Motorola Announces Android Wear Powered Moto 360 Smartwatch

Motorola has just announced plans to bringing an Android Wear smartwatch this summer. From the looks of it the Moto 360 smartwatch will be a high end watch that rely a lot on traditional watch design. Motorola hasn't announced pricing or details regarding specs however has said the Moto 360 will feature “premium materials” and arrive globally in several styles this summer. 

"Moto 360 keeps you on time and up to date without taking you out of the moment or distracting you, telling you what you need to know before you know you need it through subtle alerts and notifications. With just a twist of the wrist you can see who’s emailing or calling, what time your next meeting is or a friend’s latest social post… Moto 360 also responds to your voice. Just say “Ok Google” to ask questions like who won the Stanford vs. New Mexico game or what time your flight leaves, or to get stuff done like scheduling an appointment, sending a text, setting an alarm or taking a note".

 

The Moto 360 shows that Motorola will have what appears to be an option between a steel or a rubber-like material for the watch strap. The company posted a video (above) that gives a glimpse at the making of the watch.

Alongside the announcement of the new Android Wear SDK for wearables Google also announced a number of partners working on projects including Asus, HTC, LG, Motorola and Samsung. Chip makers Broadcom, Imagination, Intel, Mediatek and Qualcomm. Fashion brand Fossil Group.

Source: Motorola Blog

Samsung Unveils Tizen Powered Gear 2 And Gear 2 Neo Smartwatch

Samsung announce its latest Gear 2 and the Gear 2 Neo. The Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo are not Android powered, the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo are powered by Samsung’s own operating system Tizen.

The Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo are Samsung’s latest addition to their smartwatch lineup. The watches include practically the same specs, a 1.63 inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 320×320, 1GHz dual-core processor, 512MB RAM, 4GB storage, 300mAh battery that’s rated for 2-3 days of usage and different sensors, heart rate monitor, pedometer and Bluetooth 4.0 support. 

Both watches run on Tizen and include music players as well as built-in IR blasters to control your TV through the watch. The only real difference in hardware is the Gear 2 Neo doesn’t feature a 2-megapixel camera while the Gear 2 does.

The other difference comes in color choices. The Gear 2 is available in Charcoal Black, Gold Brown and Wild Orange and the Gear 2 Neo is available in Charcoal Black, Mocha Grey and Wild Orange. Both watches are IP57 certified for dust and water resistance.

Both smartwatches are able to act independently of phones and the Tizen software does have customization features. However, many Galaxy branded smartphones will work with these smartwatches and will add additional features such as being able to accept calls, text messages and other notifications straight from your watch. Pricing details were not available but both smartwatches will be going on sale internationally in April. If you’re interested in pictures and the official press release of the devices, check out the source below. 

A heads-up, the devices look similar, but the Gear 2 has a black bar above the screen while the Gear 2 Neo simply has a small circle.

Source: Samsung Mobile Press

Samsung Announces Galaxy Gear Smartwatch

Samsung has announced the Galaxy Gear smartwatch, the “next evolution” of Galaxy. The device has an on board 1.9 megapixel camera that can take pictures and video memos, a pedometer feature, and security measures that allow you to require the Gear to be nearby when you want to unlock your Samsung phone. More highlights:

• Built-in speaker and microphone for phone conversations
• Super AMOLED 320×320 touch screen
• 4GB storage
• 512MB RAM
• Uses Bluetooth 4.0

The Galaxy Gear will launch globally September 25th for $299.

Google Has Acquired Smartwatch Maker WIMM Labs

Google has acquired a new company, smartwatch maker WIMM Labs, a move that further proves Google’s increased interest in wearable smart devices.

This isn't the first time we hear that Google may be working on its own smartwatch in addition to Google Glass, also a wearable device we have told you as much before this year’s Google I/O, and we have shown you new Motorola patent applications for such a device although the company is yet to unveil an actual product.

As for WIMM, the company said in summer 2012 it has entered “into an exclusive confidential relationship” for its technology, which prevented it to sell any more WIMM One Android-based smartwatches to interested buyers. At the time, it was believed that Apple purchased the company.

According to the publication, some WIMM employees now work at Google with the Android team and Google has confirmed the acquisition.

While WIMM products weren't necessarily popular must-have devices, they certainly attracted Google’s attention, and we can safely assume the Search giant will put that smartwatch technology to good use in its own smartwatch models and even in Google Glass.

What may have caught Google’s attention is WIMM’s own developer program, which allowed developers to create so called “micro apps” or “applications that were meant to provide more than just notifications for your smartphone, but actually work independently from the device in your pocket and provide additional functionality.”

Meet The Nexus Smartwatch Concept

So we all know, almost every company out there has a rumored smartwatch. But this one blows them all away. 

Check out a video of the rumored Google Nexus smartwatch concept. Leave us a few comments, let us know what you think?

Samsung Executive Confirms Smartwatch Development

Details about the Samsung smartwatch are scarce, but rumors of the Samsung Galaxy Altius indicate that the device may feature a large 500 x 500 pixel touch-screen with a tiles UI to control music, watch faces, email and notifications. Hopefully Samsung has learned a lot from its phone watch and Bluetooth watch ventures in the past and will be able to give consumers something as intuitive and useful as Pebble and as stylish as the Sony Smartwatch.

Source: Bloomberg

The Google Time Concept Smartwatch

I’ve been interested in the idea of a smartwatch ever since the concept first started becoming popular, but as of now have yet to find a device that I felt would actually work for me. Of the current options, all are too expensive for the features they provide, and each has its own drawback that has made me put off even giving one a try for a short time. While the concept that you see above is about as far from becoming reality as it gets.



The entire Google-based smartwatch concept was made by UI designer Adrian Maciburko, who actually made up a fairly complete set of UI elements and interactions. All of the UI elements are based off of existing Google products as well, making the entire device look like a perfect match for an Android smartphone. The concept includes quite a few different displays on two different sized smartwatches as well, and even includes gesture and navigation ideas.

This theoretical watch has a sort of Google Now view, and could potentially show some active cards on the square version. It also has features for messages, calendar events, Google+, and weather, which is all standard smartwatch fare. However, the the way it is presented on the concept smartwatch is so clean and looks so sensible that it is something that I would readily use. Whereas so far smartwatch software has always struck me as at least a little bit awkward, this concept makes the watch look perfectly natural to use, and quite elegant at that.

Obviously, part of the allure of this design is that it is presented on a nearly impossibly thin watch with an almost nonexistent bezel, which is something that I realize will have to be sacrificed for battery power, a good display, and Bluetooth connectivity. Still, I like this concept software quite a lot, and think that if applied to existing smartwatch hardware, it would make such devices much more appealing. Of course, that probably won’t happen any time soon as I’m sure there are complications I have no idea about in converting this art into software, but we can always hope. For now, I’ll be looking at current smartwatch offerings, and trying to decide whether I would prefer the square or circular version of the “Google Time” smartwatch if it ever does get released.