From EETimes: Google on Tuesday introduced Android Wear, an extension of its Android mobile operating system for wearable devices.
Sundar Pichai, Google's SVP of Android, Chrome, and Apps, said in a blog post that Google has only just begun to explore the possibilities of mobile technology. "That's why we're so excited about wearables -- they understand the context of the world around you, and you can interact with them simply and efficiently, with just a glance or a spoken word."
Pichai said Google is starting with the most familiar wearable device: the watch. Google is not the first major company to enter the smartwatch market. The Samsung Gear debuted last year to mediocre reviews and Sony has released similarly undistinguished models. But Google has managed to wade into the market before Apple introduces the smartwatch that it's widely expected to launch later this year.
The mobile revolution's shift toward wearables has long been anticipated. In 2012, Forrester analyst Sarah Rotman Epps predicted that wearable devices would intensify the platform wars and that Google might win:
Apple's iOS ecosystem has already inspired a host of wearable accessories, like the Lark sleep sensor and now-discontinued Jawbone UP. But Google's open Android platform will inspire broader experimentation for entire wearable solutions. Android is already the platform of choice for Foxconn-funded startup WIMM Labs as well as the Sony SmartWatch."
Google acquired WIMM Labs last year. Its interest in the wearable market is hardly a secret: Its high-profile Google Glass eyewear represents another type of wearable, and it's a device without a social precedent.
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