Will wearables be 'hearables'?

Where are wearables now, and where are they going? We asked an industry expert. Dr. Steven LeBoeuf is president of Valencell—a biometrics technology provider to manufacturers of wearable technology devices. One, for example, is Intel's SMS audio BioSport, an earbud product that is powered through your phone and not only tracks your activity—including consistent and accurate heart-rate monitoring—during workouts but also plays your favorite motivational music.

He gave us some time during CES 2015 to discuss where the wearables market is today and what he sees coming down the road in this nascent, exciting electronics category.

Wearables need more accurate data

Currently, said Dr. LeBoeuf, many of the products on the market just don't measure body data consistently and accurately. For example, when Consumer Reports tested the Samsung Gear Fit's heart rate monitor, it showed some inconsistencies—and counter-intuitively, you have to hold quite still even to get a measurement!

LeBoeuf believes that the ear—not the wrist—is the best place in the human body to locate sensors; some functions you can measure there can't be measured as precisely elsewhere. Body temperature, blood pressure (measured optically), and heart rate are a few examples. Consumers will still want wrist and arm wearables, but for truly accurate data, the ear is where it's at.

Another problem with today's products: A lot of them are ending up in the back of the sock drawer once the novelty wears off. LeBoeuf thinks a big part of the problem is the frequent charging needed to keep them going; many smart watches can't run longer than a day, and once they're left on the charger, users don't think about them. "A real wearable is something you'll return home for, if you forget it," said LeBoeuf.

For more on wearables, check our smart watch reviews.

I asked Dr. LeBoeuf whether he thought today's wearables manufacturers really know what to do with their devices. "Everyone is still experimenting," he said, "though some have more direction than others."

What's coming down the road?

Wearables are not close to being mass-market yet, said Dr. LeBoeuf. As the makers experiment with different forms and types of devices, consumers are still figuring out what they want from these devices. He thinks 2016 is actually the year wearables will hit—not 2015. "But they will be ubiquitous, eventually."

And 20 to 30 percent of consumers will prefer something you can't see. He concurs with a report from market analyst Gartner, which predicts that by 2017, 30 percent of wearables will be inconspicuous to the eye. Smart clothing? Maybe not so much. "People still will want to wash their clothes," which isn't so good for integrated technology.

And finally, getting back to the ear, LeBoeuf said we may someday soon have "hearables": in-ear devices that provide private, intelligent communication along with super-accurate biometric measurements. Pretty smart.

—Carol Mangis

Click on the image above to find all of Consumer Reports' coverage from CES 2015.