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Google Isn't Giving Up On Smartwatches; Two Flagship Android Wear 2.0 Watches Launching Early Next Year (theverge.com)
Google isn't giving up on its smartwatches. The company said today it will be launching two new flagship smartwatches in the first quarter of next year. These watches will run Android Wear 2.0 operating system and will be the first ones to launch with the new platform. From the report: Following the launch of the new devices, existing Android Wear watches will get the update to Android Wear 2.0. Not every existing Android Wear watch will be updated, but Google says most of the recent models will be. Certain features, such as Android Pay, require specific hardware, so not all models will support them. [...] Google will release the fifth and final developer preview of Android Wear 2.0 in January, and it is expected to include support for both Google Assistant and Android Pay (on supported devices) in it. It will also work with iOS devices, and Chang confirmed that while there will be differences between Wear 2.0 on Android and iOS, Android Pay will work on both platforms.
I'm "old" (if you consider 57 as being old). I've worn a watch, since the early 70's. Had an LED watch at one time too, so tech isn't something I shy away from. Heck, in 2010, when everyone was squinting at 3-4" smartphone screens, I bought a Dell Streak 5, with a (at the time) massive 5" screen. The stares, laughs and "what do you need a screen that big" was all I got. I didn't care. I wanted the larger screen. I've had two even larger, and now use a 6" screen. But, these "smart" watches, always seemed to me, to be an answer to a NON problem. People my age, wear a watch because that is what we are use to. The younger crowd, that has grown up with the phone in their hands, hasn't, since they have a "watch" with them all the time. I just never could wrap my head around a watch, with a tiny screen, tiny battery life, and a VERY high price, given you can pick up a watch for almost nothing, not to mention most people these days, really need 3 arms. The extra one for carrying their phone, since I see so many of them with it in their hands most of the time. Hey, if you want spend the money for one of these things, hey, it's YOUR money, but I just don't get it. But, I said the same thing a few years ago about services like Pandora/Spotify too, which I use DAILY now.