We've all been there, looked at our watches and panicked, just like in "Alice in Wonderland."
-It's just a rabbit with a waistcoat -- and a watch!
-Oh, my dear and whiskers, I'm late! I'm late! I'm late!
Now it seems, time is also running out for SmartPhones. With a market gradually heading towards saturation, tech companies are gearing up for a new race.
-Samsung Galaxy Gear.
Samsung is the first major player out of the blocks with a phone that it says will have everything not at your fingertips, but on your wrist.
-But with our lives already dominated by the concert of time, in this case, Big Ben, your cell phones, your iPhones, your iPads, or your BlackBerries, will Samsung's SmartWatch even catch on?
-I'm looking now. None of you crew have watches. What do you use to tell the time?
-Mobile phone.My mobile phone.
-Yes, I think we've got no watches because our mobile phones can do the same as a watch and I don't like watches.
-I don't think I would wear one, to be honest.
-Why not?
-I just think unless it did anything different to what my phone does, I'll just keep using my phone.
Despite the skepticism, experts say there is an appetite among consumers to be ever-more closely connected to their devices. According to recent data from an industry research group, 36 million Smart Watches are projected to be shipped by 2018, and the industry, says Credit Suisse, will be worth $50 billion.
For others, like James Bond, no doubt, these devices may be a hard sell.
-Rolex?
-Omega.
-***
With many preferring the classical style instead.
- I'm a bit traditional, I'm sorry.
- Wait!
Before you know it, though, telling the time could be our watch's least important feature.
-No time to say good-bye, hello, I'm late! I'm late! I'm late!
Isa Soares, cnn, London.
