Weekend Open Forum: Is Google on to something with Android Wear?

[Jos]

It’s been almost two years since rumors about a purported iWatch began to emerge, and while Apple has never acknowledged the project, it’s crazy to think a whole movement has emerged based on those rumors.

Google isn’t shy to venture in new and often unexplored markets, from driverless cars to modular smartphones, high-tech glasses, Internet-emitting balloons, and more. While not as crazy as these, Android Wear represents another bet on what the company believes the future of mobile technology might look like and they’re willing to lay the groundwork to get it started.

While the mere necessity of watches is debatable at a time when smartphones are omnipresent, for many they are more of a fashion statement than anything else. With that in mind, do you think Google is on to something with Android Wear? What are your thoughts on the designs and features of the Moto 360, LG G watch and Samsung Gear Live so far?

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https://www.techspot.com/news/57254-weekend-open-forum-is-google-on-to-something-with-android-wear.html

 

[cliffordcooley]

Not as far as I'm concerned! But Google may be on to something, because people will wear anything. It is only a question as to how many people will.

 

[Guest]

Actually, over two years ago, the Pebble watch KickStarted more than 10 million dollars. That is what influenced it...

 

[AnilD]

Indeed, the Pebble kickstarter showed there was a market for a smartwatch, but has it succeeded since? I wear a watch almost daily and I see it more as an accessory that goes along with my clothes, not really as something utilitarian.

Current smartwatches are still gimmicky IMO, as they rely on technology that has yet to mature and be perfected (voice recognition, etc), even if I pulled out my smartphone to do the exact same tasks Google advertises, 50+% of the time it wouldn't work as expected.

I must applaud Google for trying a bunch of different things, but most importantly for attaching those to the Android ecosystem and making the experience more cohesive with every iteration. One has to be impressed what you can do with all those ad dollars when they flow in like there's no tomorrow!

 

[Guest]

Nothing beats a mechanical watch. The design and mechanics are timeless. Ever open the inside of a watch? Lot of time/detail is spent putting it together and making it work.

Now with that said, there is a place for smartwatches and whether or not they become popular, who knows.

 

[GeforcerFX]

I was hoping Cell phone watches would catch on before the whole slate revolution. I know the current gen of watches need a phone still to be attached too, but I want to eliminate the smart phone. I loved back in like 2006 when it was a mad dash to make the smallest cellphones. Back when a phone could go into my pocket and not stick out. Personally I just want a phone, some nice integrated Pim function is great to me and great voice command and voice recognition will make a watch phone completely usable. Use it with a Bluetooth headset attached to the watch and you end up with a phone that can keep track of your day not have to take up a entire pocket and not be charged after 3 hours of calling. The challenge is changing from seeing and physically entering data with your hands to talking to the device and hearing information, since screen real estate would be small and you want good battery life so again the screens can't be insane resolutions.

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

People as a whole are gullible, make it and they will buy it, that has been proven time and again. I see wearable tech as completely unnecessary (but it must have some use, right?) and just for bragging rights but others will see it differently. Good luck to them, it's their money they're throwing away but what gets me, even after they realize they've been ripped off they'll defend their purchase vehemently and use all the excuses in the book and then some to justify the cost but I guess we're all guilty of something like that at some stage of our lives.

 

[Guest]

For me as for a previous poster above me a watch is more of a fashion piece.
As a male, there is a rather limited amount of jewelry one can wear in a professional environment and not look out of place or absolutely gaudy. The watch is one of the few pieces where a man can actually have something very distinguishing.
I love my automatic/mechanical watch, seeing the gears spin is something very relaxing for me. I also don't need another gadget vying for my attention. I can wait to answer a text until I can pull out my phone.... for now. Anything could change

 

[MilwaukeeMike]

Is Google on to something with Android Wear smartwatches?

On to something? Like...Wait for it... on your wrist maybe! (sorry)

I think they're making a smart watch for the same reason these tech companies buy up every semi-promising start-up that comes along for an exorbitant amount of money; their fear of being left out of a trend is more important than the trend actually being successful. They chase each other's ideas around without stopping to think if they're actually chasing a good idea.

Better to make a smartwatch and have smartwatches go the way of the minidisc, than be the next Blackberry who thought touch screen phones would never take off. Playing catch up is really really hard in this industry... check out Windows Phone after all.

 

[Guest]

Pebble started it? Found out there was a demand for smartwatches?
Knightrider... the 80's. Or maybe some show before that had something similar.
Star Trek is said to of inspired mobile phones.
But, in my day, being as I am old enough to remember Casio calculator watches, or those with the 007 theme for the alarm, we used to wear watches, should we wish to know the time.
I look at watches. I don't need one. I have a phone. I don't need an mp3 player, I have a phone.
Now, some people will argue, HiFi units are better when you buy "seperates" rather than all in ones. Better quality, sound, etc.
But its just numbers that tell you the time, you can not make them more awesome by putting them on a watch. And a smart watch. Well I am sorry but I personally don't get it. We laughed at the huge mobile phone Detective Murtaugh uses in Lethal Weapon 1, and make them smaller. We don't go to a sensible size of screen when we start making smartphones though, we start off with naff small ones. And they suck, are useless, and dang its nice to have a 5" screen on the LG G2, and still have great battery life.
So whats the Smart Watch going to offer me? Other than linking up to some exercise app which will laugh every hour at the fact that I am stuck in front of a computer still, and getting fatter ?
Someone above mentioned liking smaller phones. If its just a phone sure. If its a smart phone then god no. I want a screen I can use with my chunky sausage fingers.
I could see this later on in life if linked to the Google/Skytran taxi service, where you said pickup and 60 secs later, you have your ride. Or if google like with their wifi air looms and taking to the sky, go underground, taking wifi to the mole people and the Cavers. So when someones trapped they can be pin pointed.

 

[Guest]

In my opinion nobody has quite hit the mark with a wearable device yet. Every single one of them is lacking something and costs too damn much money. That said, if anyone has the ability to figure out a decent device at a good price point it'll be Google.

What I'd like to see
1. Health sensors. Bare minimum I want something that can detect heart rate.

2. Notifications from phone. Only the notifications I want.

3. Not look completely stupid. It would be preferable if you couldn't tell that it was a smart watch from 10 feet away.

4. Cost somewhere around 100 bucks. Not 200 bucks.

 

[Wendig0]

I'm planning on buying the Moto 360 when it is available. Best looking smartwatch design to date imo.

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

For me as for a previous poster above me a watch is more of a fashion piece.
As a male, there is a rather limited amount of jewelry one can wear in a professional environment and not look out of place or absolutely gaudy. The watch is one of the few pieces where a man can actually have something very distinguishing.
I love my automatic/mechanical watch, seeing the gears spin is something very relaxing for me. I also don't need another gadget vying for my attention. I can wait to answer a text until I can pull out my phone.... for now. Anything could change

I agree. A good watch is a distinguishing piece of jewelry and before the advent of cell phones most men (and women) wore one, I did and still wear one on occasions.

 

[Darkshadoe]

Google is on something alright....dope.

 

[ET3D]

My feeling is that a watch is an intermediate step towards Glass. It's cheaper and less convenient, but serves the same purpose, making data more readily accessible and more hands-off.

 

[Jad Chaar]

I feel like they are on to something in this aspect: remember Android 1.0 and iOS 1 and how it took a lot of maturing before people adopted smartphones. I feel like it will be the same with smart watches. It will just be a matter of time.

 

[Railman]

I feel like they are on to something in this aspect: remember Android 1.0 and iOS 1 and how it took a lot of maturing before people adopted smartphones. I feel like it will be the same with smart watches.

I dare say there will be ridiculously expensive special edition smart watches which are diamond encrusted. Don't laugh as there have been diamond encrusted smart phones.

It will just be a matter of time.

Spot the deliberate pun! How long did it take you to come up with that?

 

[treetops]

You cannot use 2 hand to operate your smart watch.

 

[ET3D]

You cannot use 2 hand to operate your smart watch.

You don't have to, at least until people will start putting tablets on their wrists. Won't surprise me if it happens. People are already using 10" tablets as cameras and phones.

 

[Railman]

You don't have to, at least until people will start putting tablets on their wrists. Won't surprise me if it happens. People are already using 10" tablets as cameras and phones.

I don't understand why people take pictures with a tablet as the cameras are worse than those on smart phones. Not only that but they look like buffoons