android wear |

Android Wear Updates Bring Exciting Features

September 2, 2014 By David Leave a Comment

Google showcased Android Wear at its I/O back in June. We are in September as so far, surprisingly, we haven’t actually learned much about this special OS’s progress. There are a couple of smartwatches sporting Android Wear which will be launched in just a couple of days. Obviously, Google has every reason for these gadgets to be successful. Positive reviews will certainly attract future clients and we definitely expect to learn that smartwatches are one of the trendiest Christmas gifts this year. You can check out the specs of the LG’s G Watch R, a smartwatch with a truly wonderful design.

CNET managed to talk with two Google engineers about the latest Android Wear updates. Android Engineering Director David Singleton and Vice President of Android Engineering Hiroshi Lockheimer explained how they envision the future of the novel platform. Firstly, Android Wear will be updated several times until the end of the year, so it will be a lively platform.

One of the most useful information is that Wear will support standalone functionality. The new Android platform was created with accessories in mind. The philosophy implies that any accessory running Android Wear must be connected to the smartphone. Google’s engineers concluded that a smartwatch can be involved in more activities than a smartphone. The first example is running.

Android Wear updates include GPS support

While running, you will be able to listen to music stored on the smartwatch. That is right, from now on the platform will support music storage and playback. To enjoy music from your smartwatch alone, you will pair a Bluetooth headset, as AD2P Bluetooth is now supported as well.

GPS support is among the latest Android Wear updates. Basically, by using Google Fit and your smartwatch alone, you will be able to record data regarding your outdoors activities. It seems that the smartwatch increases its functionality and may even compete with smartphones at one point, which sort of makes sense, as smartphones start getting way too large for comfortable use.

“One of the things we set out to do when we set out developing the platform was to make it possible for a manufacturer to bring any sensor they could find to the platform.” Singleton claims. “We’re also seeing people do interesting things with sensors like altitude and pressure. You can imagine a device that’s particularly aimed around taking a hike. Or skiing.”

Microsoft Wristband Device Rumored

July 3, 2014 By Daniel Giordano Leave a Comment

The competition to provide a bestselling wearable device has a new contender. It does not come as a huge surprise that a Microsoft wristband device might be released at one point, as long as most of the largest companies in the field already unveiled smartwatches or plan to do so in the near future. Android Wear OS has been presented at this year’s Google I/O with great success, we would add. The first three smartwatches featuring Android Wear, especially the stylish Motorola Moto 360, impressed everyone.

Smartwatches are not new. All kinds of attempts have been made in the last ten years. Looking back, it seems quite strange that none of the devices really turned popular, with the slight exception of Pebble. Microsoft tried to enter the wearable scene eight years ago through ‘Smart Personal Objects Technology (Spot) Initiative’, which was shut down in 2012, with just two years of actual production.

Microsoft wristband device in the rest of the market

Because Apple set the scene for smartphones, as well as for tablets, the other companies are eager to ride the wave this time. The rumors of the upcoming Apple iWatch produce shivers among competitors. The iWatch is on everybody’s lips for the last two years and the last rumors hint at a final launch in September 2014, in the same time with iPhone 6.

Microsoft will allegedly focus on developing a wristband. It will be able to display the time, sure, but it will not have the similar full capabilities as the latest Android smartwatches. Another feature sported by the alleged Microsoft wristband device will be of displaying the smartphone’s notifications. But the company’s main goal will be to orient the wristband’s use to fitness activities. A heart monitor will prove to be a central spec. So nothing extraordinary so far. Nike and Samsung already produced gadgets with similar characteristics.

The surprise comes when you learn that Microsoft plans to make the wristband compatible with Android and iOS. The intention would have produced a greater shock if it would have been announced a couple of years ago. Microsoft has long been the leader of the software world and the rest was lagging behind. In the meantime, Microsoft’s strategy seems to be directed at accepting and cooperating with the rising competition. For example, recently they announced the release of Office for Android.

Microsoft wristband device will probably be sold for approximately $200, which is just a bit lower than the new Android smartwatches.

First look at the new Android Wear smartwatches

June 26, 2014 By David Crozier Leave a Comment

One of the main event at the Google I/O is the presentation of the Android Wear OS, along with a couple of smartwatches running the software. The look of the three main Android Wear smartwatches is rather classic, with LG’s G Watch and Samsung Gear Live featuring rectangular shapes and Motorola’s Moto 360 featuring a classic round shape. Samsung already declared that it will customize its gadget with its own apps and we expect the same from LG. Motorola, on the other hand, will probably stay closer to its recent former owner, Google, in terms of software customization. Let’s have a look at the specs and the first impressions.

The first three Android Wear smartwatches

LG G Watch is the most expensive smartwatch, with a starting price of $229. It is available for preorder on the Google Play Store. It features an always-on IPS display measuring 1.65 inches with a resolution of 280X280 pixels. The engine is an energy-efficient Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 at 1.2 Ghz paired with 512MB Ram, while the its storage holds up 4 Gb of data. It connects with other devices, primarily the smartphone, through Bluetooth 4.0, as long as the main gadget runs Android 4.3 and above). It is IP67 certified (water and dust resistance), but it doesn’t mean that you should rush into the pool with it. The gyroscope, accelerometer and compass will support applications regarding fitness and movement.

Samsung Gear Live has identical features as LG’s G Watch in terms of the processor, Ram and storage. As it will probably be the norm for Android Wear smartwatches, it is IP67 certified and, besides the gyroscope, the accelerometer and the compass, it contains a heart rate monitor. The 300 mAh battery has a 100 mAh smaller capacity than LG’s watch. The screen is larger, though, with a resolution of 320X320 pixels. With this configuration, LG’s G Watch might be one more efficient. The price of this smartwatch will be $199 and is available for preorder.

Motorola Moto 360 has a round shape, although its display has a tiny unusable part due to the space needed for drivers. The classy model has a sapphire OLED display and will be charged through magnetic induction and is IP67 certified too. The exact specs are not known by know, but we believe the hardware will be similar to both LG G Watch and Samsung Gear Live Android Wear smartwatches. The price of Moto 360 is not yet known.

Android Wear OS is launched by Google

June 25, 2014 By Daniel Giordano Leave a Comment

Smartwatch with Google Android OS

As smartphones got larger and larger, their most important characteristic – mobility, began to shrink. It is a price to pay which consumers happily traded off for having access to almost laptop capabilities in their pockets. Now, the Android ecosystem is about to solve the problem by launching a complementary OS meant at reducing the new gap in mobility. The Android Wear OS powered smartwatches will be the primary target of this new OS. We wait for new applications of it provided by large companies such as LG and Samsung. Health, fitness and travelling will likely be the domains among the most probable candidates for massive development.

At the Google I/O, the G Watch by LG and Gear Live by Samsung are the first to be introduced. Both sport rectangular displays in an attempt to unify the UI. The round shape Moto 360 will be introduced this summer as well.

Android Wear OS functions

The ‘Ok, Google’ function will be a core function of the devices which will be geared at sensing and guessing the user’s future actions based on the history of the settings and accounts synchronization. In other words, it will be context oriented. This approach is the value added by Google itself through the Android Wear OS, as smartwatches are not a quite novel occurrence.

The Android Wear’s main function is to inform the user on the smartphone’s notifications together with enabling a number of core functions such as answering calls and visualizing text messages. Vibrations are a welcomed mode of notifying the user, after which the user can dispose of a notification through swiping. Moreover, the music player will be controllable from the watch. Another provided set of actions involves the management of travelling – the watch will notify you to check, for example, if you have your passport with you as you prepare to travel.

So far, as Ben Wood, from the CCS Insight tech consultancy, stated for BBC:

“Android Wear is not a full operating system, it’s merely a smartphone companion, and my view is that’s the right starting point for Google at a time when everyone is feeling their way in the dark and trying to find a compelling case for what to do with it beyond the basic stuff.”

It remains to be seen later on how the Android Wear OS will be implemented and how the third-party app developers will turn this new gem into a dependable workhorse.

LG G Watch Will Have Always-On Display And Will Be Coming Soon

April 22, 2014 By David Crozier Leave a Comment

It is pretty obvious that this year is going to be prolific for the smart gadgets we’ve come to know as wearables. There are a number of companies who have already released their smartwatches this year and have been acclaimed both by tech critics and tech lovers. Two of those companies are Samsung and Sony who announced their first wearable devices last year and Sony didn’t wait long to come up with improved versions of their smartwatch called Sony Smartwatch 2.

Another company who wants to compete with an already crowded market of wearables is the South Korean smartphone maker LG who has given us the first curved smartphone, the G Flex. Now they’ve announced a new piece of gadgetry called the LG G Watch which runs on Google’s recently released Android Wear platform.

The LG G Watch has been unveiled in two color choices: champagne gold and stealth black. If you ask us both variants have that great premium look which tells you that you’re dealing with high quality tech products. The Stealth Black watch has been announced a few months back which makes it the fourth collaboration with Google. As you know, the other three are LG G Pad 8.3, the Nexus 4 and Nexus 5.

Although the company doesn’t want to reveal the LG G watch’s specifications at the moment, there are a few important features known: the G watch is said to be water and dust resistant. The other cool feature about the new smartwatch is that it comes with an “always-on” display, a screen that never goes to sleep. The LG G Watch will be compatible with a lot of Android smartphones, just like the Pebble watch. As we mentioned before, there aren’t many details about the LG G watch revealed yet but there are rumors saying that the new smartwatch will feature a 1.65 inch IPS LCD of 280×280 pixels, 4GB of internal storage and 512MB of RAM. From the new images revealed it appears that the watch has a magnetic charging port on its rear side. Last month LG announced that their new watch will also come with changeable straps.

LG G Watch – pricing and availability

There aren’t any specific details on how much will the new LG G watch cost and the Korean mobile giant reportedly said that they play to introduce their first Android Wear watch in the second quarter of this year. We’re thinking somewhere around June-July 2014.