The Japanese company entrenches itself in the wearable ecosystem with a 2nd device – the 3E
The wearable frontier has many interested suitors and it is a space not exclusive to tech companies, just ask Nissan. Earlier in the year Gareth Dunsmore – the Marketing Communications GM for Nissan – relayed to consumers “Wearable technology is fast becoming the next big thing, and we want to take advantage of this innovative technology to make our NISMO Brand more accessible. On track, Nissan uses the latest biometric training technologies to improve the performance of our Nissan NISMO Athletes, and it is this technology we want to bring to our fans to enhance their driving experience and NISMO ownership.”
In September 2013, at the Frankfurt Motor Show, Nissan introduced the world to the Nismo Watch which was developed out of the NISMO Lab - a mobile lab that was introduced in March 2013. The smart watch designed to capture car efficiency and performance data while being driven. Other capabilities of the Nismo watch include the ability of linking to a wearer's social-media platforms and sending personalized messages from the car to the wearer.
Clearly Nissan is attracted to the possibility of having car and driver continually connected which has never been more evident than it is now . The Japanese based automotive company is set to announce its latest concept – the 3E. The exact details of this new technology is yet to be declared , but we do know that it is a wearable glass technology that will directly compete with Google Glass. The announcement is schedule to take place during the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show which kicks off November 22 and goes through December 1st.
The 3E will likely include social media integration, navigation capabilities and other media capabilities (i.e. music streaming). However, wearable technology in the car faces challenges around driver distraction legislation, and the law as it stands in the US would make 3E unusable in the car, as highlighted by the recent case of a person issued a traffic ticket for wearing Google Glass while driving.
Strategy Analytics' own Wireless Device Ecosystem (WDE) will be closely monitoring Nissan's 3E announcement. Follow the link above for published materials including insights and reports as well as other analyst blogs.