Motorola confirms: No Android Wear 2.0 update for first-gen Moto 360

Very much a work in progress when launched back in 2014, Android Wear gradually evolved and greatly matured since, thanks to a few rather large maintenance updates. In terms of game-changing new features, however, early wearable adopters were kept waiting longer than anticipated, with software version 2.0 unveiled last month and due to roll out to the masses come fall.Unfortunately, it appears said “masses” will not include many first-gen smartwatch owners, as

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Bands for Apple Watch may be its killer feature

Ever since junior high school I’ve worn a smartwatch – whatever the definition of “smartwatch” was at the time. Whether it was a calculator watch with a calendar and contacts storage, or a watch with an altimeter, barometer, and moon phases, I tried to wear the latest tech on my wrist. Yeah, I’m a geek, but you already knew that. Most of those watches had plastic bands, but as I’ve gotten older I’ve gravitated to metal or leather bands.One of the first upgrades I performed on my LG G Watch was the installation of

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Most exciting things of 2014

As usual, at the end of every year, we’re looking back at what happened over the course of twelve exciting months — that got us a lot of extraordinary products and services. We not only do this because it’s fun and important to recap some crucial events, but also because we usually also look at the future, trying to anticipate what the next year will bring us; and, in order to realistically try to predict things from the future, we need to know what happened in the past.So far, we looked at what we think were the 

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Android Wear Lollipop update: a guided tour (Video)

Android 5.0: it’s not just for smartphones anymore. (Well okay; it was for smartphones and tablets before, but that kinda ruins the joke.) With the latest software update out of Google, the company’s wearable computing platform gets a big boost. Around here, we call it the ...

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Pocketnow Black Friday deal roundup: smartphones, tablets, wearables galore

It’s that time of year again: bargain-hunters bundle up for a long night out in the cold, armed with a vacuum flask full of coffee and a checklist of the stores they’ll be hitting. Retail employees let out a resigned sigh as they prepare to begin a single shift that starts somewhere around Wednesday afternoon and lasts through Saturday morning. And if you’re anything like us, you’re staying warm at home, probably watching way too much Netflix, and hoping to snag a few good deals online.That’s right – it’s

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Android 4.4W.2 update starts rolling out to Moto 360 and more, brings many enhancements

One of the biggest differences between Android proper and the version of the OS meant specifically for wearables is the fact that no OEM skins are allowed – this means that updates, once released by Google, can immediately start hitting devices from an assortment of manufacturers. That’s exactly what’s happened today, with the Android 4.4W.2 update hitting Android Wear devices with a bunch of new features and bug fixes.The rollout began earlier today, with the LG G Watch and G Watch R (unreleased, save for the few review units out in the wild) seeing the update first. The ...

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What will Android 5.0 Lollipop do for Android Wear?

Earlier this week, Google announced the next version of its mobile operating system: Android 5.0 Lollipop. The new software development kit (SDK) should be released sometime later today (October 17th), and ROMs for the Nexus 4, Nexus 5, Nexus 7, Nexus 10, and Google Play edition devices should start to roll out “in the ...

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Here’s why I bought the Moto 360, finally

A little less than a month ago I wrote an article titled “Why I haven’t bought the Moto 360 – yet” in which I detailed why I hadn’t made the jump from my LG G Watch to the smartwatch from Motorola. I concluded that the round face was just too small a jump to justify replacing the G Watch with the Moto 360, especially given its shortcomings in battery life and ...

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Why I haven’t bought the Moto 360 – yet

When Android Wear was announced, I had a difficult decision to make: stick with Pebble or take a chance on a smartwatch that I’d only seen in pictures. I was one of the gazillions who backed the Pebble Kickstarter project, putting money down on a product that hadn’t even been created yet, let alone made it to display-room floors. Jumping into the Android Wear ecosystem wasn’t much different.When the first watches powered by Android Wear were announced, only the two with square faces ...

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This is what the Apple Watch can learn from Android Wear

Apple only recently announced its first real wearable, the Apple Watch. Patterned after Google’s Android Wear and Samsung’s Gear line, Apple Watch tries to fill the void in that part of Cupertino’s product offering. Though not yet available, Apple has spelled out what its smartwatch looks like, and has even given us a fairly thorough walkthrough of what we can expect when the Apple Watch finally lands. Interestingly, Apple Watch misses out on a few key points that, at first glance, its competition already does better. Since there is time before the Apple Watch comes to ...

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Here’s what Android Wear OEMs and Pebble can learn from the Apple Watch

The purported iWatch was one of the longest running rumors in the mobile space, but it was finally put to rest last week when Apple took the stage at the Flint Center for the Performing Arts last week. It announced the two new iPhones, the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus, and the highly-anticipated watch, simply Apple Watch.Apple covered some of the most intricate details about its upcoming watch in a 10-minute video. It ...

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Android Wear two months later: what still needs work

My LG G Watch arrived on July seventh and got slapped on my wrist just moments later. Since then I’ve worn it, my Pebble, and the Moto 360. I’m convinced that my days with Pebble (at least in its current incarnation) are behind me. Android Wear is significantly more advanced, easier to use, more intuitive, and all around better looking – especially when ...

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With watches like Android Wear, who needs Samsung’s wearables?

When it comes to wearables and smartwatches, Android Wear is a step in the right direction. No, it’s not perfect – not yet anyway. The feeling is fairly uniform here at Pocketnow that Android Wear feels more like a “technology preview” than a final, polished product. All that having been said, I’m wearing my LG G Watch on my wrist right now. It pretty much lives there.Products powered by Android Wear are currently available from LG ...

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