Tag: smartwatches

The tech giant is getting ready to launch two wearable technology devices on its upgraded operating system.

Google will launch two smartwatches based on Android Wear 2.0 in the first quarter of 2017. The Google Android Wear product manager, Jeff Chang revealed these details in an interview conducted by The Verge.

Chang spoke to the publication about the wearables which will be the first to use this operating system.

Until now, there had been only rumors of new Google smartwatches. Now, Chang has confirmed not only the wearables but also that they will be the first to run on the Android Wear 2.0 operating system. This is the latest big announcement in the wearable technology industry to help to encourage consumers to take interest in smartwatches. As much as there has been a great deal of growth in that category of mobile devices, consumers haven’t been purchasing anywhere near the rate that was predicted by many industry analysts, including eMarketer.

The Android Wear 2.0 smartwatches from Google won’t have the company’s brand, nor will it be Pixel.

Instead, the smartwatches will carry the brand of the company manufacturing them. According to Chan, Google worked with the manufacturer (which has remained unnamed by the time of the writing of this article) to create the software and hardware design of the wearables. Though the manufacturer continues to be unnamed, Chang did mention that it is a company that has previously made Android Wear devices.

Following the initial launch of the 2 Google smartwatches, there will be others that will be upgraded to the Wear 2.0 operating system in 2017. They include: Tag Heuer Connected, Polar M600, Moto 360 Gen 2, Moto 360 Sport, Casio Smart Outdoor Watch, Fossil Q Wander, Fossil Q Marshall, Fossil Q Founder, Huawei Watch, Huawei Watch Ladies, LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition LTE, LG Watch Urbane, LG G Watch R, Asus ZenWatch 2, Asus ZenWatch 3, Nixon Mission, Michael Kors Access Bradshaw Smartwatch, and Michael Kors Access Dylan Smartwatch.

The other devices will receive their Android 2.0 updates following the launch of the Google smartwatches. The upgraded platform is meant to provide users with a new spectrum of features.

Health and activity trackers have easily led the fitness tech category and this is expected to continue next year.

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) has released its fitness trend forecast for 2017 and has placed wearable technology devices at the top. Consumers are owning and using these devices to a rapidly growing degree, says the “Worldwide Survey of Fitness Trends for 2017.”

The report was published in the Health & Fitness Journal from the American College of Sports Medicine.

These wearable technology devices are making it possible for people to track their steps, activity intensity, calories burned and other fitness metrics. FACSM survey lead author and College of Education & Human Development dean at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Walter R. Thompson, PhD, explained “The health data collected by wearable technology can be used to inform the user about their current fitness level and help them make healthier lifestyle choices.”

The survey has placed wearable technology devices at the top of its eleventh annual survey results.

The survey involves the participation of over 1,800 health and fitness professionals from around the world. Many of those pros are ACSM certified. It is used to provide insight within a spectrum of fitness fields. The participants in the survey were allowed to choose from 42 possible fitness trends. Among the results, the top 20 were ranked and shared within the ACSM outcomes publication.

Among the leading trends from that top 20 list are the following:

1. Wearable tech – this trend included smartwatches, fitness and health trackers, GPS tracking devices and heart rate monitors.
2. Body Weight Training – this is a technique that is considered highly effective and affordable as it requires very little equipment.
3. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) – this involves peppering a workout with intense, brief explosions of physical activity followed by a moment of recovery before returning to the intensity again.
4. Fitness Professionals with Education and Experience – a greater focus is being placed on certification, education and experience in fitness among experts than simply seeking big promises or having some kind of celebrity.
5. Strength training – cardio may be the top calorie burner, but strength training is gaining emphasis for its metabolism boosting and spectrum of additional health and fitness benefits.

Still, among all these broad and widespread trends, wearable technology devices clearly lead the way among consumers and pros alike.