AT&T's emerging devices head: Expect 'fully independent' wearables this year

SAN FRANCISCO — It won’t be too long before wearables are a lot smarter.

Wearable devices will reach a point later this year where they are “fully independent” — that is, not dependent on a smartphone — according to AT&T’s head of emerging devices Glenn Lurie.

But, despite some probing at our MobileBeat conference this afternoon, he wouldn’t reveal what devices he expects to see later this year. Given Lurie’s role at AT&T, he would likely be aware of what Apple is really working on with its rumored iWatch.

“Show me a device that’s easy to use and looks clean — the reason we haven’t seen millions and hundreds of millions [of wearables] sold is because we’re not there yet,” he said.

Lurie says we’ll eventually see wearable devices sporting their own cellular connections, as well as those sporting better health tracking capabilities.

Outside of wearables, he’s also excited about the rise of connected cars and their potential to make driving a lot safer. “The car is going to become a smartphone with four wheels,” Lurie said.