Time to ditch your phone -- Android Wear now has cellular support
Not long ago LG announced the LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition -- the first Android Wear smartwatch that offers LTE/3G connectivity. Now Google has officially announced Android Wear's cellular support.
Breaking down one of the barriers to wearable adoption -- the previous reliance on smartphones for a lot of functionality -- the arrival of cellular support means your smartwatch can be used to make and receive calls even when you don’t have your phone with you.
Cellular support means that smartwatches can now successfully evolve into something more than just glorified fitness trackers. It may take a little while for apps that take advantage of data access to filter through, but with the capability now available it is only a matter of time before there is an Android Wear app explosion. Now when you go for a run, you can leave your phone at home, and still be able to check text messages when you stop to catch your breath.
Product Manager for Android Wear, Peter Ludwig says:
No more worrying about Bluetooth or Wi-Fi -- your watch will automatically switch to a cellular connection when you're out of range. As long as your watch and phone are connected to a cellular network, you'll be able to use your watch to send and receive messages, track fitness, get answers from Google, and run your favorite apps. And yes, you'll even be able to make and take calls right from your watch, for when your hands are full, or your phone is elsewhere.
The LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition may be the first cellular-enabled Android Wear device to hit the market, but it's certainly not going to be the last.