We’re starting to see detailed reports about the imminence of the next generation of Android Wear watches. Android Police and TechnoBuffalo are running sneak photos of two versions of the LG Watch Style. (Seriously, can some smart branding person please whack LG upside the head?)
There are two versions being tipped: a standard Android Wear 2.0 watch at $249, and an LTE version that includes an NFC chip, GPS, and a heart-rate monitor for $349. If that feature list and pricing is accurate, the extra $100 buys an awful lot of function — even though there’ll likely be a $10/month data plan attached.
Rumors have had the long-delayed Android Wear 2.0 coming out next week, which would be in advance both of Mobile World Congress and the Baselworld watch show, both of which happen in March. The big question is whether anyone will care: Moto has taken its smartwatches off its product roadmap, and not one of the top smartwatch vendors — Apple, Fitbit, Samsung, or Garmin — uses Android Wear. Google, reports have it, will build its own smartwatches to prime the market, although it’s not clear who will sell or private-label them.