Let's Talk Tech
Short and sweet.
If you’re concerned that your Android phone might not be compatible with the new Android Wear watches coming out, Google has a simple test link set up.
Head over to g.co/WearCheck with your phone’s browser, and it’ll run a test to see if you’ll be able to sport a Wear watch. Chances are pretty good that if your phone was purchased within the last year or so that you should be good, but it never hurts to get that confirmed right?
Wearable tech will be hot. The smartphone market is maturing and starting to plateau, so manufacturers are pushing into new territories to expand on our relationships with data and services. Google’s Android Wear platform is an excellent step in the right direction to legitimize this new market segment.
It does suffer from one fatal flaw however: Battery life.
Playing with several different solutions for wrist computing, my favorite so far are the watches that can best replicate the experience found on traditional time pieces. Namely a screen that can always be referenced for small pieces of information no matter what orientation it’s worn, not depending on any gestures to activate it. I mentioned as much in my last FFC VLOG.
Of course in technology land, compromises have to be made. If you want crazy new features, you have to accept some new limitations. Continue reading “The Problem With Android Wear Watch Screens”
We’ll have to wait another month for the gorgeous circular Moto 360 smartwatch, but if you’re jonesing for some Android Wear action Samsung and LG will have you covered starting today!
Featuring an always-on display which provides contextually aware information relevant in that moment or location, Android Wear will be the backbone OS for a number of manufacturers looking at Smartwatches.
A full developer SDK will also be available today allowing future apps and services to feed info to your wrist. As apps are installed on your phone, if they have a Wear component, your watch will automatically update with an applet and interact with that service on your phone.
We’re waiting for the Google Play store to get updated with the LG G Watch and the Samsung Gear Live, so make sure you melt down Google’s servers by smashing your F5 button.
It’s a simple update, but it’s nice to see a company committed to improving their product.
Rolled out this afternoon Toq owners found a new little applet which provides a simple stopwatch and lap timer. It’s one of those things which probably should’ve been included from the beginning, but better late than never.
While it’ll never unseat dedicated fitness trackers, the Toq is shaping up to be one of the better smartwatches for active folks, thanks in part to the screen which is visible in direct sunlight, and these most recent software updates.
If you’re rocking a Toq, check out Google Play to see if you’ve got the update yet, and you can see the watch in action below.
This is a pretty sexy looking concept piece.
Kairos is showing off a concept watch with a mechanical chronograph and a semi-transparent touch screen. The teaser shows off the newly announced Android Wear smartwatch OS, which is exactly what us watch fans were hoping to see. Now that Google is directly involved in wearables, other companies don’t have to risk as much to enter the smartwatch market, nor do they have to build a watch UI from scratch.
At first glance, you’d only see a precision analog watch face, but as the “smart” features are activated, and as alerts are received, the screen lights up to show off data.
Kairos is confident that they’ll be able to deliver on this mock up, as they’ve launched a pre-order page with four models to shop. They’re trying to entice new customers with early bird pricing up to 50% off what retail will be once the watches are officially released. Starting at $499 and climbing to $1199, you’ll have several options for build material and watch band.
Better get a jump on though as prices will double in about 40 days. You can see their teaser vid below, or hit up https://kairoswatches.com/ for more info.
Qualcomm has pushed the update out! Let’s go hands on with the Toq’s newly added Speech to Text app!
***ORIGINAL POST***
Qualcomm just keeps delivering on their Toq platform.
I had no idea the watch had an accelerometer built in, but a recent update included fitness tracking. Now it seems there’s a mic built into the wearable which just hasn’t been activated yet.
Teased in this Youtube video, speech to text is coming built on the Nuance recognition engine which also powers Siri. The system works server side, so your phone will need to have an active data connection. Continue reading “UPDATED with Video! Qualcomm Enables Speech to Text on Toq Smartwatch”
Samsung isn’t know for doing “simple”, so it’s an interesting experiment watching them try to streamline the Gear experience for the Gear Fit. Let’s take a look at the build, setup, and features of Samsung’s newest fitness accessory!
Samsung’s follow up to the Galaxy Gear is finally in my hot little hands!
Let’s see what’s improved on the Gear 2, and how it stacks up to watches like the Toq, Pebble, and Martian!