14 DAY TRIAL // It hasn't even been a week since LG first said it was working on a smartwatch loaded with the new Android Wear operating system from Google, but the company has already offered a new photo for us to feast our eyes upon.
Would that this photo had been accompanied by some sort of leak or report on the specifications of the gadgets.
After all, the Motorola Moto 360 did get partially detailed, even if the company didn't really go on record in regard to the specs.
Alas, LG seems to be a bit better at keeping things a secret. Even now, days after the initial introduction, we only know that the LG G Watch runs the Android Wear OS.
The central processing unit is unknown, though it's obvious enough that it is based on the ARM architecture, so it could be a Qualcomm.
The screen (rectangular, not round like on Moto 360, which means that Motorola still has a monopoly there) is probably an OLED, but it could be an efficient LCD too.
Apps should be supported well enough, and we are quite certain that the LG G Watch will be able to sync over Bluetooth with smartphones, via NFC.
On that note, it will show call and message notifications, maybe alerts for social networking updates and the like. These are all assumptions, however, based on the fact that all Smartwatches can do these things.
The new photo posted by LG UK on Twitter only confirms the call alert function, as it shows the photo of the caller and her name, with the time still on display up on the left. Clearly, LG chose the most ordinary of smartwatch features in order to leave us hanging for a while longer.
It's ironic that the only “specific” revelation that LG made about the wearable gadget is the CEO's statement that the G Watch was "developed in close collaboration with Google." Which could mean everything and nothing.
Deliberately maintained enigmas aside, though, we are fairly optimistic about the world's chances to be met with some actual hardware/software info in the near future. LG can't exactly afford to let Motorola hog all the limelight with its suspiciously periodic leaks.
What remains is to see if the G Watch has anything uncanny enough to make it a thing to remember. Moto 360 has the round screen, and Sony's SmartWatch 2 just became the world's first and only wrist-mounted airport boarding pass.