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Top 20 smart watches of the past, present and future to watch out for
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While Google already rattled off a list of manufacturers we’ll be seeing making Android Wear smart watches (with two of those already having announced their products earlier today), the future is undoubtedly much brighter than it already is. We’re going to talk about 20 of the best smart watches available now, available in the future, and even those which haven’t even been made official as of yet.
Smart watches available right now
So where are things today? Well, the smart watch scene is already chock full of options that you can get your heads on right now. Let’s take a quick stroll down recent memory lane to see which devices have helped shape this exciting new category of technology.
Qualcomm Toq
This unique device included the first Mirasol display for a smart watch, which is a color-based non-LCD technology that gives you a vibrant watch face without sacrificing battery life. It debuted at a bit of a steep price — $300 — but it’s certainly one that stood out from the rest of the pack.
Sony SmartWatch 2
Sony took the gold home for having one of the best looking smart watches out there, as well as providing a nice set of features for users to sink their teeth into. Our favorite thing about the Sony SmartWatch 2? You don’t need a Sony smartphone to use it. Other manufacturers should definitely take note.
Pebble and Pebble Steel
Pebble was a very interesting story to follow, with its multi-million dollar Kickstarter success story culminating in a spot on major retailers’ store shelves and a follow-up product. This e-ink device might be inherently limited due to the lack of a touch screen and color, but its open nature has allowed developers to build a ton of apps that many users have grown to love. Oh, and it’s also on the more affordable side compared to most devices on this list, which definitely awards it extra brownie points.
Samsung Galaxy Gear
Tbe original Galaxy Gear received a lot of flack from the community, mainly due to its unattractive price tag and looks and slim support for devices outside of the Galaxy range. Still, it caught our attention with several unique features such as a camera mounted on the side. The Galaxy Gear has been antiquated at this point, but whether you liked it or didn’t, it did its part to help move the smart watch scene forward.
I’m Watch
This smart watch was cool before making smart watches was cool (2012, in case you’re wondering). The I’m Watch enjoyed a long history of being one of the only Android-based smart watches out there, and was quite exciting when it finally launched. Unfortunately its makers got a bit behind on production early on, and the industry began catching on at that point. Still, I’m Watch deserves to be credited for its significant role in introducing Android into the then-budding world of smart watches.
Motorola MOTOACTV
For all that the MOTOACTV was hyped up to be, it ended up being a bit underwhelming once it finally made its way to the forefront. We can’t fault Motorola too much, though, considering they were entering uncharted territory in a time where smart watches were still new. With only one other major competitor to deal with, the MOTOACTV was outshined and eventually laid to rest, but it wouldn’t have been the last we’d heard of Motorola in the wearables space.
Smart Watches on the horizon
So we just talked about what’s out, now it’s time to talk about what’s not. These devices are just outside our reach, though their official status means they should be heading to store shelves at some point soon. Let’s take a look!
Moto 360 by Motorola
Just announced earlier today, the Moto 360 is one of the first smart watches that will take advantage of Google’s new Android Wear platform. Motorola certainly stepped their game up in the design department with their second attempt at a smart watch, with the use of premium metal and quality wrist straps being among the long list of reasons why they’ve grabbed our attention.
LG G Watch
LG didn’t reveal many details about their smart watch. Hell, the photo they used to show it off barely gave us anything concrete to look at. But the fact that it’ll be running the newly-announced Android Wear platform instantly awards it a spot near the top of our list of smart watches to watch. One exciting detail LG sought to point out was that their watch would work with a wide range of Android devices, so it’s nice that they’ve quelled fears of brand exclusivity early on.
Samsung Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo
These follow-ups to the original Samsung Galaxy Gear don’t run Android, but they don’t need to. They still support communicating with Android devices, and they’re filled to the brim with features. Unfortunately they are still only compatible with select Samsung Galaxy devices, though the company tells us they’re still exploring the possibilities of opening it up to more users. (PS: these two devices are nearly identical, except the Neo doesn’t have a camera.) See our hands-on from Mobile World Congress here.
Samsung Gear Fit
This little strip of wonder is more focused on providing a capable fitness, sleep and activity tracker for those who need it, but its curved AMOLED display gives it a leg up on other products in its category. The rectangular aspect ratio of the display doesn’t lend itself well to traditional smart watch applications, but it shouldn’t be a hindrance to the basic needs of most users. You’ll still be afforded the ability to tell time, for instance, as well as get instant access to new messages and notifications, and music controls. Learn more in our hands-on.
Omate TrueSmart
This Kickstarter sensation is going to be introduced at $300, but it’s doing a lot of things that other smart watch makers can’t seem to get quite right. For starters, it has a charging solution that doesn’t suck. It’s also one of the only smart watches that can work independently of other devices, so you won’t have to have a compatible smartphone to tether it to if you don’t need it. Anything more is just a nice cherry on top.
LG LifeBand Touch
Less of a smart watch and more of an activity band, this thing won’t do much more than give you a quick look at the time, some light workout information and give you the ability to change tracks in your music player. If that’s all you need, though, then the LG LifeBand Touch will be a nice addition to your wrist once it’s finally made available.
ZTE BlueWatch
ZTE only revealed this device as a prototype back at Mobile World Congress, but it looked pretty decent for something that supposedly isn’t ready for retail. The device relies on e-ink technology to display all the useful bits of data you’re interested in, but that’s all we know for the time being. We’ll have to see if ZTE will look to bring this out to consumers at some point, or if they’ve decided to go back to the drawing board in light of recent developments.
Rumored and Beyond
This list largely comprised of Motorola, LG and HTC, but those three — among other names — were wiped off once they were confirmed to be in cahoots with Google for smart watches with Android Wear. So what’s left?
HTC, Samsung and ASUS?
These three were among Motorola and LG’s names in the Android Wear press release, so we know they have something coming… we’re just not sure what yet. Regardless, their involvement in the early days of Android Wear will certainly be well-documented, so it’s a good idea to add them to your radar right now.
Nexus smart watch
When rumors of a Nexus smart watch first started swirling, we had no idea it could evolve into a full-fledged open platform that any OEM could join in on. That said, there is still some evidence that Google could be looking to make an actual Nexus smart watch. Whether it’s a modified version of one of today’s announcements remains to be seen, but we’re certainly still holding onto hope that it exists.
Apple iWatch
Rumors that Apple would be launching an iWatch have been longstanding. In fact, it’s likely one of the reasons Samsung admittedly rushed the original Galaxy Gear out to market. It looks like the bitten fruit company decided to take their time, though, and won’t be releasing a product until they can do it just right. Let’s hope “just right” happens to include a healthy dosage of Jony Ives.
Nintendo QoL Platform
While Nintendo has never been specifically rumored to launch a smart watch, they have discussed wanting to introduce a platform that would help improve people’s quality of life. One of their original goals was to leapfrog smartphones and tablets, and even wearable technology (which would include the very topic we’re currently discussing). Their classification of “non-wearables” for this platform doesn’t make much sense right now, but we imagine it could still feature some form of a smart watch whenever it’s all said and done.
That’s a wrap!
This brings us to the end of a large list of the smart watches that have defined, and are continuing to define, this growing platform. Things aren’t fully mature yet, but the Android Wear platform and some of the latest smart watches announced from top manufacturers certainly have brought things a full leap forward. We can’t wait to see what’s in store for the future, but for now let us know what you think of everything available or soon to be available in the comments section below!
All new HTC One (2014) launching in the UK same day as unveiling
We’re less than a week away from the official unveiling of the all new HTC One 2014. After numerous leaks over the past few weeks have revealed everything from the hardware specs to software features in Sense 6.0, HTC has still managed to keep a few cards close to its chest, namely, the actual release date for the handset.
After last year’s HTC One launch fiasco saw the device delayed by several weeks in some regions, it seems HTC might be set to finally right their wrongs with the HTC One 2014. As announced in a Carphone Warehouse press release, the all new HTC One will be available the same day the announcement commences on March 25th. Well, in the UK anyway. This not only helps give HTC the jump on the Galaxy S5, but ensures hardcore fans have little time to mull over their next smartphone purchase, potentially making the HTC One 2014 an impulse buy.
Carphone Warehouse says they’ll be transporting the device directly from the announcement venue in London to six of their stores in London — Westfield Stratford, Westfield White City, Oxford Circus, Centrepoint and Tottenham Court Road — where they’ll be celebrating the launch with entertainment and giveaways. Phone and online orders will also be available shortly after the One’s announcement for couch potatoes.
Additional Android Wear details show us exactly what to expect when it arrives later this year
We already covered many of the main features in our Android Wear announcement post from earlier today, giving you guys a general overview of Android Wear, what it’s about, and how we might expect to use it in the real world. But, for those still wanting to dive a little deeper, Google has provided a few extra details about the new platform via their new Developer Preview page.
The main page shows developers how they can get up and running with the new Android Wear preview SDK, cautioning devs that apps built using the SDK are not for public consumption (production apps), and will likely break once the real SDK is released later this year. It’s also interesting that the emulator allows developers to build/test apps for devices with either a round (Motorola Moto 360) or square display (LG G Watch by Android Wear).
Android Wear: your smartphone’s best friend
Diving into Android Wear’s UI principals and design overview, we get a much better idea of how Android Wear will work on our wrists, as well as Google’s purpose for Android Wear. Just like Google Glass, Android Wear is simply meant to compliment the smartphone — not replace it. This means you shouldn’t expect to use your smartwatch for browsing YouTube videos, or purchasing a new bike on Amazon. Android Wear apps are merely an extension of their smartphone counterparts, and little more (at least not yet).
Google compares Android Wear to a good personal assistant, one that only bothers you when something is time sensitive or important. In fact, Google says it’s only time-based reminders or important messages that should ever cause a smartwatch to vibrate. For everything else (social network updates, steps taken, etc.) these notifications should be silently added to the main timeline.
The stream
The stream is the main homescreen of Android Wear, and it’s where users will find all their notifications by scrolling vertically through their stream. Similar to Google Now, Android Wear’s stream behaves in much the same way. Many of these cards are contextual, showing notifications for flight times, the amount of time it’ll take to commute home, or other reminders.
Swiping left from a card will reveal actions (or additional pages) available for that card or back will take you to the main stream. It’s quite a different approach that what Google took with Google Glass, but provides for a more visually appealing experience. Similar to Glass, users can scroll through a variety of voice actions, by clicking the Google Search button in the upper right hand corner of the stream. There they can take notes, call a cab, play music, or send a message.
As far as the UI goes, everything is meant to be glanceable and succinct. This will ensure users are able to quickly identify/read a notification, address or ignore it, and get back to their life with little-to-no downtime. Android Wear’s UI is built around a Google Now-like card interface, with app icons in the upper left hand corner to help identify the corresponding app the notification was sent from.
Actions
In most cases, Google says notifications wont require any action at all. When they do (like when receiving messages, for instance) swiping to the right of a notification will show available actions. Google specifically made it so only 3 actions will be allowed by developers, providing options like “reply” when receiving a message notification, “archive” for emails, or “navigate” for directions.
Pages and stacks
Because not all information will always fit nearly into a tiny card, some apps will have additional pages that can be swiped to. Unlike actions, there is no limit to the amount of pages that can go into a notification card (see above gif). When a single app sends multiple notifications, Google urges developers to consider grouping them into using a stack.
With stacks, Google unsure that users’ timelines aren’t littered with multiple notifications from a single app, keeping things neat and tidy. When in a stack, cards can still have their own individual actions, so developers can really play around with this depending on their app’s notifications.
Voice recognition and canned responses
There’s also no question that, until a Galaxy Note Gear is released, space on a smartwatch will always be limited. It’s this reason why Android Wear’s main form of input will be through voice recognition (just like Google Glass). For apps that require voice replies, developers can also add up to 5 canned responses like “On my way,” or simple “Yes” or “No” responses. This should make quick replies a little easier when you’re busy in a meeting, or while at work.
Android Wear officially has us excited about wearables again
If you made it this far, that’s pretty much the gist of how Android Wear will work when it debuts on smartwatches later this year. As self-proclaimed tech enthusiasts, the entire Phandroid team is extremely hyped over the release and absolutely can’t wait to see all the great new hardware that comes out of it. Sometimes all it takes is a little Android to come in and liven up the place and it seems with wearables, it’s no different. The future is bright.
[Android Wear Developer Preview]
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