Google has revealed Android Wear, a major project at the internet giant aimed at bringing Android to wearable computing.
It appears Google wants to bring the full fire-power of Android to the wrist device by making full use of contextual information and voice.
Android Wear will provide the latest posts from social apps, chats from messaging apps, photo apps, for example.
Users will also be able to use a voice interface to get straight answers to spoken questions. This will work exactly the same way as “OK Google …” as it works on Google Glass.
Of course, there’s no getting away from the fitness apps that have come to define the dawn of the era of wearable computing, but what’s really cool – and a bit James Bond – is the ability to access and control other devices, like casting a movie to your TV or firing up a playlist on a phone or tablet.
“There’s a lot of possibilities here so we’re eager to see what developers build,” said Sundar Pichai, senior vice president in charge of Android, Chrome and Apps at Google.
Pichai said that a Developer Preview is available to download and more resources and APIs are coming soon.
Google has also partnered with various consumer electronics players including: Asus, HTC, LG, Motorola and Samsung; chip makers Broadcom, Imagination, Intel, Mediatek and Qualcomm; and fashion brands like the Fossil Group to bring you watches powered by Android Wear later this year.
Android Wear in action
Android Wear: the developer vision
