When Android Wear first launched, it relied exclusively on a Bluetooth connection to stay connected to a smartphone for its data connectivity. It later gained Wi-Fi connectivity for a greater degree of independence. Google yesterday announced that Android Wear now offers cellular support, giving the smartwatch even more freedom. Needless to say, your smartwatch also needs to have the right hardware to enable this.
No more worrying about Bluetooth or Wi-Fi—your watch will automatically switch to a cellular connection when you’re out of range. As long as your watch and phone are connected to a cellular network, you’ll be able to use your watch to send and receive messages, track fitness, get answers from Google, and run your favorite apps. And yes, you’ll even be able to make and take calls right from your watch, for when your hands are full, or your phone is elsewhere.
The first watch to sport this new Android Wear capability is the LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition LTE.
LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition specifications:
- Processor: 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400
- Operating system: Google Android Wear (Cell-connected version)
- Cellular connectivity: 4G/3G
- Other connectivity: GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
- Display: 1.38-inch (480×480, 348ppi) P-OLED
- RAM: 768MB LPDDR3
- Internal storage: 4GB
- External storage: None
- Rear-facing camera: None
- Front-facing camera: None
- Sensors: 9-Axis gyroscope, accelerometer, compass, barometer, PPG (heart rate sensor)
- Battery: 570mAh
- Dimensions: 44.5 × 44.5 × 14.2 millimeters
- Colours: Space Black / Opal Blue / Luxe White / Signature Brown
- Other: Dust and water resistant (IP67 rating)
A smartphone pairing will still be required but the watch will be able to use its own cellular connection to support everything from notifications to making and receiving calls if the phone is not nearby.
The LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition LTE is currently only available in the U.S. either from AT&T or Verizon Wireless. Availability will expand “within the coming months” but no details were provided as to when and where. This will presumably include new Android Wear smartwatches.
Source : Official Android Blog