Google has dropped a large wearable bombshell today in the form of a developer preview for "Android Wear," a smartwatch platform that works a bit like Google Now for your wrist. Now, various hardware manufacturers are coming out of the woodwork to announce their own plans to create wearable devices. LG announced first, with its G Watch due to arrive next quarter. The watch appears to be a simple, plastic square with an LCD touchscreen. In a statement, LG's CEO of mobile communications said simply that LG would "pull out all the stops in both design and engineering." LG also said it was "developed in close collaboration with Google," but stopped short of dubbing it a "Nexus" device.
Motorola also has announced plans for a smartwatch. The company, which is about to be purchased by Lenovo, said in a blog post today that it would be called Moto 360. It has a round face and looks much more elegant than any smartwatch we've seen thus far. Motorola said that "all the core components are technically brand new," and already Motorola is showing off at least a couple of elegant, analog-style watch faces for the circular screen of the watch. Like the rest of the watches on the Android Wear platform, it will support voice commands, ambient alerts, directions, and notifications. Motorola is holding a live Google Hangout with the lead designer of the Moto 360, Jim Wicks, at 2pm ET on March 19th.
On its Android Wear site, Google has listed other partners, including HTC, Samsung, and Asus. Fossil also released a carefully worded press release, in which it said it was "working together with Google supporting the extension of Android into wearables with Android Wear." Presumably that means it, too, is working on a watch.
No company has committed to an exact release date — though Motorola said it's would be available in a "variety of styles globally in Summer 2014." We don't yet know technical details like battery life, screen resolution, and all the rest. If they're anything like the concepts that Google has posted, each will have a color screen and will accept voice commands. Android Wear also has the necessary APIs for a wide array of sensors — as Google's Sundar Pichai announced earlier this month — so it's likely that at least some of them will support health tracking.
Comments
And here I was thinking it was a slow week in tech.
By Marques Brownlee on 03.18.14 12:38pm
The tech news belly just popped for the week.
By samsheffer on 03.18.14 12:40pm
That’s a disturbing image.
By sbear on 03.18.14 12:49pm
The Metal Moto 360 is the only image in my head, I want to throw money at it!
By Oppo Fanboy on 03.18.14 12:50pm
By RememberTheAlamo on 03.18.14 12:53pm
And i go all “Ooooooooooooooh, OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH”
By Ben49 on 03.18.14 1:17pm
Please, somebody take that design and use a Mirasol screen.
Bi-stable (like an ebook, no power when unchanged), with refresh rates good enough for video, ergo insanely lowered power consumption. Battery life is going to matter on these devices, and Mirasol is the right tech for the job. The only penalty is slightly muted colors.
That’s what I want on my wrist. Make it happen.
By DarthVarner on 03.18.14 1:32pm
Has Qualcomm made that tech available for commercial use yet?
By mjrtom on 03.18.14 1:46pm
It’s long out of the R&D phase. They invested a ton of money in a factory for it, then I believe the ebook vendors all decided to fawn after Apple and try to sell videos instead of striking out on their own.
It’s already in limited use for secondary screens on a couple of budget-minded cell phones, and there was a Korea-only fairly small Android tablet which used Mirasol for the screen.
I have to believe if Qualcomm were approached by any reasonably large OEM they would bend over backwards to make it happen. Here’s hoping someone influential does it.
By DarthVarner on 03.18.14 2:23pm
Yeah Pebble is still the best just because people don’t want to turn on the wtch to see the time and they don’t want to charge their watch everyday.
By lvl85beardruid on 03.18.14 4:08pm
I feel we’re pretty close to the holy grail of mobile display technology; soon we won’t need a compromise.
By Super Number on 03.20.14 12:52pm
does it have them true blacks like AMOLED?
By mikeru on 03.19.14 6:26pm
No, every color is washed on Mirasol because of the nature of transflective displays. E ink would provide the best black besides AMOLED, but the refresh rate is still low on that.
By Danrarbc on 03.20.14 8:18am
By Parkes on 03.18.14 1:33pm
WOW
By FalseAgent on 03.18.14 1:38pm
Not only the best looking smart watch, it’s a good looking watch period!
This watch looks SO good that it makes Samsung’s gear look like a strap glued around a tablet.
By EngadgetRefugee on 03.18.14 1:55pm
Hear hear!
By ddpacino on 03.18.14 2:37pm
Disssss lol
By iFandroid on 03.18.14 5:44pm
It’s a little fat, but besides that it does look good. And I’d take a little fat for ok battery life.
By ASEdouard on 03.18.14 6:03pm
I hadn’t noticed but it does look a little fat. Beautiful watch tho.
By Logics on 03.18.14 10:33pm
I’ve seen fatter standard watches.
By Super Number on 03.20.14 12:57pm
Agreed! I just wish it had a standard strap connection so you could change the strap if you want to.
By Det64 on 03.18.14 7:17pm
I think the leather version does. Don’t quote me on that though.
By TheFirstUniverseKing on 03.19.14 12:37am
That would be an awesome watchface. Can’t wait!
By ddpacino on 03.18.14 1:38pm
the back looks cool too
By etwashoo on 03.18.14 1:54pm