微软智能手表5大前卫功能猜想

    还需要更多的证据来证明可穿戴计算设备或将是下一个大热门吗？近日有消息称，微软（Microsoft）也在考虑设计一款智能手表。

    这个总部位于美国华盛顿州雷德蒙德市的科技巨头此举并不出人意料。智能手表Pebble已经开始发货，而谷歌（Google）很可能在今年晚些时候凭借其增强现实眼镜Google Glass进入该市场。而且如果传闻无误，就连苹果（Apple）可能也正在研发智能手表。对各家公司而言，该市场前景十分广阔：高德纳研究公司（Gartner Research）估计，到2015年，可穿戴设备将发展成一个100亿美元的产业。

    如果微软果真推出智能手表，我们希望该设备具备以下功能：

    外形轻薄，多种尺寸。我们知道：伟大的设计应该简洁明了，但鉴于微软推出的Surface Pro平板电脑比13英寸的苹果MacBook Air还要笨重，显然微软还没弄明白这一点。此外，人们往往用穿戴来表明身份。比如Pebble正在发货的智能手表就推出了各种颜色和不同的表带，微软也应该推出多种尺寸的表盘以及各种样式和宽度的表带。否则，可能会疏远许多潜在用户。美国投行Piper Jaffray分析师吉恩•明斯特日前就写道，外形厚实的可穿戴计算设备可能更受男性欢迎，而不得女性青睐。明斯特解释道：“女性不大可能会喜欢外形厚实的产品，因为女款手表通常比较秀气，而且更注重时尚性。”

    跨平台同步。如果微软、谷歌或苹果推出一款消费电子设备，它通常只能兼容自家的硬件及软件生态系统。（看看Nexus 7平板和iPad就知道了。）我们可否奢望微软智能手表能和Android设备或iPhone同步？毕竟，苹果最终向Windows用户开放了iPod。考虑到Windows Phone在全球智能手机市场可怜巴巴的份额——去年仅为2.6%，到2016年有望上升到11.4%，如果微软能向其它平台开放，那该公司的用户数或将实现爆炸式增长。

    开源开发。微软可以从Pebble身上吸取经验。这家新创企业向开发者们提供软件开发包，为自己的智能手表增添新功能和应用程序，例如各种数字表盘、更好的音乐体验以及运动监测等。智能手表有分量的功能越多，其用户体验也就越出色。

    整合Windows Phone和Windows 8用户体验。虽然Windows Phone的市场份额不值一提，但有一点毋庸置疑，其独一无二的彩色磁贴界面非常棒。而微软Surface平板电脑上的磁贴部分也很出色。（当然，Windows 8平板电脑类似PC机的用户体验仍大有改进空间。）在智能手表狭小的屏幕上，磁贴这种软件设计似乎浑然天成。

    健康监测功能，越早越好。我喜欢自己的耐克（Nike）FuelBand以及耐克+ Running应用程序，因为它们能追踪我走了或跑了多远，以及消耗了多少卡路里。这是一项杀手级功能，将此功能融入智能手表将大大增加该产品对运动狂人们的实用性。

    《财富》的读者，你们怎么看？你会购买微软推出的智能手表吗？假如会的话，你希望该产品具备哪些功能？（财富中文版）

    译者：项航

    In case you needed additional proof that wearable devices may be the next big thing, now comes word that Microsoft (MSFT) is also toying with designs for a smartwatch.

    That the Redmond, Wash.-based tech giant is making this move shouldn't come as a surprise. The smartwatch Pebble is already shipping, and Google (GOOG) will likely enter the market later this year with its augmented reality eyeglasses, Google Glass. And, if the rumors are accurate, even Apple (APPL) may have a smartwatch on the way. For each company, there's a lot to gain: Gartner Research estimates wearable devices will be a $10 billion industry by 2015.

    Here's our wishlist of features if a Microsoft smartwatch should become reality:

    A svelte look, different sizes. We know: Great design should be obvious, but given that the Surface Pro tablet is bulkier than the 13-inch MacBook Air, it's not a given for Microsoft. And of course, what some people wear reveals a bit about who they are. Just as Pebble is shipping watches with different colors and wristbands, Microsoft should do the same, exploring different-sized watch faces and wristbands of different styles and widths. Not doing so could alienate many would-be owners. To wit, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster wrote recently that a wearable computer could prove more popular with men than women if it's produced on the chunkier side. "It is less likely women will embrace them given women's watches tend to be smaller with a greater emphasis on fashion," explained Munster.

    Cross-platform syncing. When Microsoft, Google, and Apple release a consumer device, it usually only plays nice with the respective company's hardware and software ecosystem. (Take the Nexus 7 tablet versus the iPad.) Is it asking too much of Microsoft to allow its smartwatch to sync with Android devices or iPhones? After all, Apple eventually opened up the iPod to Windows users. Given that Windows Phone's market share accounted for just 2.6% of global smartphone shipments last year -- a portion that's expected to reach 11.4% come 2016 -- Microsoft's chances of building a huge user base would grow exponentially if it appealed to people with non-Microsoft devices.

    Open-source development. Microsoft would do well to take a page from Pebble's playbook. The startup is providing software developers with the tools to create new features and apps for its smartwatch: digital watch faces, better music controls, and exercise monitoring, among them. The more notable features the device has, the more compelling the experience.

    Streamlined Windows Phone/Windows 8 experience. Say what you like about Windows Phone's small market share, but there's no escaping the fact that its unique, color tile-based interface just works. The same can be said of the tile-based section on Microsoft's Surface tablets. (Although, the desktop-like Windows 8 tablet experience leaves a lot to be desired.) On a display small enough for a smartwatch, the software design seems like a natural fit.

    Health monitoring from the get-go. I enjoy my Nike (NKE) FuelBand and Nike+ Running app because they track the distances I've walked or run and calories burned. It's a killer feature, and integrating that capability into a smartwatch would make it significantly more useful for exercise junkies.

    What about you, Fortune readers? Would you buy a smartwatch from Microsoft, and if so, what features would you like it to have?