Don Norman wrote a great piece on The Paradox of Wearable Technologies. He starts by covering some familiar ground on the dangers of these devices:

While the supplementary, just-in-time information provided by wearable computers seems wonderful, as we come to rely upon it more and more, we can lose engagement with the real world. Sure, it is nice to be reminded of people’s names and perhaps their son’s recent skiing accident, but while I am being reminded, I am no longer there—I am somewhere in ether space, being told what is happening.

We see this argument a lot, most recently in an article that came out on the same day as Don Norman’s, Wearable tech VCs pan Google Glass:

“It’s too big a change of behavior. It’s technology that sits between you and other people… it feels to me that it’s too impersonal,” said [John Frankel, a partner at ff Venture Capital]. “It feels more like the Segway than anything else, which is, ‘hey, this looks great on paper but I probably wouldn’t have one in the garage.’”

What I like about Norman’s piece, though, is that it refreshingly covers the positive aspects of wearable tech that don’t get as much press, like this:

I am fully dependent upon modern technologies because they make me more powerful, not less. By taking away the dreary, unessential parts of life, I can concentrate upon the important, human aspects. I can direct high-level activities and strategies and maintain friendships with people all over the world.

It’s a balanced view, well worth reading.