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Wear OS is Google's wearable platform which is designed to run on watches. It's based on a modified version of Android, designed by Google, and used on many third-party smartwatches.

Wear OS is Google’s wearable platform which is designed to run on watches. It’s based on a modified version of Android, designed by Google, and used on smartwatches such as Pixel Watch, Galaxy Watch, and more.

The platform was first introduced in 2014 as “Android Wear,” before being modified until it became “Wear OS” in 2018.

As you’d expect, Wear OS is designed to be an extension of your smartphone. Notifications are mirrored to your wrist while condensed apps can be installed, both with their own independent functionality or as an extension of the smartphone app.

Where Wear OS was once found across a variety of smartwatch brands, the market has condensed in recent years. Names such as Fossil, Mobvoi, and others faded away in favor of first-party smartwatches from Google and Samsung, as other names in Android such as OnePlus, Oppo, Xiaomi, and more.

A few key Wear OS smartwatches include:

Google’s Pixel Watch is the poster child of Wear OS, with a heavy focus on Fitbit features and Gemini integration.

You can read the latest news about the platform and its apps below.

Smartwatch sales hit 8.1M in Q4 2015, pushing smartwatches ahead of Swiss watch for first time

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According to a new report from Strategy Analytics, the sales of smartwatches in the fourth quarter of 2015 outpaced sales of Swiss watches for the first time. The company claims that during the holiday quarter, a total of 8.1 million smartwatches were shipped, while 7.9 million Swiss watches were shipped.


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9to5Toys Lunch Break: LG Watch Urbane (refurb) $155, Amazon 6-inch Fire HD $90, free Chromecast w/ Spotify Premium, more

Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: TwitterRSS FeedFacebookGoogle+ and Safari push notifications.

TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:

LG Watch Urbane Android Wear smartwatch (refurb): $155 shipped (Reg. $200+) | A4C

Amazon’s 6-inch Fire HD Wi-Fi tablet: 8GB $70 or 16GB $90 shipped ($30 savings)

Spotify tempts new Premium subscribers with free Google Chromecast offer

Spigen micro USB cable 5-pack $7.99 Prime shipped (Reg. $10) w/ code KGCS66BA, USB car charger $3.99 Prime shipped (Reg. $9) w/ code AFFK33YM | Amazon

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

Games/Apps: Mario Maker Wii U + game of choice, amiibo, more $309 ($390+ value), more

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

Cambond 10-ft. Braided Nylon MFi Apple-Certified Lightning Cable $11 (Reg. $17), USB-C Cable, more

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

The Coleco Chameleon retro gaming console is sure to appeal to any Millennial

NERF’s Fall 2016 line includes battery-powered 70MPH blasters, Alien designs, more

Android Wear 1.4: Hands-on with the new Messenger & Reminders apps + much more in Marshmallow [Gallery]

Marshmallow for Android Wear finally began rolling out last week after having been announced in November. While speaker support and new gestures are the marquee user facing features, the under-the-hood performance changes that Marshmallow brings are a huge deal. The update also brings some small tweaks and changes to Android Wear …


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New Snapdragon Wear 2100 processor by Qualcomm will enable smarter, thinner and ‘always-on’ smartwatches and wearables

Qualcomm has announced a brand new processor designed specifically for smartwatches and wearables. The Snapdragon 2100 has been developed to enable manufacturers to create thinner smartwatches with longer-lasting batteries, and make it easier to design watches that don’t need to be tethered to phones.


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9to5Toys Lunch Break: Moto X Pure Edition (unlocked) $375, LG Watch Urbane $180, more

Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: TwitterRSS FeedFacebookGoogle+ and Safari push notifications.

TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:

Last Call Updates:

Acer 11.6-inch Chromebook 2.16GHz/ 2GB/ 16GB (Refurb): $85 shipped (Reg. $179)

Moto X Pure Edition 32GB Unlocked Smartphone: $375 shipped (Reg. $400+)

LG Watch Urbane Android Wear Smartwatch: $180 shipped (Reg. $259)

 

Amazon offers rare 25% discount on Kindle Unlimited subscriptions: 6-months $45 (Reg. $60), more

Apple 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro (Newest Version) 2.2GHz/16GB/256GB: $1,600 shipped (Reg. $1,999)

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

Internal 2.5-inch Solid-State Drives: Samsung 850 EVO 1TB $280 (Reg. $300+), PNY 240GB $60 (Reg. $80)

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

Luminid Touch light-up charging cable is ideal for plugging in at night: $10 (Orig. $20, CA Tax only)

A .edu email can get you the Sharp 32-inch 1080p HDTV for $150 shipped (Reg. $170)

Add 2TB of portable storage to your Mac, PC or Xbox One w/ this WD USB 3.0 Hard Drive for $73 (Reg. $90)

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

3Doodler Start reimagines the popular Kickstarter project with a focus on children

BearTek’s new Smart Gloves offer iPhone/Android controls + GoPro support

Release notes for the 2nd gen Moto 360 detail Doze mode & other Android 6.0 features

Update: Release notes for Moto 360 (first generation) and Moto 360 Sport are now available as well.

Marshmallow for Android Wear was finally announced yesterday and the OTA update for the watches should begin at any moment. Motorola is the first out with release notes on more details about Android Wear 1.4 for their second generation Moto 360.


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Android Wear 1.4 is here w/ support for speaker hardware, more messaging apps, new gestures

Google has today launched the latest update to the Android Wear OS, bumping it from version 1.3 to 1.4 (the companion app got an update in November, which tipped us off that this firmware update was on the way). Among other features, this version of the OS enables support for the speaker hardware that was previously discovered on the Huawei Watch and the ASUS ZenWatch 2


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Google Messenger Wear app & Google Store point to imminent launch of Marshmallow for Android Wear

It’s been nearly three months since we first got wind of the Marshmallow update for Android Wear devices. The changelog was first spotted in the updated Android companion app and it was briefly released on the since recalled LTE version of the LG Watch Urbane 2. However, there are some signs that the update’s full release is imminent.


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‘Project Watch’ & ‘Gcam’ projects detailed on new Alphabet X site, Project Aura now official

We told you a couple of weeks ago about how Google[x] recently got a new coat of paint (now under the Alphabet umbrella and simply known as “X”), and now that coat of paint has hit the web. The site has a brand new design, a new logo, and within you’ll find a rundown the group’s newly refocused mission. Additionally, the new Graduated Projects page seems to mention some projects we’re familiar with and some that we haven’t heard of previously…
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Huawei sends out invites to Mobile World Congress launch event on Feb 21, likely not P9

Huawei has just sent out invitations to media for an event taking place in Barcelona on February 21st, the day before MWC 2016 kicks off in earnest. Time hasn’t yet been specified, but the event will take place at the Montjuïc Exhibition Centre, a location the manufacturer has used in the past to announce new products.


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Feature Request: Why Android Wear needs Force Touch-like features

Feature Request is a new regular 9to5Google series where authors offer their opinion on how to improve popular hardware or software products.

I think most of us who have used it are aware that Android Wear isn’t exactly a complete platform yet. It feels a little beta-ish. And that’s okay for now. One of the best things about Google’s software efforts is that we get to go along for the ride as it publicly experiments and launches new features. It’s not a case of waiting for months, or years, for it to secretly ‘perfect’ its product before telling us we’re ready for it.

Android Wear is still young enough that there’s plenty Google could change without upsetting the apple cart too much. One feature I think should be implemented soon (this year if possible) is a Force Touch-like technology. In other words: Android Wear should have a deeply engrained system to take advantage of pressure-sensitive touchscreen displays…


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9to5Toys Lunch Break: Samsung 60″ 4K UHDTV $998, QuickCharge 2.0 chargers from $6, more

Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: TwitterRSS FeedFacebookGoogle+ and Safari push notifications.

TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:

Last Call Updates:

Motorola Moto X Pure 4G 16GB w/ free $50 BB gift card: $400 shipped

Throw one hell of a Super Bowl party w/ this Samsung 60″ Smart 3D 4K UHDTV: $998 shipped (Orig. $1,800)

Anker USB Power: Aukey & Anker USB QuickCharge 2.0 chargers from $6 Prime shippedmore

Tronsmart QuickCharge 2.0 Wall Charger: $6 shipped w/ code HOMECHAR (Reg. $15) | Amazon

Apple 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro w/ Force Touch (newest) 2.7GHz/8GB/256GB $1,250 shipped (Reg. $1,499)

Apple 12″ Retina MacBook 1.2Ghz/8GB/512GB: $1,290 shipped (Reg. $1,599)

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

GoPro HERO3 White bundle for $159 shipped (Orig. $300 value)

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

Spigen Hybrid/Wallet/Thin Fit Nexus 6 cases: $3.50 shipped (Reg. $6.49 and up)

LG G4 w/ 32GB flash GSM 4G LTE (unlocked): $340 shipped (Reg. $600) | eBay

Game pre-orders for Amazon Prime members – Final Fantasy XV, more: $48 ea (Reg. $60)

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

Leica’s new X-U action camera makes your GoPro look like a child’s toy

The first Amazon Dash Replenishment devices are now available for order

‘Documents for Android Wear’ lets you view Google Docs and PDFs on your watch [Video]

A new app called Document Viewer for Android Wear was recently released by appfour, and you’re probably either excited or rolling your eyes. I’m definitely in the latter category. But then again, most times developers have tried to take apps that typically require a decently sized screen and shrink them to the size of teeny tiny Android Wear, the results haven’t been great. I’m looking at you, emulators that are definitely coolproofsofconcept-but-completely-impractical.

This one may not be as ridiculous as running a PSP game, but I’d say—and I mean absolutely no offense to appfour—it’s very unlikely to become an app you use daily…


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9to5Toys Lunch Break: LG Watch Urbane $200, Ooma VoIP Home Phone $75, Fitbit Aria $89, more

Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: TwitterRSS FeedFacebookGoogle+ and Safari push notifications.

TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:

LG Watch Urbane Android Wear Smartwatch: $200 shipped (Reg. $259)

Ditch your landline with Ooma’s Telo Home Phone Service for $75 shipped (Reg. $110)

Track your body fat percentage & BMI w/ Fitbit’s Aria Wi-Fi Smart Scale: $89 shipped (Reg. $130)

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

Google Play albums from Zac Brown Band and more on sale for $0.99 each

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

USB Power: 5-Port QuickCharge 2.0 Charger $18 (Reg. $30), 5-pack microUSB cables $4

New 32GB Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge for $490 shipped (Reg. $715)

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

This Nintendo-inspired Bluetooth speaker is just about perfect in every way

Phāz takes note of iPhone 7 rumors with new Lightning-connected headphones

9to5Toys Lunch Break: Moto G (2nd gen.) $100, Gear Live $80, Galaxy S6 Edge $490, more

Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: TwitterRSS FeedFacebookGoogle+ and Safari push notifications.

TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:

Motorola Moto G (2nd gen.) 8GB black: $100 shipped (Reg. $180) | Best Buy 

Samsung Android Wear-powered Gear Live: $80 shipped (Reg. $150) | eBay

New 32GB Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge: $490 shipped (Reg. $715)

Samsung Gear S2 from $250 shipped, Gear S2 Classic from $300 shipped w/ code 50OFFJAN | Adorama

If you don’t mind rebates, you can get an additional $50 off both models

LG G3 Beat 8GB unlocked Android phone: $130 shipped (Reg. $200) | Amazon

Philips Friends of Hue Bloom Luminaire Starter Kit: $100 shipped (Orig. $180)

Bluetooth Audio Deals: Harman Kardon Speaker (refurb) $70, Over-Ear Headphones $17, more

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

USB Power: Lumsing 40W 5-Port Charger + Lightning cable $20 (Reg. $30+), more

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

It’s 2016, stop renting your cable modem: Motorola refurb DOCSIS 3.0 deals from $40 (Orig. up to $220)

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

The Kiba camera wants to sit on your shelf and record life’s biggest moments

[tweet https://twitter.com/9to5toys/status/685497066211176448 align=’center’]

PSA: Moto 360 Sport now available from the Google Store

When Motorola announced its new, second generation versions of the Moto 360 smartwatch, it also teased a more fitness-centric model called the Moto 360 Sport. While the regular 360 launched in time for holiday seasons shopping, the Sport didn’t land until significantly later. In fact, it only landed in the US — at Motorola and Verizon’s stores — last week.

For those who like to shop on Google’s own online store, you’ll be glad to know the Sport is now available to buy at Store.Google.com and costs $299.

For those who’ve been looking for an Android Wear device optimized for exercising, the Moto 360 Sport looks to be a great option. It comes with a durable, thick silicone strap and with a screen that adapts to surrounding brightness. It’s IP67 water and dust resistant and has a built in heart-rate monitor.

Key Specs: 

  • 1.37-inch 360 x 325 resolution AnyLight Hybrid Display
  • 45mm diameter case
  • 300mAh battery
  • Wireless charging (dock included)
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 quad-core processor
  • 4GB storage
  • 512MB RAM
  • Bluetooth 4.0 LE
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
  • Barometric Altimeter for measuring altitude
  • Heart rate monitor

9to5Toys Last Call: LG G4 $350, LG G3 (refurb) $170, LG 34″ QHD Monitor $570, more

Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: TwitterRSS FeedFacebookGoogle+ and Safari push notifications.

TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:

Last Call Updates:

Samsung Gear S2 from $250 shipped w/ code 50OFFJAN, Gear S2 Classic from $300 shipped w/ code 50OFFJAN — If you don’t mind rebates, you can get an additional $50 off either model | Adorama

LG G4 w/ 32GB flash GSM 4G LTE (unlocked): $350 shipped (Reg. $600)

LG G3 D850 32 GB unlocked (refurb) 32 GB: $170 shipped (Reg. $300+) | eBay

34-inch UltraWide Displays: LG w/ Thunderbolt $570 (Reg. $700+), Dell Curved $675 (Reg. $750)

It’s 2016, stop renting your cable modem: Motorola refurb DOCSIS 3.0 deals from $40 (Orig. up to $220)

LAST CHANCE!!! Giveaway: 1-yr. subscription to Apple Music, Beats Pill+ and Solo 2 Over-ear Headphones ($549 value)

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

Daily Deals: VIZIO 38-inch 2.1 Bluetooth Sound Bar w/ Wireless Subwoofer (refurb) $90, TOURO 1TB USB 3.0 Portable Drive $50, more

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

Quick Review: SoundPEATS’ Q9A Bluetooth earbuds offer solid value at less than $20, exclusive discount

Motorola Nexus 6 factory unlocked 32GB in blue/white: $250 shipped (Reg. $330)

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

LEGO did everything right with its new 2,500-piece vintage Batman set

[tweet https://twitter.com/9to5toys/status/685497066211176448 align=’center’]

Deal: Googler-approved iOrange-E jacketed USB Type-C cables from $8 Prime shipped

Update: There are now some even better prices available. You can grab the 6ft cable at $9 Prime shipped w/ code BUE2SL39, the 1ft cable at $8 Prime shipped w/ code OZIWJRGS, and the 10ft variant at just $10 Prime shipped w/ code OYDTW5TH.

If you’re on the lookout for some USB Type-C cables for your new Nexus 6P or Nexus 5X (or perhaps even a Chromebook Pixel or a 12-inch MacBook), this is a good opportunity to grab some at a great price. Amazon offers the iOrange-E USB Type-C 6.6 ft braided cable for just $10 Prime shipped w/ code NSUFTGQ3, and the same cable in its 10ft variant for $15 Prime shipped w/ code IBXAME3M. These are the lowest prices we’ve seen…


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Google Fit update lets you track your exercise from Android Wear

Google Fit’s last update in November added a new digital watchface and a challenge mode that trains users on how to do a number of exercises on their Android Wear device. Another Wear heavy update (version 1.56) this week, adds an activity screen that allows users to track their exercise’s progress from their watch.


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Hands on with Casio’s ultra-rugged Android Wear smartwatch [Video]

Fossil and Tag Heuer may have been the first traditional watch companies to launch an Android Wear device, but it was never going to be long before Casio joined the game. The popular watchmaker has dabbled in the connected watch market for a few years now, and has finally unveiled its first Android Wear watch. The WSD-F10 might just be the most durable and rugged smartwatch we’ve ever seen…


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