Google isn’t just going to limit its new found love for hardware to smartphones. Confirming multiple reports which had come up earlier, the ever-correct Evan Blass has now tweeted that Google’s own, Android Wear-powered smartwatches will make a most certain debut, in Q1 of 2017.
Google's two smartwatches will be released with Android Wear 2.0 in Q1 2017 [image courtesy of: https://t.co/so8uJyEZCy] pic.twitter.com/ruejqXSNSy
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) October 13, 2016
Android Wear, despite all the euphoria that it got surrounded with, hasn’t received much love. While manufacturers do have smartwatches coming out, based on Google’s wearable OS, the company itself hasn’t been much enthusiastic in rolling out updates to the software. In fact, the first major update to Android Wear came in May this year, more than a year after it was first announced.
Despite Android Wear 2.0 launching, it failed to gain much traction. Apple’s Watch Series 2 also came in, making things tougher for Android’s wearable version.
However, Google — as is the case with the launch of Pixel smartphones — is now taking matter in its own hands, and is bringing its own line of smartwatches, running Android Wear 2.0. According to a report in Android Police, the two watches, known as Angelfish and Swordfish, have already been confirmed to run the Android Wear 2.0 update.
Angelfish, the larger model, will be capable of LTE and GPS connectivity to run independently from a Bluetooth connection. The smaller model, Swordfish, lacks LTE and GPS but will likely have a lower price tag.
This will be interesting. Google’s wearable OS will receive a third major update — Android Wear 3.0 — at the same time next year i.e. Q1’17. With a mix of multiple smartwatches running on Google’s wearable OS also making debut next year, along with Google’s own smartwatch and AW 3.0 update, the platform, which has largely been on sidelines as of now, will receive a much needed revival.
