It is also worth noting that, even though there’s not much of an out-of-box experience, there are a growing number of apps available that are compatible with Android Wear.Īndroid Wear is fairly limited without its accompanying smartphone or tablet tether. The element of proprietary requirements completely go out the window, something that Samsung seriously needs to address (something I will be addressing later). The real “big deal” with Android Wear seems to be the fact that it works on any Android device running on Jelly Bean 4.3 or higher. I also like the ability to enable Developer Mode, just like on standard Android: hit the Build Version a few times and presto! The various swipe-based gestures work well to navigate the various menus and screens, and I absolutely love the “face-palm” motion that will turn-off the screen: it not only feels cool to do, but it’s a highly effective way to turn off the screen when it might have turned on by accident. It is quite literally, an extension, in every sense of the word. Wear has a very clean interface that perfectly complements the Google Now functionality it is tied to.
I tested both the 4.X software version and then more recently, the 5.X build. While this is not intended to be a review of the platform, I will nonetheless discuss some pros and cons. For reference, I have spent considerable time with the Samsung Gear Live, the Moto 360, the LG G Watch, and the LG G Watch R.
Presumably Google was aiming for all three when it designed the software. Ironically it wasn’t until last Fall that the Apple Watch actually came to fruition, though it has yet to be released at the time of writing this piece.Īndroid Wear looks very clean, serves as an extension of Google Now, and has very basic functionality. Android Wear is Google’s answer to the wearable wars, a battle that in no small way ramped up big-time when rumors started flying about Apple releasing an “iWatch” well over a year ago.