Troy Wolverton: G Watch Isn't Quite Ready, but Google Shares the Blame 17 July 2014, by Troy Wolverton, San Jose Mercury News
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Troy Wolverton: G Watch isn't quite ready, but Google shares the blame 17 July 2014, by Troy Wolverton, San Jose Mercury News could with many of their predecessors, which often were little more than an extra display or glorified remote control for your smartphone. Or at least that's the idea. In practice, the Google Now feature in Android Wear doesn't work all that well, at least right now. For one thing, there aren't many apps yet that are compatible with Android Wear and that can interact with its version of Google Now. So, while you can dictate a response to an email you receive in Gmail, you can't do the same when you receive an email through Android's built-in email app. A LG G watch is seen on display during the Google I/O Additionally, even when Google Now does work Developers Conference at Moscone Center in San with an app, you can't really use it to dictate Francisco, California, on June 25, 2014 anything more than a short response. If you happen to pause while speaking, it will assume you are done and will automatically send your message. Oh, and you can forget about editing your response Heading to a store shelf near you is a new or adding punctuation. Your only choice once generation of smartwatches that run new software you've stopped speaking is to cancel the message. from Google called Android Wear. And because Google Now is a Web-based service One of the first to arrive is LG's new G Watch. On and the early Android Wear devices depend on the all Android Wear devices, the software provides phones they are connected to for their Internet some common, basic functions. It can display the access, you can find yourself unable to use it at all time and date, of course, and also can act like a if your phone no longer has a data connection or if pedometer and count your steps. Once you link it your watch and phone become disconnected. to your phone, it will buzz and display alerts when you have a new meeting coming up or when you Meanwhile, the notifications you get on the device receive a new email message. aren't always useful, and there's little way to customize them other than by turning them off. For These are all common features on previous example, the G Watch will alert you to each new smartwatches. What's different about Android tranche of email you receive. But you can't set it to Wear is that it also connects with Google Now, only tell you when you get a message marked which, among other things, will take dictation or urgent or a message from your spouse or child. respond to voice commands. So you can dictate a message or search for information by simply Many of these problems are likely because talking to your watch. Android Wear is so new. Google just launched it at its developer conference last month. The number of This feature allows you to do more with the G compatible apps probably will grow significantly in Watch and other Android Wear devices than you coming months. And Google will also likely address 1 / 2 many of the bugs. In addition to running the new software, the G Watch stands out from past smartwatches because of its screen. Some previous smartwatches had full- color screens, but to save power, they would often be turned off. The alternative was an always-on, but black-and-white display. The G Watch, by contrast, features a full-color screen that's always turned on. The screen is always on because the watch has what LG says is the biggest battery in any smartwatch, and because the device automatically dims the screen when you are not interacting with it. You can bring the screen back to full brightness by tapping it or by raising the watch toward your face. Unfortunately, LG's solution to the screen problem isn't really satisfying. Outdoors or in a brightly lit room, it can be difficult to see what's on the G Watch's screen when it's dim. And having to lift the watch or tap on it to be able to see what's on the screen is a step or two more than you might want to take if you just want to know quickly why it's buzzing. The G Watch may have an even bigger problem. It's ugly. It's boxy and black with a plasticky feel. It's no Breitling, but if you're not used to wearing a watch, if feels big and clunky. And with a noticeable seam bisecting its sides, the G Watch reminds me of the little plastic boxes that dental wax comes in- the stuff orthodontists hand out when you get braces. Smartwatches may well be the wave of the future. And Android Wear may be the thing that helps get them there. But if the G Watch is any indication, you may want to wait a bit before strapping one on. ©2014 San Jose Mercury News (San Jose, Calif.) Distributed by MCT Information Services APA citation: Troy Wolverton: G Watch isn't quite ready, but Google shares the blame (2014, July 17) retrieved 1 October 2021 from https://phys.org/news/2014-07-troy-wolverton-isnt-ready-google.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only. 2 / 2 Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org).