The trend of smartwatches goes higher, Search engine giant
gaining momentum to join the new market with its upcoming device Google
Watch.We have seen one from Samsung and Sony entering their new
smartwatches in the market. Now Google is eyeing to develop one of its
own.
As we have reported earlier that Google smartwatch have entered mass production and now aimed o make an early impact next year. We’ve heard that watches from Microsoft and LG may also be forthcoming, while an Apple iWatch is also widely predicted. A filing with the US Patent Office from early May 2013 showed
a “smart-watch with user interface features” – it sounds pretty clear
to us what that might mean.
The watch displayed in the illustration has two touchpads on
either side of the display face. The patent says that you’ll be able to
use these to “pinch, stretch and scroll on a platform with limited space
available for user input.” This could mean it will interact with Google
Glass. It’s possible that the watch will also rely on a Google
Now-style use of information cards, and after word that the watch will
integrate the personal assistant features of Google Now, it seems even
more likely.
One thing that the Google smartwatch is rumored to be going
big on is Google now, which some sources reckon will lie at the heart of
the watch. If so, this means we could be talking to our Google watch –
very Google Glass style, then – to check emails or see what the weather
forecast holds. We expect this also means you’ll need a phone that
supports Google Now in order to take advantage of the watch’s core
features.
A recent report claims that Google is hard at work to solve
the ongoing problem of the smartwatch battery. Apparently it’s looking
at methods to reduce the power consumption so we won’t be taking it off
our wrists to charge quite as often. We’ve also heard that the Google watch could be manufactured by Google subsidiary Motorola Mobility.
Anonymous tipsters contacted Android Authority and claimed
the watch already exists in a physical form and has been seen in its
Berlin, Manchester and Google’s Mountain View offices. Motorola already has an exercise watch available, the
Motoactiv. Could this give us any hints to the possible design of the
new Google Watch or should we expect something radically different?
The Motorola aspect is particularly interesting, though not
all that surprising now that it’s owned by Google – and that Motorola
released its own smartwatch, the Motoactv, in 2011. The same sources also state that the watch is “not a
standalone device yet”, claiming that it needs to be tethered to a
smartphone to function properly. This part isn’t so surprising given
that Google Glass works much the same way.
As for the name of a Google watch, many are predicting that
it could use the same name as Google Glass – in other words, it will be a
Google Glass watch. We’re not so sure about this, since we’d have
thought it will be a totally separate and somewhat more
consumer-orientated product than Google Glass is. (And yes, we know
Google plans to sell Glass to the wider world too).
Android Police’s Artem Russakovskii wrote on Google+ that the
watch currently existed under the name of Google Gem. While the final
name could well be something different, we have to say we’re warming to
Gem. Rumors also continue to abound that Google will launch its
own retail stores, although it will take some time to rival the
all-conquering Apple Stores, of course. The stores would enable consumers to get face-on with Google Glass as well as Android phones and, potentially, the Google watch.
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