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Visions of wearable Internet ware

June 26, 2000
Web posted at: 3:57 p.m. EDT (1957 GMT)

SEOUL, South Korea -- If that laptop feels like a ball and chain -- and much too unattractive -- fashionable alternatives are on the way to suit your online needs.

So-called wearable computers were a hit at a recent technology show in South Korea's capital, where models cruised the runway in devices disguised as glasses, gloves, earrings and necklaces.

Charmed Technology in Los Angeles, which aims to become an international leader in wearable Internet ware, produced the "Brave New Unwired World" show at Internet World Korea 2000.

Its goal is to create a variety of wireless mobile devices that will give people constant access to the Web, wherever they are.

"The Brave New Unwired World displays a vision of future computing, a world where 6 billion people are connected online all the time through computing devices on their body, devices which connect to the Internet without wires," said Jarrell Pair, director of Advanced Projects at Charmed.

Although other businesses like IBM have been developing wearable computer devices, Pair claims the "Brave New Unwired World" show, which is making several stops on a world tour, offers something unique.

"We present a number of devices which the world is not already familiar with: for example, computer monitors which you wear on your eye, speakers for cellular phones built in the jewelry and also devices that you can record video (with) that will connect to the sunglasses," he said.

Many of these products have been limited so far to labs and the research world, but not for long.

"We are taking this technology and bringing it to the public," Pair said.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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Charmed Technology

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