Image via Complex Original
Believe it or not, the next major computing platform isn’t being worn on our heads or sitting in our pockets. It’s actually strapped on our wrists—we’re talking about smart watches. Combining form, function, and fashion, these ultramodern timepieces are considered to be one of the hottest products out right now, garnering mass appeal from the consumer market and becoming the most wanted product in the wearable category. The LG G Watch R is living proof.
But aside from the Korean electronics manufacturer, all of the major players in the tech conglomerate are rolling out their own creations—squeezing the standard functions from our smartphones into these wrist-worn devices—providing us simpler solutions that seamlessly integrate into our everyday existence. Life is, in fact, good for the smart watch owner and here are some things that become infinitely easier when equipped with one.
Airport Check-Ins
Searching your smartphone or standing near an airport kiosk to print out a boarding pass is so yesteryear. Airlines are working with Google and other smart watch platforms to give frequent flyers instant check-in access before entering a terminal. Android Wear users can pull up their boarding pass on the screen with a simple shake of the wrist. Accessing it through the interface is just as ideal. The Mile High Club has gone digital.
Snap Smartphone Photos Hands-Free
Don’t get caught looking all touristy and holding a selfie stick to snap solo or front-facing group shots. Apps like Google Camera give mobile photogs the opportunity to control their smartphone camera from a distance. In other words, you can remotely trigger the shutter button on a handset to capture photos and videos. A notification is sent to the device that lets users review taken images.
Monitor Health Status
Health tech is huge at the moment, with fitness trackers becoming the next must-have accessory. The only problem is that the majority of these workout-centric gadgets require a second medium to monitor real-time activity with: a smartphone. Smart watches have built-in fitness features designed to collect all sorts of biometric data from calories burned to heart rate variability. Look down at the screen to take in your daily fitness routine.
Summon a Ride
Forget punching digits to order a car. You can practically arrange a pickup directly from your wrist via voice command. Enabling Google Now and sending out the command “Okay Google, request a car” will pull up the Lyft app and take care of the rest. Quiet types can also demand a ride by opening the program on their touchscreen. Either way, this eliminates the need to use a smartphone to ring up the local taxi service.
Messaging With Friends
Email, Facebook Messenger, Google Hangouts, and SMS—dictating replies on these messaging services is something that is now afforded to smart watch owners. Voice-to-text functionality launches everything into full swing. Rather than mirroring mobile notifications to your wrist, conversations come directly to the wearable, which users can respond to at will. Video chatting is a secondary option as well, though it’s limited to notifications and replying/viewing messages. Talk about simplifying the means of communication.
Home Automation
With Android being an open-source platform, Google’s OS is programmable to the point where it can take on more advanced features like controlling smart home devices. Hack your household to execute standard duties such as dimming the lights or lowering temperatures. The Belkin Wemo switches, Nest thermostat, and Philips Hue bulbs are just a number of products that work with rooted smart watches. Companies like SmartThings are also working on an accompanying app to access its home control system. Soon we’ll all be opening the front door by aiming a smart watch at the knob.
Shopping for Goods
The future of retail lies in mobile payments. And with smart watches supporting NFC technology, the task of buying coffee at Starbucks or purchasing Christmas gifts on Amazon from these digital timekeepers has become a reality. Several retail chains, as well as deal-of-the-day websites like Groupon, are optimizing apps to work on Android Wear devices. Hypebeasts are fantasizing about tracking eBay bids as we speak.
Daily Task Management
Whether it’s creating a to-do list or scheduling business meetings, Android Wear offers a variety of ways to manage your workloads. Google’s standard Calendar app comes in compact form, detailing daily and monthly agendas, where as Evernote lets users create and view notes through voice prompts. Even popular recipe-based apps like IFTTT make it possible to connect your smart watch to anything, developing formulas to trigger actions amongst different services (weather notifications, backup Facebook photos on Dropbox, etc.).
Personal Navigation
Most commuters have no sense of direction. Google Now serves as a live navigator that automatically pulls up locations and provides instructions on how to get there. All users have to do is say “OK Google” and then “Navigate to [choose destination],” which will open the Maps app on the touchscreen and direct users to their determined whereabouts. @Here and WearSquare are two popular third-party apps available on the platform that deliver similar results, with the latter using the Foursquare API to check-in at venues.
Browse the Net
Screen real estate is overrated. Well, depending what you fancy. In any case, the ability to surf the web on a 1.3” Full Circle screen is an awesomely niche feature to have on-hand when the smartphone is unreachable. WIB developed a full-fledged web browser that runs on all Android Wear devices, automatically importing bookmarks and favorites from your mobile Chrome browser. Anyone can access a website by using the mini-keyboard or by speaking the desired domain.