Google rumored to debut 'Nexus' smart watch with new operating system in June
The flood of wearable devices headed to market is expected to continue with a new wrist-worn smart watch from Google, rumored to be unveiled at the search giant's I/O 2014 conference this June.
LG's Lifeband Touch fitness tracker was unveiled last month.
Google will reportedly partner with LG, much like it has done for previous "Nexus" phones and tablets with third-party hardware makers, according to CNet. Actual details on the hardware, such as specifications, pricing or availability, remain unknown.
Prior to unveiling the hardware, Google is also expected to introduce a new smart watch-specific mobile operating system that will run on the device. That new platform is likely to be showcased by Google in a blog post by the company in March.
Both Google and LG were reported last year to be working on their own smart watch devices, but Monday is the first time an alleged partnership between the two companies has been revealed. Numerous companies view wearable devices as the next big growth area in technology, and even Apple is rumored to be considering entering the space with an alleged "iWatch."
Just this weekend, Samsung announced a new lineup of Gear 2 smart watches, ditching Google's Android platform that powered the first-generation Gear. The new Gear 2 watches will connect with Samsung's recently released Galaxy smartphones, including the Note 3, S4, and S5. A smaller wrist-worn accessory known as the Gear Fit is also set for release this April.
Samsung's Tizen-powered Gear 2 was announced this weekend.
Google is already on the wearable market, albeit in a limited capacity, with its head-worn Glass, a smart heads-up display that connects to Android smartphones as well as Apple's iPhone. Currently, Google Glass availability is limited to developers for testing purposes.
Last August it was revealed that Google bought smart watch maker WIMM Labs to boost its wearable initiatives. The company previously sold a connected device known as the WIMM One.
Perhaps the biggest name currently on the smart watch market is upstart Pebble, which recently launched its new high-end Steel model. Other competitors range from established brands like Sony and Archos, as well as smaller hopefuls like MetaWatch and Basis Science.
LG already announced its own iOS-compatible Lifeband Touch fitness tracking wristband at this year's Consuemr Electronics Show. However, the company's rumored collaboration with Google is presumably a different, as-yet-unannounced product.
LG's Lifeband Touch fitness tracker was unveiled last month.
Google will reportedly partner with LG, much like it has done for previous "Nexus" phones and tablets with third-party hardware makers, according to CNet. Actual details on the hardware, such as specifications, pricing or availability, remain unknown.
Prior to unveiling the hardware, Google is also expected to introduce a new smart watch-specific mobile operating system that will run on the device. That new platform is likely to be showcased by Google in a blog post by the company in March.
Both Google and LG were reported last year to be working on their own smart watch devices, but Monday is the first time an alleged partnership between the two companies has been revealed. Numerous companies view wearable devices as the next big growth area in technology, and even Apple is rumored to be considering entering the space with an alleged "iWatch."
Just this weekend, Samsung announced a new lineup of Gear 2 smart watches, ditching Google's Android platform that powered the first-generation Gear. The new Gear 2 watches will connect with Samsung's recently released Galaxy smartphones, including the Note 3, S4, and S5. A smaller wrist-worn accessory known as the Gear Fit is also set for release this April.
Samsung's Tizen-powered Gear 2 was announced this weekend.
Google is already on the wearable market, albeit in a limited capacity, with its head-worn Glass, a smart heads-up display that connects to Android smartphones as well as Apple's iPhone. Currently, Google Glass availability is limited to developers for testing purposes.
Last August it was revealed that Google bought smart watch maker WIMM Labs to boost its wearable initiatives. The company previously sold a connected device known as the WIMM One.
Perhaps the biggest name currently on the smart watch market is upstart Pebble, which recently launched its new high-end Steel model. Other competitors range from established brands like Sony and Archos, as well as smaller hopefuls like MetaWatch and Basis Science.
LG already announced its own iOS-compatible Lifeband Touch fitness tracking wristband at this year's Consuemr Electronics Show. However, the company's rumored collaboration with Google is presumably a different, as-yet-unannounced product.
Comments
It bad enough i have to charge my phone every night and some days I forget it when I am about to leave for work, imagine you have to plug in your watch every night and remember to take it with you along with all your other electronics.
I understand that Apple needs to get the details right and avoid being rushed... and maybe Apple will NEVER release a watch....
But it sure would be nice to see an Apple watch/device sooner rather than later.
Who cares about what Google is going to release?
The author of the article?
I think they are a tasteless company, with no respect to style, no wish for creating a coherence experience, or having their products work in congruence with one another for that matter.
Google. All the money in the world couldn't ever buy them class. It's just not in their DNA.
1) Did you miss a starting sentence or paragraph? It sounds like you're referring to some regular watch with the statement "...the watch is now on year 3…" but I can't make heads or tails of it.
2) One thing these smartwatches and fitness bands have going for them is small batteries. This means that even if you do have to charge it daily you can do so within the duration of a shower so those that like to wear their watch at night will have no issues there. That said, these bands are already coming in at several days to more than a week between charges which means it shouldn't be much of an issue for most, with the obvious outliers being those that expect it to last as long as a standard watch which could be years to infinity for self-winding watches.
3) I don't think we'll see a solar powered and/or kinect-charging watches from Apple but I think we could see a wireless charging station that would at reduce the slight annoyance of having to plug in a very small connector.
I understand that Apple needs to get the details right and avoid being rushed... and maybe Apple will NEVER release a watch....
But it sure would be nice to see an Apple watch/device sooner rather than later.
Apple is like a celebrity showing up late to a party.
"Ev'rybody's 'neath the trees,
Feeding pigeons on a limb
But when Quinn the Eskimo gets here,
All the pigeons gonna run to him."
--BD
Yawn. I'll wait.
Ahem.
Quote:
I know that this will be a cheap copy of what Apple has planned.
Explain to all of us once again how one copies something that doesn't exist.
Grr I hate those pesky phandroids for some reason my medication doesn't allow me to remember! I also hate this potential watch and Google for copying an Apple product which doesn't exist. How dare they copy something which no one has even seen yet and all the news is speculation!
Please calm down my friend the world outside your window is a much more interesting place!
I hope it's good. If it is, Apple will be pressured to make theirs better. Everyone wins!
I hate those Fandroids so much that I know that this will be a cheap copy of what Apple has planned. Google makes nothing that I want. Nothing. I prefer Apple, thankyuouverymuch.
Really? I think it's funny, albeit not really surprising at all, that the first post on this article is from someone who directly correlates the ultimate quality of a rumored product to their own feelings of hate toward the Android platform/users and expectations of Apple's also possibly completely non-existent rumored product.
I can only hope that you are the minority and other Apple users possess some shred of objectivity.
Just looking at the quality of Googles' software initiatives I for one could never feel inclined to check out any of Googles' attempts at their HW efforts. Probably never will.
I think they are a tasteless company, with no respect to style, no wish for creating a coherence experience, or having their products work in congruence with one another for that matter.
Google. All the money in the world couldn't ever buy them class. It's just not in their DNA.
I completely disagree that Google has no style, coherent experience, or product ecosystem. Google's apps have been converging lately to a tasteful design with light colors, clean fonts, and good information density. And the Google ecosystem is linked seamlessly by their cloud services. It's one thing to not like the company when you are abreast of their products and another to not like the company when you're clueless.
How bizarre... Even LG has this elongated screen (like Samsung) that makes it effectively useless for normal human beings. Wake up, LG and Samsung! People can't use things designed like that!
Anyway, who cares?
Put this crap on SammyInsider.com.