LG G Watch Review

Wired has published a review of LG's Android smartwatch.

Snippets follow:

"The company’s new G Watch is the first of three Android Wear smartwatches — the other two being the Motorola Moto 360 and Samsung Gear Live. It comes with an always-on, 1.65-inch LCD display and a 1.2 GHz Snapdragon processor with 4 GB of memory."

"the G Watch feels like the worst parts of your smartphone strapped to your wrist, plus Google Now and some third-party app integration."

"the G Watch comes with a 280 x 280 pixel resolution LCD display that’s bright and clear, although it’s unreadable in bright sunlight. A replaceable 22mm synthetic band straps that LCD watch face to your wrist. The band, inlaid with shallow diamond-shaped indentations on the inside, feels very thick. It never blends seamlessly into your daily experience — you’re aware there’s a watch there. Its rectangular face measures approximately 38mm x 47mm x 10mm."

"While Android Wear has promise — the user interface is clean and intuitive, and there’s a clear, easy way for third party developers to get their apps onboard — it’s hardly a saviour for our smartphone woes. In fact, the watch is mostly a hell of constant, vibrating notifications. You can cease the constant buzzing by going into the Android Wear app and selecting which ones you don’t want notifications from; you can also temporarily silence the watch. But in both cases, it silences indiscriminately."

Luckily there’s far more to the watch than just Gmail notifications. Android Wear’s third party app ecosystem promises to open up infinitely more use cases. After granting developers access to its API on the 7th, there are currently 33 Android Wear-optimised apps, including software from entities like Pinterest, Runtastic, Eat24, and BandsInTown."

"One thing LG’s G Watch does do well is voice control. You don’t even have to hold the watch up to your face, a simple utterance of “OK Google” instantly brings up the voice command interface, letting you record a note, set an alarm, make a simple query, search directions on Google Maps, and more. When you get a text or Hangout, you can dictate and send a reply straight from the watch. It does a stellar job of interpreting what you say so long as you’re in a reasonably quiet location."

"The G Watch is water and sweat resistant, but it isn’t truly waterproof. It charges in a small cradle that the watch face magnetically snaps into. You can easily use 80 to 100 percent of its battery in a day, so you’ll want to keep this charging cradle at your office desk or by your bedside."

"The goal of wearables, smartwatches in particular, is to free you from your smartphone dependence. “Look, now you don’t need to pull your phone out of your pocket to check what that notification was. A discreet glance at your wrist will let you know if it’s important or not!” False. When your wrist is vibrating constantly it’s both irritating and distracting for you and everyone else around you. And unlike a smartphone tucked away in a bag or pocket, you can’t ignore it."
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