Sundar Pichai had said Google was getting ready to unveil an Android SDK for wearables. And well, that SDK has been announced this morning. We are taking about Android Wear, which is described as being able to extend the Android platform to wearables. Essentially, Android Wear is the platform and it will be looking towards others to make and sell the actual watches. There have been a few announcements so far, however judging from the partners list — it seems there is more to come.
For now we have heard from LG and Motorola, who have unveiled the G Watch and the Moto 360. Specifics were rather light on both accounts. LG mentioned the second quarter, and Motorola talked about the summer in terms of a release. We also heard from Fossil, but they said little more than how they are “working together with Google supporting the extension of Android into wearables with Android Wear.” The LG and Motorola details were light, but we at least saw some images.
Remaining names on the partner list include; Broadcom, HTC, Intel, MediaTek, MIPS, Qualcomm, and Samsung. Partners aside, Google did offer a bit of detail in terms of the platform, but unfortunately for the end user looking to get this on their wrist — the announcement from today was intended more for developers. Google released a Developer Preview along with some tips to get started including a bit about the UI overview, and some design principals.
There is also an official Android Wear Developers community on Google+, as well as an Android Wear Preview app for those who are getting ready to create an emulated device and begin testing. Again, this is more developer oriented. Judging from what we are seeing — Android Wear will be focusing on glanceable information, and relying quite a bit on voice.
To that last point, there was talk of developers being able to “add actions to your notifications to allow users to reply by voice or touch.” And to clarify, Android Wear will have “Ok Google” functionality. Google also mentioned a “wide range of sensors” including accelerometers and heart rate monitors.
Having said all that, you can follow along with the latest using our Android Wear tag. With that tag link you’ll find the deeper look at the original Google announcement, as well as the announcements from LG and Motorola. Lastly, you may also want to check out more about how the notifications will work.
