14 DAY TRIAL // As we have said before, wearables seem to be tech’s next best thing, particularly smartwatches that are not produced by important companies in the business, including Samsung. Apple is also said to be developing on such a product, so Google couldn't have been left behind.
A purported Nexus smartwatch appeared in the rumor mill ever since last year and since then we have heard plenty of speculation on the matter and we have seen some renders. So we compiled all the available information we have until now, to give you a clear picture of what might be coming our way soon.
Manufacturer
As with every upcoming Nexus devices, there's a big mystery regarding what company will be granted the task of bringing this wearable to life, as Google rarely makes its own hardware.
In the past Google was known to work with Samsung, ASUS, HTC and LG. The search giant is expected to prolong its partnership with ASUS for the manufacturing of the next Nexus 7 (which turned out to be the Nexus 8 with an 8.9-inch screen) and HTC for the production of the elusive next-gen Nexus 10 tablet.
We should also take into consideration that LG was the one behind the last two Nexus Phones, so maybe the device-maker might be apt enough to take on the smartwatch project, too.
Looks
While Samsung’s smartwatches have been criticized for their bulkier frame factor (even if the new Gear Fit looks sleek enough), Apple has been said to be working on a fashionable curved wristwatch. Granted, looks are very important when it comes to something you’ll be wearing around your wrist every day.
The Nexus wearable will probably not be the bracelet kind, but for now this is just speculation. We can at the moment only take a sneak peek at the renders in order to imagine what might be coming our way.
Hardware
Some info about specs has been leaked online, so we can tell you the smartwatch will have a 1.65-inch IPS LCD with 280 x 280 pixels, 512MB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage.
We currently don’t know if there’s going to be a camera on board like with the Samsung Gear 2, but most likely we’re going to see one. Not so long ago, a patent filed by Google showed the company is working on a wrist band that has sensitive areas built into it.
Software
Since this is a Google product, we’re going to be seeing the Android platform mounted onboard. The search giant is probably going to port the Google Now platform (from Google Glass) to the wearable.
This particular piece of software is able to provide users with the location and info without a smartphone being involved. So users will be able to tell if they need to take the umbrella out of the closet today, just by taking a quick look at their wrist.
When we might see it in the wild
The latest rumors seem to indicate the Nexus smartwatch is going to be making an appearance at Google’s I/O in June, alongside the awaited Nexus 8 and the new Android 4.5.
However, other sources have said Google will not show off a new Android version this year. And this could mean the search giant may want to focus on its smartwatch endeavor.