With wearable computing the current “next big thing”, it would have been silly to think Google was going to settle for Glass as the only entry in that market. The search and operating system juggernaut unveiled Android Wear yesterday, a partnership with assorted handset makers to create new wearable devices running Android. Partners include LG, Motorola, HTC, Qualcomm, and established watch maker Fossil.
The demo video below gives an idea of what Google has in mind for these devices.
As you can see, the idea for Android Wear (and indeed, all smartwatches) is to take the pocket watch analogy of the smartphone and replace it with the wristwatch form factor. You don’t have to fumble for your phone or hold it all the time. Instead, you just need to glance at your wrist. As an added bonus, thanks to Google Now, you can talk to your watch
Motorola is clearly into this concept, with the Moto 360 arguably redefining the visual concept of smartwatches. While Motorola was an early advocate of the concept, the MotoACTV was a sport watch, not a smartwatch. The Moto 360 clearly approaches the concept from a design first angle and is the most visually striking solution of this sort yet. This is only the one made public today. Motorola has said that the Moto 360 will come in assorted styles.
While the Moto 360 isn’t due until summer, LG doesn’t want you to have to wait. The LG G Watch is a bit more on the traditional side, but with all the same functionality as some more stylish models, including the ability to control your phone with it via Okay Google spoken commands. On the topic of now, the G Watch is due out next quarter, which is practically tomorrow.
Still less bulky looking than a Galaxy Gear.
You might wonder how this would impact Samsung as Samsung’s Galaxy Gear was arguably the first smartwatch targeted at the general consumer, and the news that the Gear 2 would use a non-Android OS had to have been a bit of a blow. The good news for Samsung fans is that the electronics giant is indeed an Android Wear partner. It will be interesting to see what’s in the pipe as more talk about smartwatches makes the rounds.
What kind of price point these Android Wear devices will be set at remains unknown, along with how rugged they’ll be. After all, a watch potentially takes a lot more abuse than a phone. With that said, Google may be about to utterly dominate smartwatches.
Comments are closed.