Anyone who has had a credit card number stolen from his/her wallet will quickly understand the value of a very neat combination of technologies we found recently.

Imagine a wallet that has both GPS Tracking Technology and RFID Blocking material built into a beautifully crafted leather wallet, made in both men's and women's model. (RFID Blocking materials block the ability of thieves to steal credit card numbers.)
 
With a combination of iPhone® and Android™ Applications and the previously mentioned technology onboard, The Royce® Freedom Wallet is the first leather product of its kind.  The brainchild of Royce's CEO, Andrew Royce Bauer, we may expect these stunning wallets to be the first of many leather products offering technology enabled exquisite craftsmanship. For more information, visit http://royceleathergifts.com and search "RFID-Blocking-Wallets-Passport-Cases".
 
Many of the wearable technology products are designed to keep us healthy. Our very favorite is the Jawbone Up®, a bracelet that also has its own app as well as working with several others, namely MyFitnessPal, IFTTT, RunKeeper, MapMyFitness, Strava, GymPact, FITCOIN, Tictrac, Withings, and LoseIt. Aetna Insurance even has its own app---carepass---very smart on the part of Aetna. 
 
The Up® keeps track of the number of steps the wearer takes as well as the hours spent sleeping. Moreover, it breaks down the steps by the level of exertion and the sleep by the depth of sleep. In addition, it reveals the number of calories burned throughout the day---an obvious incentive to exercise more or at least take more steps.

This handy wearable bracelet comes in several colors and syncs with its own cell phone app to record your health record. The obvious benefit is that it encourages getting sufficient sleep and exercise. There is even a new version of this product (Jawbone Up 24®) with Bluetooth® capability that syncs with the app automatically. Find out more at www.jawbone.com.

Right on trend with "The Quantified Self" movement, the Up® combines wearable technology with lifelogging. Lifelogging is the recording of various personal data with the goal of creating optimum performance.
 
 In May of this year Credit Suisse released a report projecting the USD$3 to USD$5 billion dollar market sector of Wearable Technologies to reach a growth of USD$30 to USD$50 billion dollars within the next two to three years. With that kind of exponential growth, we're going to see many products in this category in the near- and long-term future.

© Copyright 1998-2013 by The Herman Group of Companies, Inc., all rights reserved. From 'The Herman Trend Alert,' by Joyce Gioia, Strategic Business Futurist. (800) 227-3566 or www.hermangroup.com

The Herman Trend Alert is a trademark of The Herman Group of Companies, Inc. Reprinted with permission.