Asus Working on Android Wear Watch Too
On Wednesday night, Asus confirmed with an unnamed source that it's currently working on a Google Wear smartwatch, and will possibly release the device sometime in September. Sources claim the watch may cost between $99 and $149, undercutting LG's G Watch ($229) and Samsung's Gear Live ($199), both of which are Android Wear devices.
Sources told TechCrunch that Asus waited to release its solution on purpose, as it didn't want to rush development. Previous reports pointed to gesture control, and how the company wanted to include this technology to make up for the small screen. Whether or not the upcoming Android Wear watch will be the same project is currently unknown.
Both the LG G Watch and the Samsung Gear Live were launched on Wednesday sporting Google's new Android Wear platform. Both are similar to each other on a hardware level save for the screen sizes, resolution and the battery. The Samsung unit also has a heart rate monitor, a detail that LG left out possibly due to the company's need to meet the launch deadline.
As reported on Wednesday, LG's G Watch includes an always-on 1.65-inch IPS display with a 280 x 280 resolution. This screen is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 400 processor clocked at 1.2 GHz, 512 MB of RAM and a 400 mAh battery. There's also 4 GB of internal storage, a handful of sensors, and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity.
As for the Samsung Gear Live, this smartwatch features a 1.63-inch Super AMOLED display with a 320 x 320 resolution. Powering this screen is a processor clocked at 1.2 GHz, 512 MB of RAM, a 300 mAh Li-ion battery, 4 GB of internal storage, several sensors and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity.
With those two now on the market, Asus can focus on making its Android Wear solution better than the current competition. The price point is definitely interesting.
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Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
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WithoutWeakness I really hope ASUS doesn't do some over-the-top design like they are prone to do occasionally. Ideally it will be tastefully and uniquely styled like their Zenbook series of laptops. Smart watches are something that users will ultimately be wearing on their wrist every day and most people don't want a big gaudy gadget-y device strapped to their arm.Reply