Articles about Android Wear

Smartwatches are largely garbage. Whether Apple Watch or Android Wear, these wrist-worn nuisances don't do much beyond inducing anxiety by bombarding the wearer with notifications. If you are big into fitness, you might find some value, but for the most part, these devices are nothing more than a way for companies to grab cash from consumers as the smartphone market slows.

Apple Watch has seen significant success, although I suspect many buyers are simply getting them as status symbols -- not for an actual need. Android Wear, however, is a major disappointment -- both from a sales and satisfaction perspective. Just like Android smartphones, these watches face fragmentation and a lack of updates. Today, Google announces that it will try to polish the turd that is Android Wear by giving it a new name -- Wear OS.

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Even though Google released Android Oreo a couple of months ago, this version of the popular operating system is not available on a significant number of devices yet. As always, it will take a while for manufacturers to support it. However, things are moving in the right direction, as the Android Wear roll-out goes to prove.

Google says that Android Oreo has already hit a number of smartwatches, with the LG Watch Sport being among the first five such devices to get the update. Question is, will your Android Wear devices get it as well?

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Google has released a new beta version of Android Wear, but it's an update that's going to be of interest to a very limited number of people. For testing in the real world, the beta is only compatible with the LG Watch Sport.

While this may sound like a serious limitation -- well, it is really -- Google is quick to point out that anyone can try out the beta by installing the Android emulator. But what can you expect to find in this new release?

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So you have an Android Wear watch, congratulations. Regardless of which brand you got you should have some nice hardware. It doesn't, however, come without a few nuances. One of those has recently surfaced and you may be experiencing it.

A message continuously pops up that says "charge your watch" -- even if it is fully charged. The good news is that there's a fix, but it's a bit of a hassle to go through.

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While smartwatches aren't exactly lighting the world on fire as many manufacturers had hoped, it is still a fairly respectable segment. Let's face it, as the smartphone and tablet markets reach full saturation in the USA, companies will turn to things like wearables to hopefully make up for it.

Huawei is one such company that is focusing on smartwatches, but it is also expanding into Windows PCs too. The manufacturer focuses on a wise combination of value and elegance, producing desirable products at affordable prices. Today, Huawei announces that its Watch 2 Classic Android Wear smartwatch is finally available in the USA. The device has a 390x390 AMOLED screen and can play locally-stored music from Google Play. It of course has GPS, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi.

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Smartwatches haven't taken off as many manufacturers had hoped, and that is probably due to one big issue -- they largely duplicate smartphone functionality while also needing the phone to properly function. In other words, spending money so you don't have to pull your smartphone from your pocket isn't exactly a smart investment. For fitness, however, wearables have definitely found a market.

Luckily, smartwatches with integrated 4G LTE -- so you do not need to carry a smartphone -- may save the day, and Verizon has an attractive model on the way. The previously announced "Wear24" Android 2.0 smartwatch finally has official pricing and a release date, and you won't have to wait too long to buy it. You can use it to make and receive calls or listen to music without needing your phone nearby. How cool is that?

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As it does every year, Google has just launched its Santa Tracker in the run-up to Christmas. Despite the name, this is about much more than watching Santa make his journey around the globe -- there's a bunch of fun and games to be enjoyed too.

As well as the online version of Santa Tracker, there's also an Android app, and even an app for Android Wear smartwatches. As we make our way through December, the Santa Tracker serves as an advent calendar, with a new treat revealed each day.

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Smartwatches cannot do much on their own, but with some apps they can quickly be turned into useful gadgets. The good news is that major developers are paying attention to this market, slowly adding support for the two main platforms: Apple Watch and Android Wear.

In the case of Outlook, Microsoft's popular email client for Android and iOS, support for Apple Watch arrived first, in August of last year, and now it is the turn of Android Wear to receive the same treatment. Here is what you need to know.

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We've talked plenty about Nest around here. The company makes a smart thermostat and other devices that hope to improve your home and your life. Whether they succeed or not is individual opinion. However, a thermostat that can detect your location and adjust the temperature accordingly can certainly be a money saver.

You can control things right from the app on your smartphone, and do so from anywhere in the world. But what about your wrist? Well, Nest has an app for that and now it's gaining some new features.

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When the Apple Watch was announced, I was a bit dubious. While I was sold on the smartwatch concept, and liked the devices that beat Apple to market, I wasn't sure that consumers would want luxury -- and premium prices -- mixed with their tech. The first Android Wear watches were not stylish, but as time marched on, manufacturers started to follow Apple's wise luxury-focused lead. Watches based on Google's platform can look nice!

Today, Fossil announces two new Android Wear smartwatches -- the Q Marshal and Q Wander -- and they are both luxurious and attractive. Should Apple watch out? Pun intended.

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If you need any more proof that Apple Watch is the smartwatch to beat, Juniper Research has just released a report on smartwatch shipments in 2015 which puts Apple's device at the top of the list with a whopping 52 percent share.

Apple Watch only went on sale in April, so its 52 percent market share was reached in just over eight months. Meanwhile, Android Wear shipments came in at "less than 10 percent" in 2015. Other rivals did not fare well either.

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The smartwatch, wearables in general for that matter, are big these days. The technology dates back quite some time, but popularity and mainstream acceptance are more recent. Android Wear is a big part of that, as Google created a platform for electronics makers to work with and many have responded with offerings.

The latest device you may want to grace your wrist is from Casio, known as the Smart Outdoor Watch, though the real name is the WSD-F10.

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Apple Watch will be the most popular smartwatch in 2015, according to a new forecast from IDC. The firm expects shipments of the device to reach 13 million units, which would give it a market share of 61.3 percent. IDC says that 21.3 million smartwatches will be shipped this year.

Shipments of Android Wear devices will reach 3.2 million units, giving the operating system a market share of 15.2 percent. Pebble is expected to come in third place, with 1.8 million units shipped and a market share of 8.6 percent.

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Years ago, venerable toy-seller Toys R Us ran a brilliant advertisement. It showed a goofy kid playing with a rain-check. Yes, the child was palling-around with a slip of paper. This highlighted the importance of being prepared with your Christmas shopping. Kids, and adults, want actual gifts -- not paper-promises for the future.

The same applies for manufacturers, you see, as launching a product after the holiday shopping season can mean death. My colleague Joe Wilcox highlighted this recently with Google's Pixel C, for which the holiday shopping window is closing. Today, Motorola announces its latest Android Wear smartwatch, the Moto 360 Sport, and it is not even pretending to be aiming for the shopping season in the USA. Nope, the company is targeting the beginning of 2016. Maybe the fancy smartwatch doesn't have a calendar?

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Another Thanksgiving is upon us, as Americans stuff their bellies with turkey and vittles, before falling asleep during the afternoon football game. It's the day of family feuds, too much food, and setting the mood for the holiday season ahead.

We also count our blessings and give thanks for the year behind. I got to wondering what Google can be grateful for and compiled a short list for you. Perhaps you would like to add to it in comments or lash out at my lack of sensitivity on this special day. Please do. With that brief introduction, I present 5 things for which Google can give thanks, served in no particular order of importance.

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