Earlier this week, Google unveiled its new breed of Android (News - Alert) for wearables, appropriately named Android Wear. The goal of Android Wear is to provide a sort of baseline for Android wearable devices going forward, much like the Nexus program has done with smartphones and tablets. Considering how scattershot Android wearable efforts have been up until now, this is definitely a good thing for all involved.
Of course, it wouldn’t be much of a reveal if there wasn’t at least one product announcement to whet our appetites; in this case, there were three. The device that seemed to steal the show and capture everyone’s attention was the Moto 360, a round-faced smartwatch that brings some much needed style and flair to the blocky, rectangular smartwatches we’ve grown accustomed to so far. Because of this, many may have missed the fact that Motorola (News - Alert) also announced a rectangular Android Wear smartwatch, and so did LG.
It’s not surprising to see the Korean manufacturer on the ground floor of Android Wear since it has been a consistent Nexus partner so far, producing the two most recent, and most loved, Nexus smartphones. It’s also rumored to be producing the next Nexus tablet, but there’s been nothing definite about this yet.
LG’s new Android Wear smartwatch is called the G Watch and that’s about all that’s known about it. No specs or features were revealed; all we have to go on for now is a picture of the device and a few comments from LG.
From the former, it’s apparent that Google (News - Alert) Now will be the key focus of the G Watch, just as with the Moto 360, facilitating use with voice commands activated by speaking “OK Google,” as seen on the Moto X and Nexus 5. As for the latter, LG said only that the G Watch is meant to act as a “low barrier to entry” for developers, while still offering a true Google experience.
In other words, it seems that the G Watch is meant to be a budget device, but we won’t know for sure until closer to its launch, which is expected to be some time next quarter.
Edited by Stefania Viscusi
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