Wearables have been discussed in the upcoming push toward different types of equipment in a BYOD plan. In addition to watches and glasses, you might be able to include other kinds of devices, but not all of these may stand the test of time.
Some, like the Nike Fuelband, may not be around long enough to become meaningful tools for the workplace. According to CNET, Nike is ceasing production of the FuelBand, a bracelet with a digital display, although it will still sell versions of the device. In addition to ending this particular product, the company is also laying off as much as 80 percent of the hardware team responsible for this branch of the business.
It suggests that, while companies looking to implement mainframe mobile integration should keep wearables in mind, they should wait to see which are worth planning for.
Another device that might raise some eyebrows as you consider wearables is the internet-enabled Dash earpieces profiled by NPR recently. These items don't even have a screen attached to them, although the source notes that they can still do web searches.
In a piece for re/code, developer Sonny Yu talked about the reason that some wearables, specifically the tracking devices like FuelBand, might simply end up becoming obsolete due to technological advances.
"Much like MP3 players and GPS devices, which are single-purpose hardware devices, trackers are basically going to get subsumed or conflated into multipurpose hardware, like the iPhone," Yu said.
When you start looking for the tools that might help you accommodate the best growth in personal devices, you can make more informed decisions if you select software that can help you retrieve and update legacy data inside from older mainframes.