Google’s Smartwatch in ‘Late-Stage Development” (Video)

I don’t know about you, but the staff here at TA believe that these are some exciting times to be alive in the technology industry. And this year is certainly the year where it appears the “wearable devices” market is breaking out in similar fashion to that of the tablet boom we’ve seen a a few years back. Google Glass is also moving seamlessly through developers’ hands and gaining new ground daily. Next on the menu? Smartwatches!.
Following the heels of the success of the Pebble Watch, a kickstarter project that went well back in early 2012 and is still thriving in the market and Samsung’s Galaxy Gear smartwatch (hands-on) which was just announced as a companion to the Note 3 and now other smartphones as well, Google will soon be introducing its own smartwatch to the masses as it’s currently in “late-stage development” per sources for The Wall Street Journal. The device will obviously run Android and make use of many of the Google Now features currently present on devices. Check out the video below of The Wall Street Journal’s Yun-Hee Kim who briefly interviewed Eva Dou about what we can expect with the highly anticipated device. 
In addition to the expected Google Now functionality, the search giant is working on reducing power consumption so as to eliminate the necessity to constantly charge the device. And while most people are hoping for a stand-alone device, that will be highly unlikely and this will probably, like other devices, be a companion to your smartwatch. Speculation for when the device might be released is being touted as “within months”. The device will assist with every day tasks such as what Google Now currently performs like scheduling appointments, booking flights, checking train schedules, reading/retrieving emails etc. While we hope the device reaches the market quickly, we’d rather see Google get this right. And here’s to hoping for competitive pricing as well. I think the Galaxy Gear is highly over priced and it’s been difficult for many to justify the cost of it with its current limited functionality and short battery life. Check out the video below and feel free to let us know what you think about the newly emerging market in the comments below.

Google's Watch
source: WSJ