If you’ve been frustrated by the fact that you can’t install paid apps on your Android Wear devices, your frustration should soon be at an end. Google has just notified developers of a workaround to the problem, which was caused by a bug in the anti-piracy measures employed with paid apps …
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Android Wear devices are finally here and the LG G Watch and Samsung Gear Live are the first two available, arriving just before the Moto 360’s release later this summer. These two Android Wear smartwatches pave the way for similar devices in the future and set somewhat of a standard that can be improved upon.
Today we’re taking a closer look at both smartwatches, but if you’d like to see a comparison between the two, be sure to check out our previous article here or our initial Android Wear review. Meanwhile, let’s pop open these boxes and go hands-on with the LG G Watch and Samsung Gear Live. Check out our video overview below.
As more and more Android Wear devices start to trickle out to the public, a somewhat major bug has been discovered by the folks at Android Police. According to users of the G Watch and Gear Live, there is currently no way to install paid apps onto the devices. Normally, Android Wear apps are installed to the watch from the user’s phone, via Bluetooth. Apps that cost money, however, are not installing on Android Wear devices.
Photo: in.com
Microsoft is planning its own entry into the wearable market, but won’t make it exclusive to Windows devices, according to a report from Paul Thurrott. The device won’t be a watch, but a simple fitness band that can sync with multiple smartphone platforms, including Windows, Android, iOS.
The company is said to be aiming for a Q4 release with pricing similar to that of Samsung’s Galaxy Gear. No word yet on whether the hardware will work with the health and fitness software built into many Android phones or will require an app created by Microsoft.
Fog Creek Software announced today that its organization app Trello is now available for Android Wear. If you’re unfamiliar with this software, it’s pretty much a live whiteboard that uses task cards to help groups keep track of who’s doing what when working on project. To bring this powerful tool to your new smartwatch, just update to the latest version of Trello for Android on your smartphone and the app will automatically install on your wearable.
Recently at Google I/O 2014, LG and Samsung launched their new Android Wear smartwatches. The LG G Watch and Samsung Gear Live are available now on the Google Play Store, but which one should you buy? Both devices have differences and similarities and today we’re taking a quick look at all of them. Check out our comparison video below for a closer look…
Attendees at Google I/O are busy pawing smartwatches made by LG, Motorola and Samsung, but obviously there are other companies ready to jump on the Android Wear bandwagon. One of the firms currently drafting up a plan is Taiwanese computer manufacturer Asus, which will release a smartwatch sometime this fall, according to TechCrunch. Powered by Android Wear, the high-tech timepiece will reportedly feature an AMOLED display and ship with a price tag between $100 and $150.
Excited about Android Wear? You’re definitely not alone! But before you drop some cold hard cash on a new smartwatch, you’ll want to make sure that your current smartphone is able to communicate with a next-gen timepiece. Android Wear is designed to work with phones running Android 4.3 or higher, so newer handsets are most likely covered.
Last month, Motorola announced that it was accepting design submissions for watch faces for its Moto 360 smartwatch. We showed you some of the best and most interesting submissions last month, as well, but today, Motorola has finally announced the winner of its contest. In a blog post, Motorola announced that out of the 1,300 submitted designs, David Pascual’s watch face was deemed the best. You can see his design at the top of this page.
Motorola says that Pascual wins one of the very first Moto 360s and the chance for his design to be featured on the watch when it ships. It’s unclear exactly what Pascual has to do for his design to be featured on the watch, but we’re guessing there’s some sort of licensing.
You can view all of the Moto 360 watch face designs on Google+. The Moto 360 is slated to go on sale later this summer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrqZl2QIz0c
Samsung is preparing to debut its first Android Wear-powered smartwatch next week during Google’s I/O developer conference, according to a new report from Cnet. The company has been working on two different models of the wearable, but there isn’t an word yet which of those versions will be revealed during the event.
Samsung has already tried to jump into the smartwatch market with its various Gear watches. Google first showed off a watch-specific version of Android, dubbed “Android Wear,” earlier this year.
Android Wear is expected to be a major part of Google’s showing next week during its I/O conference and to give a hint of what’s on deck, the company has released a new video overlooking what its new platform has to offer. This introduction demo highlights Mountain View’s intentions for its new software, discussing what separates it from the Android experience on a smartphone, detailing its focus on convenience.
Citing “industry sources,” a super sketchy report from Korean publication iNews24 was posted at the end of May claiming that the upcoming LG G Watch could be shipping with a built-in, unremovable SIM Card. Other publications ran with this rumor, saying that it was truly possible despite the obvious skepticism that an Android Wear watch would have cellular capabilities. But we’ve unearthed some more information, potentially bringing a bit of credence to this wild rumor.
After said report started spreading across the Internet, we searched for the truth and uncovered FCC documents providing some evidence that the device will not be shipping with any cellular capabilities — at least not in the US, and not yet. These FCC filings were for a device labeled as ZNF-W100 (which likely just stands for “watch” 100, with ZNF being the manufacturer’s code: LG).
But what we didn’t consider is that there might be more than one model. The FCC filing in the US shows no evidence of the W100 model touting a cellular radio, but what if there’s another model?
Enter the LG G Watch W105.
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We know that Google is partnering with a few more hardware manufacturers to flesh out its Android Wear offerings, but some FCC tests may be evidence (via SammyToday) that Samsung is planning to introduce its Gear-branded Android Wear smartwatch very soon.
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The LG G Watch — as well as Android Wear as a platform — is nearing launch, and amidst a rumor that the device will be given away at Google’s annual I/O developer conference, a purported image of the full specs and a photo of the devices’ back panel have now leaked.
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Every year at Google I/O the company gives away a few gadgets to the attendees of the event. Last year, Google gave away the $1,500 Chromebook Pixel to attendees, among other things. According to a report from Android Authority, Google this year plans to give out the LG G Watch for free to all the people in attendance.
Samsung is dumping Android for Tizen. Well not completely, but the company is moving its Galaxy Gear smartwatch to its in-house operating system. An update for the first Galaxy Gear is now available through Samsung’s Kies software and in addition to a platform jump the download brings a trove of new features to this smart timepiece.
The very same guy who brought us video footage of the Samsung Galaxy S5 Active more than a week before it was officially released has today published a bit of information about the upcoming HTC smartwatch, tentatively named the “One Wear.”
It’s been an interesting few days here in Taiwan. Sources have provided more than rumors but a actual demo of the HTC smart watch. I did ask for a name. Tentatively it’s called the One Wear, slated to launch late august early September of this year. The design is round much like the Moto 360, will be available in a polycarbonate and metal flavors.
While these Taiwan-sourced rumors should probably be taken with a grain of salt, none of this supposedly leaked information sounds particularly out of place. First of all, Google has already told us that they’re working with a wide variety of manufacturers, one of which being HTC. And with a tentative name like “One Wear,” it’s likely that the device being referenced is indeed HTC’s foray into Android Wear.
According to a new report from Forbes, Microsoft’s rumored smartwatch is going to be compatible with not only the Redmond, Washington corporation’s own Windows Phone operating system, but Android and iOS as well (via The Verge). Other details from the report include a release date for the watch potentially slanted for this Summer, as well as battery life that lasts upwards of two days.
Microsoft has been rumored to be working on a smartwatch for quite some time, but today’s report corroborates some information that was previously assumed, and adds a few details that we haven’t yet heard. The device will apparently be a sensor-rich device (as is expected from Apple’s iWatch as well), featuring a heart rate sensor that synchronizes data to the above mentioned variety of devices.
Supposedly, Microsoft is pulling some engineers from the Kinect side of the company to make sure this feature is running 24 hours a day. Microsoft was already rumored to be working on a health rate monitor called the “Joule” in 2012, so it shouldn’t come as any surprise that Microsoft is taking advantage of Xbox experts to help put this product together.
The report suggests that the device may land as early as this Summer, but Forbes — as might be expected — says that the timeline is “unclear.”
Image: The Independent
It’s no secret that LG is working on a smartwatch and while the company has openly teased its new wearable, we’ve yet to get a really good look at this up-and-comer in action. However, that just changed thanks to the folks at AppDated, who’ve managed to get their hands on the Android Wear-powered timepiece during the recent LG G3 event in London. While the video is completely in German, it still gives a solid overview of the watch in a real world environment and does a nice job of showing off how smooth Google’s wearable operating system seems to be despite this being a beta build of the platform. Check out what might possibly be up for grabs in the next few weeks.
Yesterday, we reported on a rumor from a Korean website claiming that the up-and-coming LG G Watch will include an embedded, unremovable SIM card. While nothing is conclusive, a dig through the FCC website has unearthed some documents making up a filing for what we believe is the upcoming LG G Watch, and—unsurprisingly—there isn’t any mention of Wi-Fi or cellular radios.
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Motorola announced a contest earlier this week asking the community to submit watch face concepts for a chance to win a Moto 360 smartwatch. Well, now the contest is udnerway, and the Moto 360 Design Face-Off community on Google+ is blowing up with submissions. Head past the break for some of the best we’ve seen so far …
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Motorola’s contest for designers to win a Moto360 carries with it an unexpected piece of information. Buried within the official documents for the rules and terms of the contest is an ARV — Approximate Retail Value — for the Moto360, stating that Motorola is currently valuing the device at $249.
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Android Wear has been the talk of the town since its announcement a couple of months ago. This new wearable OS will hopefully provide the perfect mix of performance and functionality. LG and Motorola have been the first to jump on-board as launch partners and both the LG G Watch and Moto 360 have been announced.
French site Les Numeriques is reporting that LG France has said that its G Watch will launch in the country in June, priced at €199. While a straight currency conversion would mean a U.S. price of $276, gadgets are typically priced higher in Europe than in the USA (partly due to taxes), so it’s likely that LG would match the $199 price of the Galaxy Gear 2.
If the watch does indeed launch in June, it’s likely to be the first Android Wear smartwatch on the market, ahead of Motorola’s Moto 360 expected sometime in the summer. Samsung’s Galaxy Gear 2 uses instead Tizen OS. Google announced the Android Wear platform and SDK last month. As we exclusively revealed last October, the platform puts Google Now functionality at the heart of the offering …
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