All articles tagged with #wear os
Google has officially launched Androidify for Wear OS, allowing users to create personalized watch faces featuring AI-generated bugdroid avatars based on uploaded photos, adding a fun and customizable element to smartwatch personalization.
Google has launched the Find Hub app for Wear OS, allowing users to locate and manage their devices like phones, tablets, and headphones directly from their smartwatch, with features such as last seen info, battery status, maps, and device security options.
Google Weather on Wear OS devices, including the Pixel Watch and Galaxy Watch, experienced a bug causing the app to load indefinitely or fail to download weather data. Google has since fixed the issue server-side, restoring functionality, and users are advised to restart their watches if the problem persists.
Tag Heuer is abandoning Google's Wear OS in favor of its own Android-based OS to better support iPhone, launching the new Tag Heuer Connected Calibre E5 with a proprietary interface and 'Made-for-iPhone' certification, priced at $1,900.
TAG Heuer has launched the Connected Calibre E5 smartwatch, opting for a proprietary 'TAG Heuer OS' based on Android instead of Google's Wear OS, making it compatible with iPhones. The luxury smartwatch features premium materials, a sleek design, and various health and fitness tracking capabilities, with a price starting at $1,800. Despite some limitations in app responsiveness and features, it offers a high-end alternative for those seeking a stylish, functional smartwatch that can match their dress watches.
The Google Pixel Watch 4 offers notable upgrades like faster charging, longer battery life, an improved display, and on-device AI smart replies, making it a compelling choice for current Pixel Watch owners or Android users, but its relatively short battery life and high price may deter some. Consider your current watch's performance and your budget before upgrading.
The Google Pixel Watch 4 and Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 are top contenders in the Android smartwatch market, with the Pixel Watch 4 offering a sleek curved display, longer battery life, and advanced health tracking, while the Galaxy Watch 8 features a more rugged design, MIL-STD-810H durability, and comprehensive health capabilities including AI-powered coaching. Both watches run Wear OS and support extensive fitness and lifestyle features, but the Galaxy Watch 8 currently holds the title of best Android smartwatch due to its durability and health features, despite the Pixel Watch 4's superior design and battery life potential.
Google unveiled the Pixel Watch 4, the first smartwatch with satellite communication support enabled by Qualcomm's Snapdragon W5 Gen 2 chipset, allowing messaging without a mobile carrier, with battery life of up to 40 hours.
Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon W5 Gen 2 and W5+ Gen 2 chips for smartwatches, featuring satellite connectivity for emergency messaging, improved GPS accuracy, and a smaller, more power-efficient design, with no performance upgrades from previous generations.
The article praises Samsung's new tile design in the Galaxy Watch 8 series, which allows multiple tiles per page, greatly improving organization and usability. The author hopes Google will adopt a similar feature for the upcoming Pixel Watch 4, as current Wear OS tiles are less efficient. The article suggests that Google might be influenced by Samsung's innovation, especially with recent updates to Google's Wear OS and Fitbit apps, and encourages Google to 'steal' this idea to enhance their smartwatch interface.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 features a sleek, thin design with a cushion shape, offering comfortable wear and useful health insights, but struggles with battery life and navigation. It is ideal for Samsung phone users seeking a stylish, lightweight smartwatch with robust software support, though those needing longer battery life may consider alternatives.
The article advises against buying the Pixel Watch 3 now, as Google is expected to unveil the Pixel Watch 4 soon, which will likely feature improvements like better battery life, faster charging, and new safety features. Waiting for the Pixel Watch 4 could also lead to discounts on the Pixel Watch 3, making it a smarter choice for most buyers.
The Galaxy Watch 8 Classic impresses with its return of the rotating bezel, a positive upgrade for navigation, and features Gemini, which offers a more natural voice assistant experience than Google Assistant. The watch has solid battery life, extensive software options, and durability, making it a promising device for users seeking a versatile smartwatch. A full review is upcoming.
Google Messages on Wear OS is testing a Material 3 Expressive redesign with subtle visual updates, including new pill-shaped buttons, grouped suggested replies, and updated read receipts, as part of its beta release, while the phone app has not yet adopted these changes.
Allison Johnson reviews the Gemini AI assistant on the Pixel Watch, highlighting its automatic update, usefulness for complex questions, and the humorous response to a query about pastries, while noting the challenges of AI hallucinations.