How long before phone-based uw cases eat the low end computers?

[Degenerate]

I don't see too many people putting their expensive smartphone in a $300+ housing to use as a dive computer when you can buy a decent dedicated dive computer for $300 or less! I personally will not put my $1300 iPhone in a housing and risk losing it while diving, plus I like features like air integration and will probably be buying a Scubapro HUD for my 50th birthday!

I don't have a problem putting a really expensive camera in a housing.
As long as the housing is of good quality I wouldn't hesitate.
Wouldn't use it as a dive computer though, would mostly want the ability to read and watch shows during the deco stops

 

[kelemvor]

I don't have a problem putting a really expensive camera in a housing.
As long as the housing is of good quality I wouldn't hesitate.
Wouldn't use it as a dive computer though, would mostly want the ability to read and watch shows during the deco stops

That's an interesting idea. I wonder how well sound would travel from the phone to your ears.

 

[RyanT]

I don’t see that happening (actually taking a big chunk out of the dive computer market). The battery life on cell phones...even my new-ish iPhone...is pathetic compared to a dive computer.

Yes.

Not going to happen. The form factor is wrong. Smartwatches might do it.

And yes.

 

[Degenerate]

That's an interesting idea. I wonder how well sound would travel from the phone to your ears.

Probably not very well, but I would settle for just reading the subtitles until technology catches up

 

[kelemvor]

Probably not very well, but I would settle for just reading the subtitles until technology catches up

Get one of those phones with the integrated projector. Then you could share your movie on the cave wall with the rest of your team.

 

[lowwall]

Get one of those phones with the integrated projector. Then you could share your movie on the cave wall with the rest of your team.

What about us OW divers? Guess we'll have to display them on a lazy Goliath Grouper.

 

[kelemvor]

Underside of the boat?

 

[Rickk]

Not going to happen. The form factor is wrong. Smartwatches might do it.

Garmin Decent MK2?

 

[lowwall]

Garmin Decent MK2?

Maybe MK5. Smartwatch won't replace a smartphone until/unless all the hardware (radios, cpu, memory, battery) will fit and the display and cameras are moved elsewhere.

It's interesting to think about the latter. Maybe a future version of Google Glasses and personal minidrones following us recording everthing.

 

[Rickk]

Heads Up Display, HUD in the mask?

With the ability to track your eyes to switch functions, gas consumption, depth time, compass etc.?

How about the ability to control our camera, lights, deploy DSMB?

Automatic buoyancy compensating, or use eyes to control, inflate, deflate wing BCD? Control rate of rise or descent, maximum depth? Automatic surface on low air? Hold depth for a deco or safety stop.

Instructors version to allow you to look at a student diver and see their stats?

Send receive text under water between divers?

Buddy tracking?

Old school divers will hate this but the kids will like the idea since they grew up much more reliant on technology than us old guys.

As far as I know, this is all available technology, it just needs to be all put together in a diver friendly package.

You can have this idea in exchange for me being a beta tester and getting final production model lol