by Several months after Samsung’s bungled entry into the world of smartwatches (and possibly months ahead of the appearance of Apple’s so-called “iWatch), Google has announced its “Android Wear” system. Android Wear is designed to bring Google’s mobile operating system to smart watches designed by other manufacturers, much in the way Android is designed for other manufacturers’ smartphones.
Compared to some of the ideas we’ve heard about the iWatch, however, Android Wear looks rather simple. Users can find out the time by looking at their devices, of course, but they can also pull up messages, receive updates from social networking apps, and receive notifications from other apps. It also supports Google Now, Google’s cognate of Siri, allowing users to perform simple functions such as sending texts, setting alarm, and calling up music playlists.
Perhaps not surprisingly, especially considering all the talk we’ve heard about health apps with iOS 8, Google Wear places a heavy emphasis on health. Fitness apps used in conjunction with the service will be able to record walking distance, running speed, and other information related to exercise.
Google has updated its developer portal to support studios wishing to make apps for the system. The Mountain View, California company has also announced its intentions to work with popular manufacturers such as Samsung, Motorola, LG, HTC, and Asus to create watches based on the software. Google Wear-compatible watches by LG and Motorola, in fact, are expected within the year.
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