Android Wear: will anyone buy a Google smartwatch?
Cheering fans greeted Google's Android Wear smartwatch system, but many doubts remain
As the first generation of Android Wear smartwatches go on sale, analysts are asking whether the Google-powered gadgets will bring the technology into the mainstream – or prove to be a passing fad.
The LG G Watch, the Samsung Gear Live and the Motorola all feature Android Wear, a version of its mobile operating system designed specifically for smartwatches and other wearable gadgets.
What does Android Wear do?
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
It's based on Google's Android operating system, which is used in the majority of the world's smartphones, and has been adapted for smaller screens and more limited interfaces. Instead of icons and menus, it responds to wipes and voice commands, triggered by the phrase "OK Google".
Android Wear devices aim to "show you relevant information, and make sure you never miss an important message, while letting you stay engaged with the people that you are actually with", said David Singleton, director of engineering in Google's Android division.
Notifications can be sent from a phone to the smartwatches so that emails, text messages, reminders and alerts can be read without a user having to retrieve his or her phone. The smartwatches also display maps and directions, which Google believes will be one of the most important applications for the devices.
Like a smartphone, Android Wear watches will also run apps that will extend their functionality, so you will be able to order food or hail a taxi.
Why does Android Wear matter?
Google's operating system is intended to bring some clarity to the question of what a smartwatch is for. "The problem with smartwatches so far has been that the sector hasn't quite decided what it wants to be," Steffen Sorrell of the Juniper Research consultancy, told the BBC. "Is it a phone on your wrist or an accessory device? Once you introduce Android Wear, it will hopefully provide a more focused case for what the devices are capable of. And that's a direction that could invigorate the market."
Will anyone wear Android Wear?
CNET's Eric Mack believes that it is going to take a while before ordinary people adopt smartwatches. "While we in the tech media are all losing our minds, the vast majority of Americans… couldn't care less," Mack writes. One group of users who definitely won't be buying into the range of new smartwatches is iPhone owners, as the operating system won't work with their phones.
How do Android Wear watches look?
"Aesthetics is what will help sell Android Wear devices," says Greenbot's Florence Ion. In her hands-on review of the Motorola Moto 360 and the Samsung Gear Live, Ion concludes that both companies have managed to get the styling right: "They're svelte. They're stock. And maybe Google's influence is what will help drive the wearables market forward after all," Ion said.
In a hands-on test of the Samsung Gear Live, Gizmodo's Brent Rose praised the smartwatch's sleek feel and solid construction but criticised the device's battery, which currently only lasts "about a day".
While the clasps on the strap are a little insecure and the heart rate monitor only takes measurements when instructed to do so, overall Rose says he was impressed: "Turns out smartwatches could be great," Rose concludes.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Magazine solutions - May 10, 2024
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - May 10, 2024
By The Week US Published
-
Magazine printables - May 10, 2024
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - May 10, 2024
By The Week US Published
-
'Box Trump in for real if he pulls another stunt. Put him behind bars.'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Artificial history
Opinion Google's AI tailored the past to fit modern mores, but only succeeded in erasing real historical crimes
By Theunis Bates Published
-
Is Google's new AI bot 'woke'?
Talking Points Gemini produced images of female popes and Black Vikings. Now the company has stepped back.
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Why Google search results have 'gotten worse'
Under The Radar Search engines are 'flooded' with 'garbage' content, say experts
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
2023: the year of the AI boom
the explainer This year, generative artificial intelligence bypassed the metaverse and became the next big thing in tech
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Is using Google's Enhanced Safe Browsing mode worth it?
Talking Point The mode has its positives and its drawbacks
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Google is pitching an AI journalism tool to major news outlets
Talking Point News executives find the technology called Genesis unsettling
By Theara Coleman Published
-
Forget junk mail. Junk content is the new nuisance, thanks to AI.
Speed Read AI-generative models are driving a surge in content on fake news sites
By Theara Coleman Published
-
Why hasn't Google enforced its policy to stop climate disinformation?
Talking Point Is Google's acceptance of climate misinformation intentional?
By Devika Rao Published