Nearable

What Does Nearable Mean?

A nearable is a device belonging to an emerging class of technology: small pieces of hardware that can track nearby smartphone device behavior or other similar types of user events, or the proximity of devices.

Advertisements

A nearable is also known as a nearable device.

Techopedia Explains Nearable

The idea is that small beacons or similar hardware pieces can sit in a particular point, often around a given business location, and record the proximity or activity of smartphones in the area. In many cases, the nearable approach relies on users downloading an application which gives the company authorization to collect the data, and is also a practical way of making smartphones transparent to a beacon.

For example, a fast food company might employ nearables to track customers moving through a drive-thru or inside the store. Nearables may be able to track whether customers use electronic coupons, how they progress through a point-of-sale interface, and much more.

Advertisements

Related Terms

Latest Emerging Technology Terms

Related Reading

Margaret Rouse

Margaret Rouse is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical, business audience. Over the past twenty years her explanations have appeared on TechTarget websites and she's been cited as an authority in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine and Discovery Magazine.Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages. If you have a suggestion for a new definition or how to improve a technical explanation, please email Margaret or contact her…