Wearables - banking hype or opportunity?

Lately there has been much fanfare around wearables. From Google Glass to smartwatches, there has been no shortage of press releases, articles and hype surrounding these devices. I must say that I personally find all of this stuff amazingly cool, and love trying out new things. I am also super excited about the Moto 360 smartwatch and will likely pick one up when it launches. My interest in these devices however has absolutely nothing to do with banking. Don't get me wrong, I think it's critical for banks to try out new technology in order to understand how devices are evolving and how consumers will use them. In other words, banks should proactively throw stuff against the wall in order to see what sticks! Will wearables be the next big "channel" or consumer touchpoint? I have a hard time believing that consumers are going to want to "bank" using these devices - there is a lot of hype here that needs to be filtered. Wearables, specifically smartwatches, will act as more of a companion to a smartphone. There are however a couple of specific areas where wearables can have an impact on banking:

• Alerts and notfications. The alerts that pop up on a watch should in theory be the same ones that appear on your smartphone. Most day to day banking alerts may not be that critical, however there are some that the user may want to have access to at a glance. Security at the point of sale is also a possible use case. If a credit card is swiped an alert can be sent - it's simpler and faster to have this appear on your wrist then in your pocket.
• Authentication. These devices, particularly the smartwatch, represent an interesting authentication alternative. The Android platform can be configured to allow for a “trusted device” to unlock the phone or an app. In other words, the phone or app can be unlocked if the device detects the presence of a smartwatch. If the device is lost or not in the hands of the user, the smartwatch won’t be detected and the user will be prompted for a password. The Moto X smartphone currently has this software feature incorporated into its build of Android, and it can be used to unlock the device. Celent believes that devices like the smartwatch can act as a solid form of authentication and enhance the user experience. Additionally, banks have been challenged to come up with new methods of providing authentication for mobile banking, particularly since classic multifactor authentication involves something you know and something you have.

The mobile world is rapidly evolving and there is much to look forward to. Please weigh in with your thoughts and comments.