September 09, 2014
Smart wearables, such as smart glasses and smart watches are the latest craze in the mobile market. They have captured the imagination of app developers and users alike. The latest smartwatches not only look sleek and stylish, but also come packed with powerful software to support their advanced functionality. Android Wear, which is the newest OS developed by Google, to power its wearables, has now emerged as a formidable competitor to the previously existing wearable platforms such as Pebble, Sony, Samsung and so on.
The versatile Android Wear SDK includes several features in order to help developers create interesting apps, merely by making some simple tweaks to their existing Android apps. Being a new platform, which also offers relative ease of app development; it is attracting developers and encouraging them to create basic apps for Android Wear devices. Some developers have started planning on creating simple and useful apps, which would perform tasks such as organizing email and notifications for the user. Yet others are working on creating apps including planners, speed readers, email clients and so on.
Why Android May be the Winner
Pebble and the latest Samsung Gear run on their own operating systems. This means that developers would have to develop different code to create apps for these devices. Google, however, aims at gaining an early lead by enabling Android developers to work with almost the same mechanism to create apps for its wearables.
33Labs, a mobile app development company, is already building fitness training and personal assistant apps for the soon-to-arrive Moto 360.
The smartwatch, which is created by Motorola Mobility, is expected during summer this year. This device, like other Android Wear devices, has already received approval from developers, for its ease of development and the fact the SDK is just an extension of the existing Android SDK.
Industry experts aver that Android Wear’s seamless integration with the main Android OS would go on to make it a winning OS in the market, in the coming few months. Google, in the meantime, has announced plans to tie up with companies such as Asus, LG, Samsung, HTC, Qualcomm, Intel and the Fossil Group, in order to manufacture devices that can run Android Wear apps.
Google is at a clear advantage and if it plays its cards right, it could well emerge as the leading manufacturer of smart devices in the near future.
Developing Android Wear Apps
Given the immense popularity and demand for Android devices, Android Wear apps can truly make their mark, provided that they are well-designed, are easy to work with and offer a good experience to the end-user. Not all wearables have gained easy acceptance by users. Google Glass, for instance, has been mired in controversy, ever since the time it was first released to developers. The mixed reactions of the public have, in turn, discouraged developers from going ahead and creating apps for the device.
Android app developers, especially those who are already achieved success in Google Play, are now keen to create apps for Android Wear. The new OS offers them an additional platform to gain exposure, without investing too much extra money, time and effort.
Here is what you should do before creating apps for Android Wear:
- Install the Android SDK – this gives you all the tools to build your apps.
- Learn all about Android Wear from their Developer Website and sign up for your account.
- Include the preview ZIP file in your project and simply follow the steps mentioned in the Website.
- Set up the Android Wear Emulator and run the platform within it. Try out some of the new APIs available in order to enhance your app.
- Make sure your app icon should be 32x32 in size, with 8dp padding.
- Keep your app UI and content simple, while also being clear and concise.
- In the case of multiple notifications, they should be stacked neatly for the viewer’s benefit.
- Try and include the Voice Command feature to your app, so that users can work on it hands-free.
- Test your app thoroughly before proceeding ahead to release the app to the general public.
- Update on Oct 07, 2014: Android Wear App Updated to Version 1.0.2
- Update on Oct 25, 2014: Google Rolls Out Android Wear Version 4.4W.2
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