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 … [Read more...]
Android Wear 2.0 Delayed Until 2017
The Android development team at Google dropped a new developer preview of Android Wear 2.0 today, but buried the lead until the very last paragraph: it won't ship until "early 2017." Developer Preview 3.0 adds some interesting features: support for fully round watch faces; on-watch support for a Play Store (important for Wear watches being used with iPhones, which don't run … [Read more...]
Google Reportedly Readies Android Wear Watches of its Own
The website Android Police is reporting that Google is getting ready to ship a pair of Android Wear smartwatches under its own brand. This bodes ill for the health of Android Wear. The whole point of Android Wear was to create a software platform that OEMs could basically plug into hardware, but only about a half-dozen companies -- all of them pretty big, but at least one of … [Read more...]
LG Kills the Urbane LTE, Citing Hardware Problem
LG today reportedly took the highly unusual step of canceling the launch of a product that was well into the preview window, citing unspecified hardware problems. The Urbane LTE was to have been the first untethered Android Wear watch, using a microSIM to connect to the Internet without the need for an intermediary smart phone. (There have been several other LTE … [Read more...]
Android Wear Now Supports Cellular Data
Most connected watches require a smartphone to communicate with the outside world. There are some exceptions -- Omate's watches have long included a microSIM that connects them directly to cell networks -- but that route is expensive and complicated, and required custom software Expect to see watches like that, though. Google announced yesterday that its Android Wear watch … [Read more...]
Fossil Announces Long-Awaited Trackers and Android Wear Watch
As long expected, Fossil announced an Android Wear smartwatch today, as well as three fitness trackers. The Fossil Q line comprises four models: the Reveler, the Dreamer, the Grant, and the Founder: The Reveler and Dreamer are display-less fitness trackers and notification devices, which vibrate and show LED lights when triggered. The Dreamer has swappable bands. Both … [Read more...]
Tag Heuer Sneaks $1800 Smartwatch
You might want to mark your calendar for November 9, because that's apparently when Tag Heuer is going to set a new top price point for Android Wear watches. Several reports gathered by Ars Technica point to that date and an $1800 price tag for an upgradeable watch powered by an Intel SoC. There's a web site that counts down to the launch date, but have patience because it … [Read more...]
Samsung Gear S2 Smartwatch Will Reportedly Work with iPhones
A company the size and scale of Samsung does not likely enjoy being a runner-up, even in a market as small as smartwatches. That makes Digital Spy's scoop all the more interesting: the upcoming Gear S2 smartwatch -- the round one with the rotating control bezel -- will work with iOS phones. For the last year or so, Samsung has turned its back on Android Wear, favoring the … [Read more...]
Android Wear Now Runs on iOS
The Apple Watch now has some added competition at the low end: Google has released an Android Wear app for iOS that brings Wear-based watches into the Apple ecosystem. Or vice versa. At any rate, the app means you can now control Android Wear devices from your iPhone. Previously, smart wrist wear lived in one ecosystem or another; if you had a Moto 360 on your wrist, it … [Read more...]
Android Wear Updates Allows Interactive Faces, Native Translate Support
Techcrunch points out an update to Android Wear that lets programmers build interactive watch faces -- faces that respond to taps or touches. That capability will allow designers to create much more complex (and possibly useful) complications. Google also announced today Android Wear support for Google Translate, even if Translate isn't installed on your phone. Speak into … [Read more...]