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Google Is Working On Two Android Wear Smartwatches, Says Report (theverge.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the two-is-better-than-one dept.

An anonymous reader writes: A new report from Android Police says Google is working on two Android Wear smartwatches. The Verge reports: "The two smartwatches -- one codenamed Angelfish, the other Swordfish -- are said to place a heavy focus on the Google assistant artificial intelligence 'bot' that headlined the company's recent I/O keynote. In terms of size and design, the larger Angelfish watch fits somewhere in between the 42mm and 46mm sizes of Lenovo's Moto 360. It'll feature LTE connectivity, built-in GPS, and a heart rate monitor, so it's got everything necessary for a little independence from your smartphone. The watch design reportedly features three buttons. There's a circular crown like many other Android Wear devices, but Angelfish also has two other buttons, and it's not yet known what they do. The smaller, thinner Swordfish watch has a look that resembles the Pebble Time Round, according to Android Police, with much less bezel surrounding the circular display. It's got just a single button, and might ship without the LTE, GPS, and heart rate sensor included inside the higher-end model. They could appear sometime this fall alongside new Nexus phones and the launch of Android Wear 2.0, though Android Police suspects they'll be announced separately." Researchers at the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey, were able to track a smartwatch wearer's hand movements at an ATM and figure out their pin with 80 percent accuracy on the first try.

17 of 25 comments (clear)

  1. GPS and LTE? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    So it can have a battery life of 5 minutes?

  2. better than a phone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    at tracking your every move.. gps and lte modem built in, among other things, just for that purpose, don't kid yourself.. it's not about you, it's about the treasure trove of data you will give them.

  3. Re:one for each hand by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    They already get all of that from my phone... which I'm going to be carrying anytime I would be wearing the watch.

    I have seen some interesting things done with the smart watches (most simply nice gimmicks that I could probably just as easily do on the phone) but my main concern is battery life. I bought my current watch over two years ago and I haven't had to replace the battery yet. I'm not expecting that kind of lifetime but I will not buy any watch I need to charge more frequently than my damn phone. When we get a smart watch capable of the gimmicks that lasts for a week or two, then I might consider it. Until then I'll just use my phone.

  4. More ways to track your data by Nyder · · Score: 1

    It's sad because 30 years ago when I was a teenager, this sort of stuff would of been great. Now though, I know the reality of the situation, that it's used to track users to harvest information and data.

    --
    Be seeing you...
    1. Re:More ways to track your data by PolygamousRanchKid+ · · Score: 1

      It's sad because 30 years ago when I was a teenager, this sort of stuff would of been great. Now though, I know the reality of the situation, that it's used to track users to harvest information and data.

      Unfortunately, I am guessing that health insurers will require you to wear such a device in a few years. Is your heartbeat too fast? Time to cancel your contract, because of the risk of heart attack. Or, do you have nicotine or alcohol in your system?

      But my absolute favorite would be:

      If you feel you are not properly sedated, call 348-844 immediately. Failure to do so may result in prosecution for criminal drug evasion.

      --
      Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
    2. Re:More ways to track your data by Sir_Eptishous · · Score: 1

      If you feel you are not properly sedated, call 348-844 immediately. Failure to do so may result in prosecution for criminal drug evasion

      Is that from THX-1138?

      I imagine you are correct though with insurers, etc wanting to know everything about us:
      BM's per day
      Blood profile
      Length of stride
      Weight loss/gain over time
      Hiccup streak...

      --
      We play the game with the bravery of being out of range
    3. Re:More ways to track your data by antdude · · Score: 1

      That is why I still prefer and wear Casio Data Bank watches!

      --
      Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
  5. Smartwatch? Yawn! by aglider · · Score: 2, Funny

    Wake me up when someone will come with a watch-sized smartphone with a battery lasting no less than 1 day!
    Anything else is just a complex variation on bluetooth earbuds.

    --
    Sent as ripples into the electromagnetic field. No single photon has been harmed in the process.
    1. Re:Smartwatch? Yawn! by serviscope_minor · · Score: 1

      Why? That sounds completely useless. It'd be almost impossible to use most of the smartphone features on something the size of a watch.

      --
      SJW n. One who posts facts.
    2. Re:Smartwatch? Yawn! by drinkypoo · · Score: 2

      It'd be almost impossible to use most of the smartphone features on something the size of a watch.

      Not if you're willing to talk to your wrist.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    3. Re:Smartwatch? Yawn! by dfghjk · · Score: 1

      Sounds like the world would be better off with you asleep.

    4. Re:Smartwatch? Yawn! by serviscope_minor · · Score: 1

      Not if you're willing to talk to your wrist.

      That's a regular phone feature, not a smartphone feature.

      --
      SJW n. One who posts facts.
  6. Re:Only two? Angelfish and Swordfish? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    One of the few weapons able to injure the watch-king of Cupertino.

  7. Google lagging behind again by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    In recent times Google has been lagging behind a lot. They had a go at social media with Google+ years after Facebook had already conquered the markets and now it's the same thing with smartwatches. The only difference is of course that nobody has conquered the smartwatch market because there are no fucknig markets to begin with as nobody is interested about that crap.

    Another major flop that comes to mind was Google Video. They overcame that by giving up with their own solution and went ahead and bought YouTube because they were unable to figure out early enough how big videos would become. Oh, and let's not forget Jaiku. Jaiku was in fact established before Twitter, but Google bought the wrong fucking company and did it too late, too.

    Then there's also Google Hangouts. They failed with that one too and now they're trying to catch up, but that's something they'll never be able to do.

  8. Re:No market for "Smart" watches by Sir_Eptishous · · Score: 1

    As much as I agree with your sentiment, I have a close relative whose entire 6 member family all have Apple watches and love them!

    --
    We play the game with the bravery of being out of range
  9. Re:80% accuracy on first try? by AvitarX · · Score: 1

    80% of the time, it works all the time.

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    Wow, sent an e-mail as suggested when clicking on "use classic" banner, and got a fast response that addressed my msg
  10. Re:Only two? Angelfish and Swordfish? by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 1

    You, anonymous sir, deserve mod points. Well played.

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    #DeleteChrome