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After the public release of the LG Watch Style and Watch Sport, the first watches running Android Wear 2.0, many wondered when the update would reach other watches. Over the past two weeks or so, the update has finally started to roll out, and the LG G Watch R and LG Watch Urbane (1st Gen) are up next.
Google added support for WiFi communication to Android Wear in the 5.1 update a few months ago, but not all watches had the necessary hardware. The pricey LG G Watch R was among those lacking proper support. LG said it planned to rectify that in an update over the summer, and indeed it has in the new Wear update.
In with the new, out with the old. That seems to be LG's mantra when it comes to Android Wear watches. No sooner does the company announce and release a new model than it starts winding down production on the previous one, then completely stops it. That's the case of the G Watch R, or the GWAR as we lovingly referred to it here on Android Police.
If you have an LG G Watch R, you're probably aware of the Wi-Fi drama following Android Wear 5.1.1's release for the watch. While Google had announced Wi-Fi support for the platform's update in general, it turned out that the G Watch R didn't have the certifications necessary to boast that function, although technically the hardware was very capable of it. LG then let us know that it's working on a patch to enable Wi-Fi (and presumably on getting all the right certifications) but that it wouldn't be released before July.
One of Android Wear 5.1's key new features is the ability to connect smartwatches to Wi-Fi networks directly. This lets them receive notifications and sync actions even if your phone isn't nearby, as long as both maintain active connections to the Internet. The thing is, this feature doesn't automatically kick in with the 5.1 update (or 5.1.1, though it should for the Moto 360, Sony Smartwatch 3, and Samsung Gear Live). The LG G Watch R, which is largely the same device on the inside as the newer G Watch R Urbane, won't have support for quite a while.
We now have confirmation that Android Wear 5.1.1 has started to reach LG's G Watch and G Watch R today. Though most users are still being told they are up to date, a select few have been lucky enough to be chosen for the first hours of the rollout.
On the heels of the LG G Watch Urbane's arrival to the Google Store, the G Watch R gets a nice discount. Originally sold at $299, you can now get it for $249. This is a good deal; just several weeks ago we told you about an offer where you could get the G Watch R for $269. The price puts it at a fair distance from the newer Urbane, which is starting at $349.
Apple has spared no opportunity to advertise how customizable its debut smartwatch is, thanks to the promised number of bands wearers will be able to swap in and out. Unsurprisingly Google wants to take some of the wind out of those sails. The company has taken this moment to highlight a set of straps available for various Android Wear devices from the likes of Clockwork Synergy, E3 Supply Co., and Worn & Wound.
It's getting to be that time. The first-generation Android Wear watches are officially old, and everyone is anticipating shiny new watches with updated hardware. That means the old ones are going to start showing up on sale more often. You can get the G Watch R from Groupon for $269.99 right now, $30 off the regular price.
Update: Oppo N3 owners can now fire up TWRP as well. A recovery image for the device has appeared over on the site, where it awaits your fastbooting commands.
In just a few months, it will be the one-year anniversary of Android Wear's announcement (March 18th). Since the first two official Android-powered watches were released at I/O 2014, we've seen half a dozen total watches running Android Wear, each with its own pros and cons. These devices run the gamut from kind of ugly to truly gorgeous. A new wave of watches will be upon us in the coming year, but the current ones are still a great way to get into wearables. In fact, I bet there will be some solid discounts on these devices in the not too distant future.
[Faulex] As Smartwatches Grow, So Too Does A Market For IP-Infringing Watch Faces - And Legal Action
IP infringement and the internet have a long and storied history. Never has it been so easy to share so much so quickly so anonymously - something any college student with a campus broadband connection generally discovered as an almost dorm room rite of passage from the late 90s onward. Music, films, television, games, and other software have long been the most-pirated content categories, in turn provoking varying degrees of legal response from the industries who own and distribute such content.
The LG G Watch R, which David thinks is the best Android Wear has to offer for now, is an interesting device - it's an Android Wear device that has a circular screen, one that's actually a circle, escaping the "flat tire" design choice Motorola had to make for the Moto 360. But it also has a big funky angled bezel with numbers on it (like some real watches). Still, it's a solid device for the burgeoning category, with a 1.3" POLED display and 410mAh battery.
Android Wear still has some growing to do, but the G Watch R might be the watch to get while that happens. It has a round OLED display, good construction, and great battery life. It is also not completely unattractive, and now it can be yours. Google is selling the G Watch R for $299.99.
The LG G Watch R seems to be the best Android Wear device yet, at least in the opinion of our own David Ruddock. But that doesn't mean much if you can't actually buy one. LG has been silent on pricing thus far, but it looks like AT&T just spilled the beans by announcing its plans to carry the G Watch R in its retail stores. You can pick one up this Friday, November 7th... for 9. An AT&T representative confirmed the $299 price for the G Watch in a promotional message to Android Police:
The G Watch R is LG's first circular-display smartwatch, following up on the original G Watch that launched alongside Android Wear earlier this year. While the original G Watch looked like a proof-of-concept brick out of an engineer's garage at some angles, the G Watch R very clearly got the full design and style treatment from LG - it looks nothing like its kind-of-predecessor.
Google has promised standalone music playback over Bluetooth as part of Android Wear for some time, and it appears with Wear version 4.4W2 we're finally getting it, at least if you use Play Music (you're also getting new playback controls). If you're using the latest Play Music APK on your Android phone and have the Android 4.4W2 update on your smartwatch, you can now download your pinned music from your smartphone to your watch.