Asus ZenWatch 2 Will Make Its Appearance at Computex

Asus CEO Jerry Shen has broken the news about the new addition of the company’s ZenWatch; Shen confirmation removed the confusions about ZenWatch launch. Reports suggest that product is well in line to make its entry in market by 3rd part of the year.

When Asus launched its ZenFone 2 in India Shen reported that ZenWatch won’t be making its arrival in the market before 2016 which opposed his earlier statement that ZenWatch will be ready by 3rd half of 2015. But now, all the misconceptions have waded away by the Asus chief, and now it is expected that ZenWatch will surely be making its first market appearance at Computex Taipei.

For those who don’t know Computex Taipei, it is one of the top most computer trade shows on earth and as the event set to unleash on June 2nd in the Taiwanese capital we don’t have to wait much to see what ZenWatch has to offer.

Surely the device will be operating on Google’s Android Wear, although Shen has not spoken about the features of the device but he has confirmed the fact that battery life is not up to the company’s expectations. Asus did set the target of approaching seven-day battery life with ZenWatch 2, but Shen assumes that it will only be able to run for four days. It is not the bad news indeed as most of the Android Wear smart watches have the battery life of one day only.

Asus CEO further announces that there will be two editions of the new ZenWatch successor; one will be for men while the other for women.

Asus ZenWatch 2 Will Make Its Appearance at Computex

Asus ZenWatch Will Be The First Smartwatch With Android Wear Customization

Google is planning to take its Android operating system to the next level. Not only it will run on smartphones or tablets, but it also will be operating in new products like smartwatches, cars and TVs. However, as part of the process, Google said the company is going to restrict the customization level of the core of the software by the hardware manufacturer. The company also insists that they will not lock down Android which is a common concern among device makers and players in mobile industry.

“It’s not some Google-way-or-the-highway kind of thing,” Google’s Vice President of Engineering Hiroshi Lockheimer said in an interview on Tuesday when the technology company rolled out Android 5.0 a.k.a Lollipop. The new Android version is designed to power up a wide range of product type apart from the usual phones and tablets.

Lockheimer also said that Google will need some time to ensure that it has the core right first on the operating system before the company allows the hardware manufacturer to go deeper in the customization of the software.

The Asus Zen Watch will be the first smart watch which comes with the software customization by the hardware manufacturer. Google is encouraging the device makers to come out with custom apps instead of creating their own versions of Android user interface. This movement is in line to the company’s objective to produce lower-cost devices in the range of $100 to the emerging market. One of this example is the Android One which is recently released in the India Market.

Asus ZenWatch Will Be The First Smartwatch With Android Wear Customization

Google details upcoming Android Wear updates

Google has penned a blog post that outlines an official list of updates it will add to the Android Wear platform before 2014 ends. The company has also given confirmation about its all smartwatches running Android Wear getting the updates as soon as they are rolled out.

This is no surprise, as Google is pretty much in control of the update process for Android Wear devices, looking to dodge the fragmentation situation that’s persistent in its tablet and smartphone operating system.

Google says that it’s first big update for Android Wear will bring with it support for offline music playback and GPS sensors. This will let you leave your phone at home when you go for a run, a walk, or a bike ride. You’ll be able to listen to music stored on your watch via Bluetooth headphones, to which the wearable will connect directly, without the need for a smartphone intermediary.

The next update will follow with support for downloadable watch faces that will allow users to able to customize the home screen info that you’d like, including a calendar or fitness info. Google says that they will get a lot of neat watch faces from many developers on Google Play after this feature gets added to the platform.

“Our goal with Wear is to build technology that helps you connect with others and get stuff done. So often, technology can become something that gets in the way of everything else. But we want to build devices that you can use when you need and forget about when you don’t—technology that’s built for your sake, rather than its own sake. Coming throughout the rest of this year, we’re making some updates to Wear that will help you get even more out of your watch—and the rest of your life, too,” David Singleton, Engineering Director, Android Wear wrote in the blog post.

The blog post also goes over the wearable devices launched at IFA 2014 this week, namely, the Moto 360, Asus ZenWatch, LG G Watch R and the Sony SmartWatch 3. It goes on to state that these devices, as well as the ones released earlier this summer (LG G Watch and Samsung Gear Live), will receive the aforementioned update in the coming months.

Have you already picked up an Android Wear device or do you plan to soon? If so, which unit do you own or have your eyes on?

 

 

 

 

Google details upcoming Android Wear updates

Asus Teases Its Zenwatch Launch For September 3

ASUS took to their Facebook page to share a little sketched glimpse of their upcoming Zenwatch, a smartwatch to be launched at IFA in Berlin on 3rd September.

The image tells a few aspects to the smartwatch that are of little surprise at this stage. We can expect at least a partial metal build while terms like ‘sand blasted’ and ‘polish’ imply a raw metal look with a premium metal feel, but that is perhaps a stretch for this simple drawing.

Perhaps the best feature to the new ASUS Zenwatch will be the curvature to the device. Devices like the LG G Watch come with a flat back, leaving the unit to protrude uncomfortably for users with smaller wrists. The curvature of the ASUS watch should make for a more comfortable fit for users of any wrist size.

These truly are exciting times for wearables of the smartwatch variants. LG has been teasing their new smartwatch, only just recently releasing a video that confirms it will have a rounded watch face. Motorola’s long awaited Moto 360 is expected to launch the day after ASUS as well. Best Buy accidentally went live with their listing of the Moto 360 last week, they quickly took the Moto 360 back down, but not before we got all the specs and learned that it would sell for $250.

We are eagerly awaiting some solid specs and pricing information for the ASUS Zenwatch. We have been hearing rumors of ASUS keeping their Android Wear powered offering priced well below that of the competition, with conversation heading as low as $100. Certainly $100 would be a attraction that many users could afford to take the plunge into wearables, but we’ll have to wait to see.

Stay tuned, IFA is looking like it will bring a ton of new devices to marketplace, and we plan to be there to bring you all the details. Are these teaser snapshots getting you excited for ASUS’ new Zenwatch?

Asus Teases Its Zenwatch Launch For September 3