La LG G Watch R. -AFP photo
GOOGLE is getting ready to add Bluetooth and GPS support to its wearable technology software and the updates will be coming before the end of the year.
In an interview with Cnet ahead of the opening of the IFA tech show this week, two of Google’s leading lights revealed that a host of improvements are on their way. The idea behind the updates is to allow Android Wear smartwatches to work with other devices that consumers may already own, such as wireless headsets, fitness bands or headphones.
“So we’ll have an update coming that allows you to pair a Bluetooth headset with your watch. And that means you can play music stored on your watch directly on your Bluetooth headset,” said David Singleton, Android Wear’s director of engineering.
As well as listening to music without a smartphone, wearers will also be able to ditch the handset when it comes to training. If a smartwatch has GPS, the software update will mean it will be able to track a workout or a run automatically and then sync that data with the smartphone once they are reunited.
Singleton says that many of the updates will roll out before the end of the year including two that will be announced at the IFA consumer technology show which gets underway on Friday.
He also suggested that, for the time being at least, operating system updates would be coming to Google’s wearables on a regular basis as developers and Google itself get more and more innovative and find more and more ways of improving the user experience.
However the ultimate aim is to build “technology that delights people by improving their lives,” said Vice President of Engineering for Android Hiroshi Lockheimer. “We want wearables to help you stay in the moment, instead of taking you out of it: giving you a safer way to get directions, easily share or record what you see, communicate with others quickly, or get the information you need when you need it.”
Wearable technology and in particular smartwatches are expected to be one of the biggest things at this year’s IFA. Samsung, LG, HTC, Asus, Motorola and Sony are all expected to officially unveil smartwatches that use Google’s Android Wear as an operating system. -AFP/Relaxnews
And of course, on September 9 at a separate event in San Francisco, Apple is also expected to unveil its first wearable technology device that the tech media has dubbed the ‘iWatch.’