As the latest and most underrepresented line of wearable tech, the smart ring is an interesting idea with some intriguing applications. First brought to mass media attention with the Oura Ring of 2015, it’s the new release of Samsung’s Galaxy Ring that has again shone a light on the potential of these tiny computers.
Designed primarily as a health tracker and accessory to Samsung’s Galaxy line of smartphones, the Galaxy Ring as reviewed by theverge offers a lightweight design, long battery life, and impressive power in such a small package. More than that, it could offer a glance into the future of smaller tech which, given the ever-growing potential of smaller hardware, could be immense.
A Connected Future of Smart Ring Systems
Though the current smart ring systems are somewhat limited in their app selection, like smartphones before them, a future of better software support is practically guaranteed. Given what we already know about the hardware power in such miniature devices, it’s likely that full operating systems will eventually become native components.
The only issue with this form of implementation is that thanks to the form factor, there’s no display or control input offered by smart rings. This could be solved similarly to what smartphone docks are attempting. Samsung has already made great strides with the DeX, which as androidauthority explains, essentially turns a smartphone into a portable computer.
Via wireless connectivity, a smart ring could accomplish similar tasks. It would also, however, be confined to highly efficient software. Playing the best online casinos at casinoalpha are prime examples, which include browsing, collecting bonuses like deposit matches and free spins, and playing HTML5 games. These titles on websites such as Bet On Red and Pribet are among some of the most efficient in the online world, so they could theoretically work well on smart ring operating systems. Video streaming could also be possible, but since most TVs have this functionality built-in anyway, this use would be unnecessary.
Science Fiction Versus Reality
While it might seem ridiculous to believe that a smart ring like the Galaxy Ring could ever offer an operating system and app support, we need to remember just how far processor speed and miniaturizing have come. The smartphone in your pocket today is millions of times more powerful than the first supercomputers, and we’re still seeing breakthroughs.
With that said, there are still limits in our current systems that prevent development beyond a certain point. The reduction of chip size has seen a serious slowdown since we hit eight nanometers, and while two-nanometer chips are on the horizon, after that we have run up against barriers from the laws of physics. Moore’s law, in other words, might not be so guaranteed after all.
Speculation for the future aside, Samsung’s undoubtedly done a lot to open the floodgates with its Galaxy Ring. It’s not for everyone, but it does offer serious advantages for a part of the market that’s so far underserved. With the Galaxy Ring well-reviewed, inevitably, other big tech companies like Apple will eventually get in on the action. After that, there’s no telling what competition and innovation for the devices will bring.
