Saleforce's wearable tech platform, Salesforce Wear, has drawn attention from and made partners of Epson, Jawbone, Meta, Oculus and Vuzix.
Out in the open for just three months, Salesforce Wear has been gaining a rapid and steady stream of support from both hardware and software companies. That support is needed in order for it to reach it's potential, though it's more so a necessity for wearable tech's proliferation in enterprise environments, according to Daniel Debow, senior VP of Saleforce's emerging technologies.
"The explosive growth of Salesforce Wear has validated the need for a unified platform to bring together software companies, wearable device manufacturers and developers wanting to create apps that will enable companies to connect with customers in entirely new ways," said Debow. The platform aims to help companies deploy apps that use wearable devices as end points.
Unlike Samsung's closed-off micro OS, Salesforce Wear has already opened up to several existing hardware and software products in the wearable tech sector. Salesforce Wear already supports Android Wear, ARM, Fitbit, Google, Myo, Nymi, OMSignal, Pebble, Philips and Samsung's own Gear 2.
The Saleforce Wear Developer Pack contained all of the software tools and documentation needed to start programmers on the path to creating apps that help wearables communicate with one another. The pack also provided starting gear needed to help developers dream up and deliver apps that enhance any elements of productivity and life at work, including sample code, documentation, demonstrations and reference apps for a list of devices.
"ClickSoftware is embracing wearables as an exciting next step to drive great customer experiences, employee productivity and satisfaction," said Mike Karlskind, VP of product marketing at ClickSoftware. "Workers in the field are often juggling multiple physical tasks, and having a device to monitor their safety or provide real-time prompts based on inputs from a wearable is making the future a reality for today's workforce."
For Etherios, the Salesforce Wear platform has been facilitating the expansion of the company's push for the Internet of Things. Etherios envisions a world where workers use wearables to interact with smart objects in the office and in the field.
"With wearable solutions, Etherios is transforming device data into actionable information through the Internet of Things in order to better patients' lives," said Mike Dannenfeldt, senior VP at Etherios. "Remote monitoring facilitated by wearable devices is enabling independence from the comfort of patients' own homes."
At Meta, the Salesforce Wear is being worked out to improved customer engagement with retailers. Adam Shames, Meta's head of strategic partnerships, sees a future in which consumers don Meta's augmented-reality glasses at retailers to immerse themselves in a world of data.
"By leveraging technology from Meta's glasses and the Salesforce1 Platform, customers will be able to walk into a car dealership, receive a pair of glasses and find themselves looking at a life-sized hologram of a vehicle of their choice," said Shames. "This customer experience combines the best elements of a face-to-face discussion and an experience that is much more engaging and meaningful than looking at brochures and chatting with someone behind a desk."
