14 DAY TRIAL // A lot of buzz has been created around wearables, as more and more are being rolled onto the market. But in this frenzy, not many have stopped to ponder this question: why do wearables exist?
In its new video, Google enters a philosophical mind-frame and tries to answer this very question.
This is the latest Google Developers video made for Android Wear and it is very likely to be the last until Google I/O 2014 kickstarts.
So basically, Google’s vision of wearables is to take what we already have (i.e smartphone) and enhance it by adding Android Wear devices (i.e smartwatches) to the mix in order to create a more advanced type of ecosystem.
The main idea is that Google is not looking to replace your smartphone with wearables, even if some people have been hoping for such a scenario.
The search giant is instead pushing a harmonized co-existence between the two devices that will complement each other in every way like two perfect soul mates.
The smartwatch is there to offer the means for a quicker interaction than the smartphone can hope to offer.
Google’s vision of wearables is not exactly a newsflash. A while back, the company released a video aimed at devs developing for Android Wear in which it specifically pointed out that the OS should be kept clean and only for notifications and not standalone applications.
Besides, offering a quicker and smoother way of accessing novelty and information, Android Wear devices must have an extra set of key elements in order to work the way Google wants them to.
It's essential that Android Wear devices would be able to respond to voice commands, which again isn't a big surprise, since Google’s wearable will be leaning heavily on Google Now-like voice interactions.
The only problem is that users will have to get used to barking at their wrist. But we guess as Android Wear devices become more widespread, doing that won’t be viewed as bizarre anymore.
Google also insists that the wearable must be capable of answering back to its owner, in the vein of how current smartphones and tablets behave now. Therefore, the smartwatch should come with a built-in mic and speakers.
So, basically, you’ll be able to form a speak-aloud-answering relationship with your wearable that is so reminiscent of Spike Jonze’s “Her” movie with Joaquin Phoenix.
Everything in Android Wear is built around “micro-interactions” that allow users to save time, so we assume they will be quite intuitive.
Anyway, check out the full 6-minute video bellow to see for yourselves.
