Google to Release Android SDK for Wearable Devices in Two Weeks

MacRumors · Mar 9, 2014

Speaking at this year's South by Southwest conference, Google executive Sundar Pichai announced today that the company will be releasing an Android software development kit (SDK) for wearable devices in two weeks, reports The Wall Street Journalhttp://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2014/03/09/google-to-offer-android-for-wearables/.

The news comes ahead of Google's I/O developer's conference in June, where the company is likely to unveil its own smart watch developed in collaboration with electronics manufacturer LG.

Google executive Sundar Pichai told the South by Southwest conference Sunday that the company plans to release in two weeks a software development kit based on Android for makers of wearable devices, such as smartwatches.

Pichai stated that Google is releasing its Android SDK for wearables ahead of actual devices in order to gather "plenty of feedback," as the company's smartwatch will likely be the first device to run its new software. The Wall Street Journal also reported in February that the new mobile operating system will integrate the company's Google Now voice assistant and search feature.

Apple is widely rumored to be working on its own "iWatch" smart watch that https://www.macrumors.com/roundup/iwatch/could be revealed in the fall, which is said to carry a "full" version of iOS that emphasizes biometrics and integration with other iOS devices. According to the most recent reports, the device will include advanced sensors to track a variety of health metrics such as a user's blood pressure, hydration, heart rate and more. Other rumors have suggested that Apple is developing "Healthbook", an iOS 8 app that would help the iWatch monitor and track health statistics like weight, heart rate, calories and step counts in conjunction with the iPhone.

Article Link: Google to Release Android SDK for Wearable Devices in Two Weeks

AustinIllini · Mar 9, 2014

"We're not convinced anyone wants this, but if someone did, here's the software for it. Thanks."

musika · Mar 9, 2014

I'm excited to see what Google does here. Glass isn't personally for me, and I don't have my hopes up that anything super polished will come out of this release or any Android wearable attempt in the near future, but Google Now really seems like the perfect kind of service for a wearable. It's begging for a smartwatch implementation.

Hey, I hope they do something cool.

jctevere · Mar 9, 2014

It's crazy to see so many brands put out products in a never before thought of market segment solely based on the rumor that Apple is planning on creating a product in that market...

slprescott · Mar 9, 2014

Next Platform War

2014 = the year the Next Platform War (wearables) began

(... or are wearables just a new form-factor, not really a new platform?)

longofest · Mar 9, 2014

MacRumors said:
Apple is widely rumored to be working on its own "iWatch" smart watch that https://www.macrumors.com/roundup/iwatch/could be revealed in the fall, which is said to carry a "full" version of iOS that emphasizes biometrics and integration with other iOS devices.

I'm not really sure how a "full" version of iOS gives an iWatch any benefit other than bloating the distribution. The iWatch should be significantly different enough from the existing iOS ecosystem to warrant a different, slimmed down and tailored release that helps iWatch be the best at what it is.

ArtOfWarfare · Mar 9, 2014

I expect the world will shrug at whatever Google does, just like they've done with every other smart watch so far.

Honestly, I wouldn't be too surprised if Apple iWatch flops just like everyone else's smart watches - I don't think many people really want or need a device in this category. (Two other possibilities that wouldn't surprise me: Apple dominates the Smart Watch market or Apple never even enters the Smart Watch market.)

I'm much more interested in seeing Apple break some new ground in television than in wearable tech. Something that'll bring families together rather than drive them apart (that was the promise Nintendo made with the Wii U. So far the games have utterly failed to live up to that, or any other standard, by not materializing at all. I'm looking forward to seeing some asymmetric games that can bring casual and hardcore gamers together.)

dansix · Mar 9, 2014

You mean, Google has wearable devices. Hahahahahahahaha.... Hahahahahahahahah.... Hahahahahahahahaha.... Hahahahahahahahah.

ethanlee · Mar 9, 2014

dansix said:
You mean, Google has wearable devices. Hahahahahahahaha.... Hahahahahahahahah.... Hahahahahahahahaha.... Hahahahahahahahah.

Do you happen to be familiar with Google Glass?

Plutonius · Mar 9, 2014

ethanlee said:
Do you happen to be familiar with Google Glass?

I think that's why he was laughing

.

Vanilla35 · Mar 9, 2014

jctevere said:
It's crazy to see so many brands put out products in a never before thought of market segment solely based on the rumor that Apple is planning on creating a product in that market...

Yeah because I'm sure Apple is the only company in Silicon Valley that does a market analysis

ethanlee · Mar 9, 2014

Plutonius said:
I think that's why he was laughing .

I refuse to understand

Aluminum213 · Mar 9, 2014

Apple dead last to the party as always

Rogifan · Mar 9, 2014

Aluminum213 said:
Apple dead last to the party as always

Microsoft?

ethanlee · Mar 9, 2014

jctevere said:
It's crazy to see so many brands put out products in a never before thought of market segment solely based on the rumor that Apple is planning on creating a product in that market...

I wouldn't say that everyone in the industry is scrambling to make wearables simply on anticipation that Apple is releasing one...in general, (or what I've noticed at least) there's been a trend towards devices that accommodate your lifestyle (i.e. most of the things at CES) and the logical step forward is a "smart watch."

And this market wasn't "never-before-thought-of," as there were things like Pebble and such before rumors of iWatch. I think Samsung pushed the bill though when they released Galaxy Gear, because it seemed like they were trying a preemptive entry into watches to "beat" Apple to it (as evident by the reviews of the actual product and ugh...their terrible ads).

mistasopz · Mar 9, 2014

jctevere said:
It's crazy to see so many brands put out products in a never before thought of market segment solely based on the rumor that Apple is planning on creating a product in that market...

Except that Google has been in development of Google Glass before the iWatch was even rumored. So perhaps it is Apple following the leader again. The iWatch hasn't even been unveiled so how can Google be reacting to something that doesn't even exist and wasn't even rumored at the time they created their product? I'm sure the fanboys though will try to rewrite history again like usual.

lilo777 · Mar 9, 2014

jctevere said:
It's crazy to see so many brands put out products in a never before thought of market segment solely based on the rumor that Apple is planning on creating a product in that market...

What makes you think that other companies do it because Apple might do it too? There are so many products in this world that other companies sell and Apple does not. You probably think that other companies started producing MP3 players only because they knew that Apple would soon release iPod, right? Have you ever though that maybe it's Apple that copies other company products?

Casiotone · Mar 9, 2014

longofest said:
I'm not really sure how a "full" version of iOS gives an iWatch any benefit other than bloating the distribution. The iWatch should be significantly different enough from the existing iOS ecosystem to warrant a different, slimmed down and tailored release that helps iWatch be the best at what it is.

For all we know, the iWatch could be running the Pixo OS (iPod OS) which in its latest incarnation on the iPod nano 7th gen has now evolved enough to be able to mimic the iOS interface pretty closely (granted it still looks like iOS 6...).

Except for the form factor and lack of health related sensors, the latest iPod nano already has everything that an iWatch could need including Bluetooth 4 LE.

I would bet that even though it may not be the path Apple will choose, the iPod OS team may well be working on one of two iWatch projects, one running the Pixo OS while the other runs the "real" iOS.

Getting iOS running on such a small device with a small battery is probably quite a challenge, and the Pixo OS version could serve as a "Plan B".

Vanilla35 · Mar 9, 2014

lilo777 said:
What makes you think that other companies do it because Apple might do it too? There are so many products in this world that other companies sell and Apple does not. You probably think that other companies started producing MP3 players only because they knew that Apple would soon release iPod, right? Have you ever though that maybe it's Apple that copies other company products?

Hey, don't hurt the poor things mind with all that thinking

WardC · Mar 9, 2014

"Apple is widely rumored...to be working on an 'iWatch"...."

Naw, I haven't heard a damn thing about this. What in the world are you talking about??

Millah · Mar 9, 2014

VanillaCracker said:
Hey, don't hurt the poor things mind with all that thinking

You're lying to yourself if you don't think the sudden obsession and rush for "smartwatches" isn't fueled just a tad by the "iWatch" rumors. No, no one is saying Apple invented the concept or was the only person to ever think of entering. But the sudden obsession to rush products into this nonexistent market coincidentally timed itself just after rumors of iwatch started heating up.

Same thing happened with tablets. Throughout 2009, rumors for an Apple tablet reached fever pitch. Come CES 2010, and the show floor was flooded with Windows 7 tablets. All of a sudden in just one year every OEM all of a sudden seemed obsessed with rushing a tablet into the market, and made garbage products running unoptimized software in attempts to beat Apple to market. A few weeks later Apple announced iPad and took a completely different direction, leaving all the OEMs scrambling to figure out what to do.

This sudden smart watch craze seems very reminiscent. Smart watches are nothing new, they'd been made years before. But now that Apple is supposedly entering the space, now EVERYONE wants to get in before they do.

APlotdevice · Mar 9, 2014

ArtOfWarfare said:
I'm much more interested in seeing Apple break some new ground in television than in wearable tech. Something that'll bring families together rather than drive them apart (that was the promise Nintendo made with the Wii U. So far the games have utterly failed to live up to that, or any other standard, by not materializing at all. I'm looking forward to seeing some asymmetric games that can bring casual and hardcore gamers together.)

The problem is that cable companies don't want new ground to be broken in the television market. And while their influence will almost certain wane in time, for now they are able to impede any progress companies like Apple may wish to make.

macduke · Mar 9, 2014

It will be nice to once again have the competition take the lead. Now why would I say that? Because there will be proof once their product doesn't take off and they go and copy the iWatch. Sure, there was that Android prototype that ripped off Blackberry that offered some proof. Then you could see everyone change course to react to the iPhone. Now the Android manufacturers have nothing to copy because Apple is waiting to make their play. Will be interesting to see a before and after iWatch design comparison for wearables. Much like tablet PCs that looked like a fat plastic screen ripped off a laptop (with the same OS), and much like most phones have always had buttons along with smartphones that didn't have multitouch or gestures or physics or visual voicemail or fluid animation, the current smartwatch lineup still looks like a watch with some smartphone apps shrunk down to size. Hope Apple turns everyone on their heads. I'd be willing to bet they will.

tbrand7 · Mar 9, 2014

Oh Google.

luckydcxx · Mar 9, 2014

Aluminum213 said:
Apple dead last to the party as always

but the only one to get it perfect and sell billions of dollars worth.

Google to Release Android SDK for Wearable Devices in Two Weeks

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