Devices | The place would you like Put on OS to go?

As a platform and ecosystem, Put on OS is in a great place proper now. This was not the case three years earlier than Samsung’s partnership. Put on OS 3 served because the flagship gadget for the Galaxy Watch 4, with the Galaxy Watch 4 serving because the flagship gadget till the Pixel Watch a 12 months later. The following {hardware} milestone was the Snapdragon W5 in mid-2022, giving producers a extra succesful chip to work with. supplied Additionally, remember how Google and Qualcomm are engaged on a RISC-V chip for Put on OS.

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Throughout this era, Google lastly doubled down on Put on OS functions. It contains new first-party additions like Google Residence, YouTube Music, Private Security, Calendar with Duties, and Gmail, whereas Google Assistant, Maps, Messages, Contacts, Hold, Cellphone, Pockets, and Pixel Digital camera make sense. Updates included. The third-party app ecosystem can be doing a lot better immediately.

We’re getting extra selection with the OnePlus Watch 2, Oppo Watch X, and Xiaomi Watch 2, although Fossil did not escape the transfer to Put on OS 3 an excessive amount of.

The following massive second for Put on OS is providing units with 100-hour battery life as succesful co-processors enable frequent duties to run extra effectively. It ought to solely get higher when Google’s acquisition of CoreLabs, which integrates “low-power person interface experience.”

On the software program entrance, I might like just a few extra first-party apps like Calculator and Compass, whereas a Pixel-exclusive recorder — even when it solely controls your cellphone — could be good. I am very curious how Gemini will substitute Assistant as a result of what you need from Watch Assistant is not precisely generative AI. As a substitute, it is nearer to an at-a-glance complication slot that exhibits related and associated info like climate, upcoming appointments, and visitors. A should have watch face at a look.

Other than Put on OS 5 primarily based on Android 14, we’re ready for Google to announce a grid app launcher and Materials U dynamic colour theming, however in any other case the UI is fairly easy and places numerous emphasis on tiles.

{Hardware}-wise, it is time for Put on OS to experiment with sq. and rectangular kind components once more. Circles are extra conventional, however sharp corners and straight traces can reveal extra info.

I’m wondering if Google will ever push the smartwatch kind issue. Apps need to be modified and require a developer buy. This will likely be simpler as soon as Put on OS is a little more profitable and Google proves it may be a worthy steward over an prolonged interval. Fitbit already has the Cost kind issue as an experiment, whereas Samsung is diving again into the class.

Talking of well being, will Fitbit ditch Google’s characteristic? That is a fantastic promoting level for first-party {hardware}, however having the ability to promote Fitbit as coming with any Put on OS gadget could be killer.

If we wish to go slightly wild, would any OEM be courageous sufficient to place a digicam on their watch? Video calling would be the major use case, but it surely’s additionally technically a world-facing digicam. A fingerprint sensor will likely be added for safer authentication — Put on OS actually wants to extend the 4-digit PIN restrict, whereas Watch Unlock deserves an honorable point out — and scrolling with out touching the display.

Final on my want listing is an e-ink display for true multi-day battery life, however that might drastically restrict how interactive apps may be.

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