Remember Android Wear? Google’s struggling smartwatch OS is getting updated to Android 8.0 Oreo, just like the rest of the Android lineup. Google announced the update on the “Android Wear Developers” Google Plus group. It seems like the only supported watch right now is the flagship LG Watch Sport, which makes sense since that was the only watch to get an Android O beta in the beginning of October.
Wear’s last big update was Android Wear 2.0, which was released with the LG Watch Sport the beginning of the year. Most users won’t notice the move to Oreo. Like Android TV, Android Wear has its own interface and set of features that are developed separately from the base OS version. This update to Oreo changes the under-the-hood OS, but the user-facing features will mostly remain unchanged.
It feels like Android Wear is stuck in limbo – not exactly dead, but it doesn’t seem like there’s much activity or forward momentum either. Also I keep forgetting Google Plus is even a thing.
I love my wear watch. a smart watch really does increase the quality of use of a smartphone.
I’ve always thought they were a terrible idea since they were a thing, and i think i’ve finally figured out why.
Whilst there’s many flaws in the smartwatch idea (too small a screen, tiny battery capacity, terrible input methods (i’m looking at you, Apple crown!)), the main flaw is the simple fact it’s tied to your wrist.
An old-fashioned watch is very much a passive device. You glance at it, and it tells you the time. Great! I only used one hand, and that’s the one it’s tied to. sure, i may have had to move my shopping to another hand, or put it on the ground, but i always have a spare hand for doing other things. With a smartwatch, it’as different. Not only do i have to hold my wrist out to see what’s displayed, in order to do anything with it, i need to use the other hand. Or i suppose you can speak to it, but everyone knows it makes you look like a knob[1]. So in order to interact with my smartwatch, both of my hands are now out of use. I’ve stopped, put whatever i’m carrying down to thenh interaqct with this tiny screen. With a smartphone, it’s much easier, i can hold what i need in the other hand, pull my smartphone out of my pocket, interact with it, put it back in and carry on. Never did i have to stop and juggle things around.
So yes, the whole concept of a smartwatch it just dumb. It’s simple a smaller, less intuitive, less accessible, and more awkward smartphone that’s tied to your wrist. So why not just stick with a smartphone? The smartwatch is just this generation’s calculator watch. Both are about as useful as each other, and probably about as popular too. I suppose it’s sole purpose is as a fashion accessory (like the calculator watch before it), so maybe that’s why it’s more popular that i would really anticipate.
Either way, they’re still a flop IMHO.
[1]http://www.digitaljournal.com/technology/people-too-embarrassed-to-…
You need to channel the ‘Hoff when you’re wearing it. To me, the real crime is that you still can’t address any of them as “KITT”. I’d rather say “Hey KITT” than “Hey Google”.
You might be onto something …perhaps cars are the one (?) place where such voice assistants make sense (private enough so people won’t be embarrassed like the link in The123king post claims, and where not having to look at the smartphone etc. is definately a plus)
That depends how you see it. It´s a terrible as a smartphone´s replacementbut it´s quite nice as a complement. Thanks to it i avoid taking the phone out of my pocket (excluding phone calls) 60-80% of times.
Yes, because taking ones phone out of ones pocket is such a very labor-intensive procedure…