14 DAY TRIAL // Google’s Android Wear platform was launched a few months ago and since then the tech giant has been focusing on developing an apt app ecosystem for it.
But as you might have guessed it, Android Wear is not a static platform but a continuously developing one with more features being in development for it as we speak.
In a recent interview with CNET, Google talked about what enhancements we should expect to arrive on our wrists.
So in a short while, Android Wear will include support for GPS on devices (instead of having to rely solely on connected smartphones), the ability to work with other Bluetooth wearables, plus an API for third-party watch faces.
What the GPS feature will bring about is the possibility to use your smartwatch without having to take the smartphone with you too. This will come particularly in handy if you are planning to go out for a run and you have your sports equipment on.
The smartwatch will still be able to run activity tracker apps, while your handset will be resting comfortably on the kitchen table.
As for the other two features, Google is quite vague about them. However, the company provides an example: in the future, your Android Wear watch will be able to talk directly to a Bluetooth headset.
So, basically, you’ll be able to play your favorite track from your wrist, without having to pair the headset to your smartphone in order to do that.
Bluetooth pairing will also bring about a host of benefits especially if you reside in a smarthome. For the more mainstream users, the feature will allow you to have direct input from keyboards.
It’s quite refreshing to see how actively the Android Wear developing team is making plans for future improvements, and we should expect to see the first arrive by the end of the year. The first ones will be aimed to improve navigation and some of the voice control features.
We applaud Google's efforts, but the rapid pace at which the Android Wear team is working is quite easily explainable – Apple is getting ready to release a wearable device of its own and the effects of that are expected to be quite devastating.
For the time being, Samsung, Motorola and LG are the most important names in the tech industry taking advantage of Android Wear for their products.
However, the family will soon diversify as ASUS, HTC, HP and others take up using the platform for their own purposes. Google will certainly have a thing or two to say before ceding the throne of wearables to Apple.