Recently at the Mobile World Conference, we saw many new gizmos and gadgets announced from our favorite brands. A plethora of different smartphones were announced, such as the highly anticipated Samsung Galaxy S5. Along with the huge amount of smartphones and tablets, we saw the announcement of new wearables for the future. If you are still unfamiliar with the term wearables, you may want to catch on pretty quickly, as it looks to be the next big thing. These days ogling action stars’ gadgets from “007” and the “Mission: Impossible” movies are quickly becoming a thing of the past. While they are not as big of a market yet as some may think, the wearable market is quickly rising.

Wearable is basically the new term for any type of tech gadget that can be worn as a typical clothing accessory, like glasses or a watch. And, coincidentally enough, these are the two largest products that are in production for the new mobile sub-category. If you are unfamiliar with the term smartwatch, you may want to get very familiar with it, as it is shaping up to be the next big accessory to have. Envision your own personal spy watch, and you essentially have a smartwatch. The most notable out currently are the Pebble smartwatch, the Galaxy Gear, and the recently announced Galaxy Gear 2. The devices can connect to your mobile device, answer calls, send texts, and a multitude of other functions.

Google has been tirelessly developing the ever-talked about Google Glass. Google Glass aims to be the same thing as a smartwatch, only in glasses form. Its implications look to be a bit more broadened and advanced than the smartwatch market. However, this hasn’t stopped Google from jumping onto the bandwagon! They too are now developing their own rendition of a smartwatch, currently being called “Google Watch”. Here is where the rumors begin to spread, however. The watch is being made by Motorola, but is still being considered a prototype. There could be a mix-up of sorts as well. Google reportedly sold Motorola to Lenovo for just under $3 billion earlier this year. Since that time, Motorola has confirmed that they are working on a new smartwatch “that will be available this year”. The confusion deals with the fact that it’s unclear whether or not the new watch is, in fact, the new “Google Watch” or not. Since the company is no longer owned by Google, it is tough to say currently.

One of the biggest things to take away from this is the sheer rise in the wearable tech market. Fitness bands, smartwatches, smartglasses, and more are already being developed, produced, and manufactured for retail markets. When you are able to see the largest search engine company in the world jump onto a product that they are not known for having, that usually means something big. Google has no problem paying bills, but if they are willing enough to jump into the wearable market as well, it can only mean that smartwatches and the like are about to be a lot bigger than many of us anticipate. Until they drop though, it would be wise to do research, and then try/rent one before you commit to this new line of products.