not necessarily represent the views of the Yuma Sun.