Sony says it won’t move to Google’s new Android Wear platform for SmartWatch

When Google introduced its new “Android Wear” developer kit earlier this month, it also announced a list of partners working with the new stripped down version of Android for smart watches and wearables. However, Sony, one of the Android device makers that already has Android smartwatch products on the market, was not on that list. Today we find out that’s because Sony plans to stick with its own version of Android on wearables rather than move to Google’s new “Android Wear” vision for the hardware.

Head of Sony Mobile US Ravi Nookala confirmed the news to Cnet:

“We’ve already invested time and resources on this platform, and we will continue in that direction,” Nookala told CNET in an interview in the unit’s office here.

That sounds a lot like Sony won’t be joining the likes of Motorola, Samsung, LG, and HTC in releasing Android Wear devices. Motorola has already showed off its Moto 360 device that it plans to have out by summer, and, in addition to the Android manufacturers, fashion brands like Fossil plan to have Android Wear devices out by later this year.

Of course there is a chance that Sony will release an Android Wear device in addition to its own SmartWatch products. Samsung appears to being doing as much with its new Tizen-based Gear smartwatch devices in addition to being confirmed as an Android Wear partner.