Google’s Android Wear for Smartwatches
Last Tuesday, Google unveiled its software for use on wearable devices, dubbed ‘Android Wear’. It is pretty much based off the Google Now software, but instead of on your phones, it is now a tap/click/say away on your wrist. Google’s Android Wear is essentially a light operating system for smartwatch manufacturers.
As Android Wear is based off Google Now, most information can be sought just a voice-say away. Just like the Google Now experience on your smartphone, information is contextual as well. For example, automatically giving you directions to a recently searched location on the web-based version of Google Maps, or giving you the scoreboard for one of your favourite sports teams that you just searched for on Google, or even based on your location, it can give you the weather, or like in the promo video (you can see this down below), if you are at a beach, it can also provide you with a Jelly Fish warning!
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But of course, all this comes at a price that you decide – the privacy of your information. You would’ve allowed Google to keep tabs on your information when you first set up your Google device/s, allowing Google to record your location etc.
Since Google Now on your/our/my smartphones was already a pretty convenient personal assistant, imagine that personal assistant only milli-seconds away, at your wrist. This coupled with the most beautiful watch I’ve ever seen so far!
So essentially, you will be able to say “Ok, Google” to your smart watch and you’ll be able to speak a question, or maybe a command, and it will attempt to do it for you. It is also apparently able to monitor your fitness and health, integrating it with a fitness application on your phone, to get real-time information sent over. More ideas are up for grabs and it really depends on how far-fetched developers for Android Wear will go.
Google have also announced plans to unveil a developer SDK that will make it easier for wearable devices to link up to other Android devices. Sundar Pichai, Google’s SVP of Android and Chrome, said that the level of access would be at the “platform level”, which means the sensors on the wearable devices will be able to communicate with the Android OS directly.
Here is a video detailing the Android Wear Developer Preview:
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Google have already started working with different manufacturers, including LG and Motorola to develop smartwatches for the masses this year.
For more information on the Developer SDK for Android Wear, please visit: http://developer.android.com/wear/index.html
