Google just updated its Android Wear platform to Android Oreo, adding in a raft of new features and capabilities. I’m the first to admit that I’m not much of a fan of smartwatches, but I seriously had no idea just how BIG the Android Wear space had become.
Back when I had an active interest in Android Wear (quite ways back now), the number of available Android Wear devices was pretty thin on the ground. However, nowadays, there are literally hundreds of options. And quite a few of them are made by big name, traditional watch brands.
Tag Heuer, for instance, makes an Android Wear-powered smartwatch (that's available in 57 varieties). Michael Kors and Guess also have a number of Android Wear watches in circulation as well, which is pretty impressive when you think that most people just think “Apple Watch” whenever you mention the term smartwatch.
And then you have the more traditional numbers made by the likes of LG, Huawei, Asus, Samsung, and Sony. Tack onto this the growing usefulness of Android Wear as a platform, its open nature and growing list of applications, and you have one hell of a proposition.
Android Wear Watches Actually Look Like Watches
But what I like most about these modern Android Wear devices, particularly the ones made by Fossil and Micheal Kors, is that they ACTUALLY look like watches – you know, normal, smart, dress watches.
Take the Apple Watch, for instance. It’s the most popular smartwatch around. But I really do not like the way it looks. Not one bit. For me, it just looks too much like a computer strapped to the side of your wrist. A watch, IMHO, should look like a watch – even if it does not function like a traditional watch.
For me, this is where Android Wear comes into its own. By opening up the design and hardware to actual watchmakers, as well as traditional tech brands, Google has mustered together a HUGE range of brilliant-looking smartwatch devices.
I was seriously taken aback by just how far things have come in the Android Wear space during the past 18 months. So while Apple’s Watch might steal all the sales and headlines, for those of us out there that value traditional watch design, there really is only one platform in town – Android Wear.
And if you don’t believe me, and think Apple’s interpretation of how smartwatches should look is the pinnacle of innovation in the space, I invite you to take a look at just some of the models mentioned in this article. I’m pretty sure you’ll agree that Android Wear is definitely worth a look for those interested in smartwatches in 2017 and 2018.
by rgoodwin via Featured Articles
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