Android By Russell Holly Sep. 2, 2014 4:35 pm
By the end of this year, we are going to be drowning is smartwatches. Some of them are going to be square, some round, but all of them will be fighting to convince you that they deserve that presumably empty slot on your wrist. Unless Apple has something truly impressive in store for September 9th, the smartwatch conversation basically boils down to two choices: the Kickstarter darlings at Pebble, and Google’s Android Wear. Both of these platforms have worked hard to create unique ecosystems full of apps and users, but their end results couldn’t be more different.
[h=3]Hardware[/h]The biggest difference between Pebble hardware and whatever Android Wear device you decide is best for you winds up being the display. Android Wear is all about full color displays with touch screens and voice commands, while Pebble relies on e-ink displays with physical buttons and zero microphones or speakers. Google’s hardware partners are throwing all sorts of design ideas out there for users to ogle, but at the end of the day each of these designs include these basic elements. Pebble, on the other hand, has one basic design concept and several different casings to support whatever experience you prefer.
You can’t glance down at a Pebble while driving and talk to it. Pebble won’t automatically light up and update with new information as you lift your wrist from your waist to your chest. If you get a message from someone and you check that message on your Pebble, there won’t be an incredibly pleasing animation followed by the avatar of whoever sent you that message. Android Wear has an impressive list of features thanks to the included hardware, and it is true that Pebble can’t emulate those features with the current hardware setup.
Instead, when you use a Pebble you get things like a display whose brightness is irrelevant because in direct sunlight you can still read it and in a dark theater you won’t accidentally blind yourself and others. You get a battery that lasts for just about a week instead of the 36 hour average with Android Wear. From a purely hardware perspective, Android Wear as it exists right now is a very cool toy. Pebble, on the other hand, is something you can actually use as a watch and enjoy.
[h=3]Software[/h]Pebble has quite a*head start over Android Wear. The company has had time to work out kinks, add in features that its*community of users have requested, and allow third party developers ample time to really explore what the platform is capable of. A*Pebble can be a sleep monitor, remote control for music, and even a quick access panel for smart lights. Sometimes, it even tells me what time of day it is. All of this exists in the pixelated e-ink world Pebble has created, and it exists on both iOS and Android in almost exactly the same way.
Android Wear started out strong in the software department, but it is not without flaws. The lack of an organized watch face development system for Android Wear out of the box has caused developers all over the world to hack together their own watch faces and sell them on the Google Play Store, resulting in half a dozen extra icons in my launch panel that don’t need to be there. Setting that flaw aside, Google has made it incredibly easy for any Android app to become a Wear app, so there’s already very little that these watches can’t do.
Whether or not this realm of chaos is a good thing or not has yet to be decided, and Google’s next big software update is likely to address a lot of these usability concerns, but in the mean time Android Wear has managed to create an ecosystem with thousands of apps just about overnight, and that is an impressive accomplishment. Unfortunately it also means new users who aren’t overly tech savvy will be lost in an ocean of confusion on Android Wear, while Pebble users of any skill level will be able to enjoy simple and functional apps that all do exactly what they claim to do.
[h=3]Which is better?[/h]If you’re an early adopter who loves the shiniest new things that are out there in the world, Google’s hardware partners for Android Wear are going to iterate and a blistering pace and you will be able to empty your wallet over and over again for relatively minor updates to what is essentially a smartphone strapped to your wrist. While Android Wear is undeniably cool, as a smartwatch platform it still has a lot of growing to do. Pebble’s hardware and software offer a great experience for a ton of users, and will continue to do so while Android Wear runs around in circles (or squares) in search of the Right Way™ to do things.
More...
[h=3]Hardware[/h]The biggest difference between Pebble hardware and whatever Android Wear device you decide is best for you winds up being the display. Android Wear is all about full color displays with touch screens and voice commands, while Pebble relies on e-ink displays with physical buttons and zero microphones or speakers. Google’s hardware partners are throwing all sorts of design ideas out there for users to ogle, but at the end of the day each of these designs include these basic elements. Pebble, on the other hand, has one basic design concept and several different casings to support whatever experience you prefer.
You can’t glance down at a Pebble while driving and talk to it. Pebble won’t automatically light up and update with new information as you lift your wrist from your waist to your chest. If you get a message from someone and you check that message on your Pebble, there won’t be an incredibly pleasing animation followed by the avatar of whoever sent you that message. Android Wear has an impressive list of features thanks to the included hardware, and it is true that Pebble can’t emulate those features with the current hardware setup.
Instead, when you use a Pebble you get things like a display whose brightness is irrelevant because in direct sunlight you can still read it and in a dark theater you won’t accidentally blind yourself and others. You get a battery that lasts for just about a week instead of the 36 hour average with Android Wear. From a purely hardware perspective, Android Wear as it exists right now is a very cool toy. Pebble, on the other hand, is something you can actually use as a watch and enjoy.
[h=3]Software[/h]Pebble has quite a*head start over Android Wear. The company has had time to work out kinks, add in features that its*community of users have requested, and allow third party developers ample time to really explore what the platform is capable of. A*Pebble can be a sleep monitor, remote control for music, and even a quick access panel for smart lights. Sometimes, it even tells me what time of day it is. All of this exists in the pixelated e-ink world Pebble has created, and it exists on both iOS and Android in almost exactly the same way.
Android Wear started out strong in the software department, but it is not without flaws. The lack of an organized watch face development system for Android Wear out of the box has caused developers all over the world to hack together their own watch faces and sell them on the Google Play Store, resulting in half a dozen extra icons in my launch panel that don’t need to be there. Setting that flaw aside, Google has made it incredibly easy for any Android app to become a Wear app, so there’s already very little that these watches can’t do.
Whether or not this realm of chaos is a good thing or not has yet to be decided, and Google’s next big software update is likely to address a lot of these usability concerns, but in the mean time Android Wear has managed to create an ecosystem with thousands of apps just about overnight, and that is an impressive accomplishment. Unfortunately it also means new users who aren’t overly tech savvy will be lost in an ocean of confusion on Android Wear, while Pebble users of any skill level will be able to enjoy simple and functional apps that all do exactly what they claim to do.
[h=3]Which is better?[/h]If you’re an early adopter who loves the shiniest new things that are out there in the world, Google’s hardware partners for Android Wear are going to iterate and a blistering pace and you will be able to empty your wallet over and over again for relatively minor updates to what is essentially a smartphone strapped to your wrist. While Android Wear is undeniably cool, as a smartwatch platform it still has a lot of growing to do. Pebble’s hardware and software offer a great experience for a ton of users, and will continue to do so while Android Wear runs around in circles (or squares) in search of the Right Way™ to do things.
More...
