Wikipedia
Nearables (also nearable technology) is a term used to describe the idea of smart objects – everyday items with small, wireless computing devices attached to them. Those devices can be equipped with a variety of sensors and work as transmitters to broadcast digital data, usually using Bluetooth Smart protocol. Thanks to that, those objects are able to provide mobile devices in range with information about their location, state and immediate surroundings. The word ‘nearables’ is a reference to wearable technology - electronic devices worn as part of clothing or jewellery.
The term ‘nearables’ was first introduced by Estimote Inc. in 2014 as part of a marketing campaign associated with a product launch of next generation of Bluetooth Smart beacons.
Although 'Nearables' was term used as a marketing campaign, founder of Novealthy Mano ten Napel was one of the early adopters who voiced the need to change the name from IoT to Nearables. In an article Are Hearables Needed to Realize Wearables, Nearables? published on Wired.com in September 2014 refers to IoT as Nearables and continues to use this term in all his published work including Is Keeping Things Simple The Wearable Industry Way Forward? ten Napel strongly feels that the term Nearables is more self-explanatory than Internet of Things (IoT) and Internet of Everything (IoE) because it is a less tech centred word that will likely be more appealing to the targeted consumers.