On Monday August 31st 2015, Google made an
announcement that I think is a stroke of genius, come Christmas 2015.
The latest update of Google Android Wear will now be able to
work with Apple iPhones as reported in the article “Google's
Android Wear smartwatches now work with iPhones”, published August 31, 2015
by Richard Nieva, CNET News.
Before this, Google Android wear smartwatches could only be
paired with a Google android smartphone. But Google, realizing that they're
slowly losing the battle against the ever expanding juggernaut that is Apple,
decided since they can't beat 'em, they might as well join 'em.
Connecting your Android Wear Smartwatch is as simple as
downloading the Android
Wear App from the Apple iTunes Store and going through the procedure to
synch via Bluetooth to connect your Google Android Wear Smartwatch.
So says Google's latest post on Monday August 31st
2015 on their Android Office
Blog entitled Android
Wear now works with iPhones.
Not only does this expanding their possible user base built
it also gives Apple iPhone users options as it relates to purchasing a
smartwatch, as they'll no longer be restricted to the Apple Watch alone as
pointed out in the article “Why Android
Wear will give the Apple Watch a run for its money”, published September 4
2015 by Sarah Silbert, Fortune.
Also the Apple Watch is super hot, a 4 million strong since
the end of the Second Quarter of 2015 as reported based on the numbers from
analyst Strategy Analytics as reported in my blog article
entitled “Apple
sells 4 million Apple Watches - How Samsung, Asus, Huawei, LG and Motorola
Empire Strikes back at IFA Trade Show”.
Alas there are a few catches as I'd suspected, as it's a
little too good to be true.
Android Wear comes
to Apple iOS – How Motorola, LG and Huawei smartwatches will beat Apple Watch
this Christmas 2015
For one, users won't be able to access the 4,000 Android
Wear apps from the Google Play Store, as those apps can only run on Google
Android.
But you do get some limited functionality from some Google
Services as pointed out in the article “Android
Wear smartwatches come to the iPhone”, published August 31, 2015 by Dieter
Bohn, The Verge:
1. Notifications
from the iPhone are mirrored on Android Wear
2. Google
Now Cards appear on the Smartwatch
3. Installation
of third party Android Wear Watch faces
4. Weather
and Google Translate app works
5. Google
Now Voice search works along with Voice reminders
6. Google
Fit fitness tracking also works
7. Calendar
and Gmail Notifications also work
Not so sure if you can use Samsung Pay if you purchase the
Samsung Galaxy Gear S, which comes baked into their latest smartwatch offering
as noted in my Geezam blog article
entitled “Samsung
Galaxy Gear S2 has Tizen OS powered Samsung Pay Winning Potential”. I’m thinking Apple might block that
functionality!
Also you'll have to purchase a brand New Android Wear
smartwatch as pointed out in the article “Newer Android
Wear Watches Now Work On iOS”, published Aug 31, 2015 by Frederic
Lardinois, Techcrunch.
A good example of one such smartwatch is the US$350 LG Watch
Urbane which is currently available as described in my Geezam blog article entitled “LG
G Watch Urbane at MWC 2015 with a View to Kill Apple Watch”.
On the Apple user’s side, their Apple iPhone has to be the
latest models no further back than the Apple iPhone 5 running Apple iOS 8.2 and
newer.
If you've been following the goings-on at the IFA Trade Show in Berlin, Germany which
runs from Friday September 4th 2015 to Wednesday September 9th
2015, you’d have noticed that the smartphone makers have declared War on the
Apple Watch with their lineup of smartwatches.
So there is a ton of smartwatches to choose from come
Christmas 2015 as reported in the article “Android
Wear on iPhone unofficially works with Moto 360, LG G Watch R, others”,
published Stephen Hall, August 31st 2015, 9to5Google.
As expected, Motorola updated the Moto 360 and the LG G Watch R which was
much rumoured for some time also got an update.
But the biggest surprise to me was the Huawei lineup of
smartwatches as noted in the article “Huawei’s
first Android Wear watch is up for pre-order now and works with iOS”,
published September 2 2015 by Ben Woods, The
Next Web.
So this is all good for Apple fans with the latest Apple
iPhone planning to buy a new Android Wear smartwatch come Black Friday and
Christmas 2015!!
Here’s the link:
Android Wear App
from the Apple iTunes Store
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