Google Announces Android Wear, Its Operating System for Smartwatches and More

alerts on android wear watch

Android Wear Moto 360

It’s official: Google has breached the world of wearable tech with Android Wear, an operating system specifically made for smartwatches. The company’s campaign, “Android Wear: information that moves with you,” suggests that the new accessories will give you the freedom to bring your apps anywhere.

Android Wear: Information that Moves With You

alerts on android wear watch

Google made sure to include all the basics and more. You can receive all your notifications on your wrist, from social media updates to messages from your friends, from suggestions and information on the go to notifications from any of your other mobile apps. The Android Wear operating system syncs with your Android smartphones so users can have an interactive and personal experience.

And Google didn’t forget about the recent trend of health and wellness, either. Android Wear is more than fitness-friendly; it promotes staying fit and being healthy. You can create reminders for workouts, set exercise goals and plans, track your activity and caloric intake and read your fitness summaries. The operating system also syncs with and enhances your fitness apps, providing you with real-time information like speed, distance and time for your activity.

There’s also the attractive new feature “OK Google” that brings voice commands to the wearable tech. With this feature you can ask questions and get answers, complete tasks, set alarms, play music and more. Because Android Wear is synced with all your Android devices, you can even use voice command to access other devices. For instance, you can tell your smartwatch to play a song from your phone or a movie from your television. Essentially, you can enter the multiscreen world from less than an arm’s length away.

The Look

Google is also working to solve the ugly smartwatch problem by working with fashion companies like Fossil. For now, Android Wear is going to be used by current Android partners like Samsung, HTC, LG, Motorola and Asus. LG and Motorola have even already come out with previews of their first smartwatches. Motorola’s first version is the round-faced watch featured in Google’s release video below.

using maps on android wear

Android Wear for Developers

Google has also released a preview for developers to download. This will help them tailor app notifications for Android Wear devices, though Android Wear should already work well with many of existing apps.

 

Mikaela Rakos

By Mikaela Rakos

Mikaela is both a writer and content curator for Dashburst, looking to discover and share the latest news, art, entertainment and more. When not tracking down new content to share with the world, you can find Mikaela spending quality time with her rescue dog.