LG Watch Style specs: 1.2-inch display, swappable straps, no heart rate sensor

This small watch has the basics covered.

Looking at the previous crop of Android Wear watches, many wanted something that was a bit smaller, thinner and easier to manage on an average wrist. LG answered with its LG Watch Style, which comes in with a smaller display, compact case and subtle thickness. Inside that case you get all of the basic specs, though, and simply miss out on some of the fringe features.

Here’s everything you can find inside the LG Watch Style.

Software	Android Wear 2.0
Display	1.2-inch 360×360 P-OLEDAuto-brightnessGorilla Glass 3
Processor	Snapdragon Wear 2100 1.1GHz
Memory	512MB
Storage	4GB
Battery	240 mAhWireless charging
Connectivity	Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
Resistance	IP67
Straps	Italian genuine leatherUser-replaceable 18 mm
Dimensions	42.3 x 45.7 x 10.79 mm
Colors	Silver, Titanium, Rose Gold
Price	$249

LG Watch Style review: Fashionable, not future-proof 

With a smaller display and Android Wear 2.0, the LG Watch Style would have been nearly perfect if it just had wireless payment abilities.

It’s 2017 and we’re still talking about smartwatches like they’re this untapped element, waiting to be unearthed. The reality is that many of the companies making the wearable devices have failed to answer the question of why I’d need to sport one of these things in the first place. What’s the point? Is it to be fashion forward, or to have all the functionality of a smartphone on my wrist? And why can’t I have both? 

The LG Watch Style has only made this conundrum worse. On the one hand, this is the first Android Wear smartwatch I’ve been able to wear for prolonged periods of time. And as a result, it made me want to use Android Wear: to remember to strap it on before I leave the house; to turn my wrist over to check on notifications; to take more walks so I could hit those steps. It’s the first time that an Android Wear watch truly felt like a necessary accessory. But on the other hand, the LG Watch Style is missing a key feature that would have made it a worthy bragging point against my pals sporting Apple Watches, and there’s where I’m struggling to justify its hefty $250 price tag.

 

About this review

I (Florence Ion) am writing this review after a week of sporting the LG Watch Style on my left hand. I tested it while connected to a Pixel XL over Bluetooth. For testing purposes, I was using the pre-release version of some Google Apps. The watch did not receive a software update during the course of the review. The LG Watch Style was provided to Android Central by Google.

Get the gist

LG Watch Style Video review

Don’t feel like reading? With the help of our executive editor, Alex Dobie, we put together a concise video review of the LG Watch Style. If you’re finding you need more after watching it, read on for the full rundown!

  

Work it, Watch

LG Watch Style Hardware 

Let’s be clear: smartwatches haven’t traditionally been designed with a woman’s wrist in mind. The evidence was always in the available sizing. The typical excuse for the gargantuan devices that existed these past few years was that the necessary miniaturization of technology “wasn’t there yet.” Thus, I can only surmise that the comfortable display size of the Watch Style means we’re finally there.  

The LG Watch Style comes with a 1.2-inch POLED display, which I’ve officially deemed the best size for an Android wear watch for my dainty little wrist. This watch looks like a real watch, too, though it’s also helped in part by its brushed metal chassis. The Watch Style that I have is a slight rose gold with a camel-colored leather band, but you can pick it up in a black or silver casing if that’s more to your liking.

The spinning metal crown on the side of the watch is quite a treat. It’s there to make the device look more authentically watch-like, but you can use it as both a back and home button, or to call up Google Assistant (more on that later). The crown scrolls through pages, too, which is exceptionally helpful for cold weather days, when tapping at a screen without gloves on is the last thing you want to do. I do have one slight gripe about the placement of the button, in that it protrudes out of the side of the case just a bit too far, and occasionally pokes me when I lift my wrist.

The back of Watch Style is plastic. I was a bit dubious about this design decision at first because it makes the watch seem a bit under polished, but as I wore it out I realized that the smooth finish of the plastic is actually what makes it so comfortable. I appreciate, too, that the device comes with snap-off watch straps, even though it’s a ploy to get you to invest in Google’s MODE watchbands. If you don’t need fancy buckles, you can buy cheaper 18mm watchbands off Amazon. 

Inside, the Watch Style runs on Qualcomm’s new wearable-centric processor, the 1.1GHz Snapdragon Wear 2100, along with 512MB of RAM. A new processor seemed to be exactly what Android Wear needed to feel like a more responsive operating system. Besides a few frustrations with Google Assistant — I blame the fact that the microphones are placed on the back— Android Wear 2.0 on the Watch Style was quick to reply to commands and shuffle between screens.

Touch responsiveness was a bit of an issue.

Touch responsiveness was a bit of an issue, however, and sometimes I found myself having to tap a spot twice — like on a complication, for instance — to get it to register. To that end, I found myself using the scroll wheel to navigate the interface since I figured using my finger would be more effort than it’s worth.

Battery life on the LG Watch Style is still not where I want it to be. Granted, I could get through an entire day of activities on the watch’s 240mAh cell, but I’d still have to charge it the next day. I’d like a smartwatch where I don’t have to worry about having the battery charger packed nearby if I forget to charge it overnight. At the very least, you can go every other day without charging the watch, and that’s even with the always-on display enabled.

More on what’s inside the LG Watch Style

Better than before

LG Watch Style Software

Google did a bit of reconstructive work on Android Wear to make it more palatable for the average smartwatch wearer. User feedback revealed that what people cared about with regards to wearables were watch faces, notifications, and fitness tracking, so that’s what the company focused on. For the most part, Android Wear 2.0 has excelled in all three of those categories.

Google did a bit of reconstructive work on Android Wear to make it more palatable.

Many of the new watch faces that come with the Watch Style feature slots for “complications,” a new API that essentially allows you customize indicators based on what the developers of the apps you have installed have offered. For instance, I set up my watch face to show me my next alarm, my progress in Google Fit, and how much battery I have left. The options are limited for now, but there are plenty more options coming from third-party app makers once Android Wear 2.0 goes live.

Notifications have improved in the Android Wear update. Not only are fewer swipes and taps involved to get through them, but even the relatively useless ones (“Your IFTTT recipe ran in the background!”) are organized so that you have some type of context. You can also easily reply to emails and messages from within the same window, without having to navigate far and wide through menu screens just to get to the option.

Eventually, throughout the course of using the watch, Android Wear 2.0’s tiny little keyboard will pop up. It’s finicky to use — a keyboard on a tiny watch screen is not really the pinnacle of user-friendliness — but seeing as how voice dictation is still hit-and-miss on Android Wear, it’s nice to have a backup input method.

Android Wear 2.0 also comes with Google Assistant, which is not as good or as effective as it is on the Google Pixel or Google Home, but it’s there nonetheless. I hardly used it because of my frustrations with the watch’s inability to understand me most of the time. I even had issues getting it to play specific Spotify playlists. And though it’s only tangentially related, I did like the Google Feed button, and that it now lives in Android Wear as a separate entity rather than a feature integrated into the interface.

Our complete Android Wear 2.0 review!

Android Wear 2.0 is a complete overhaul of Google’s wearable platform, from interface and design to apps and functionality. For the complete breakdown of everything that’s new in the latest release, be sure to read our complete Android Wear 2.0 review.

Read our complete Android Wear 2.0 review here!

You won’t get the new fitness tracking abilities of Android Wear 2.0 on the Watch Style, and that’s primarily because of hardware limitations. Unlike the Watch Sport, the Style doesn’t have a heart-rate monitor, a barometer, or standalone GPS.  It doesn’t have NFC, either, which is the real tragedy here, considering how close to perfect the Watch Style would be if I could just pay for stuff with it.  

NFC would have been really nice

LG Watch Style Bottom Line 

The LG Watch Style is definitely the most stylish Android Wear watch ever, but I’m stuck on the fact that it doesn’t have wireless payment abilities. Even the Apple Watch has Apple Pay!

I’m aware that there’s a practical reason for why the LG Watch Style isn’t outfitted to the nines with features, and that’s likely because the smartwatch is physically too small for all that. But my fear is that, since this particular lineup of wearables from Google is supposed to be a blueprint of sorts for other manufacturers to follow, they’ll continue to eliminate any forward-facing features for fear of crowding up the chassis. As a result, those stylish watches you see from fashion brands like Michael Kors and Fossil will continue to offer a simplified experience of a wearables platform that’s really quite good.

Here’s to hoping that’s not the case. I plan to keep wearing the LG Watch Style because there’s finally an Android Wear device that’s comfortable enough for me to wear throughout the day. But until companies find a way to perfectly marry fashion and functionality — specifically something that offers an edge to the Apple Watch — Android Wear will continue to struggle to appeal to the masses.

More: Where to buy the LG Watch Style

LG Watch Sport review: The best showcase for Android Wear 2.0

LG was a launch partner for Android Wear, and now it’s leading the charge for Android Wear 2.0.

After being quite exciting in its early days, Android Wear really lost whatever luster it initially had over the last two years. Google did a great job getting a good variety of more traditional fashion brands on board for new and interesting hardware throughout 2015 and even into 2016, but with the announcement of Android Wear 2.0 at Google I/O it kind of put the brakes on buying watches as we all knew new hardware would be coming with the final release of the software.

With a bit of a setback pushing the Android Wear 2.0 launch to 2017, we had to wait a bit longer to see the platform’s “launch” watches: the feature-packed LG Watch Sport and the svelte LG Watch Style. The latter has its own draw in that it’s sleek and sets itself apart from previous big Android Wear watches, but the LG Watch Sport is a true evolution of what you think of today as a full-power smartwatch.

It’s relatively big, thick and filled with all sorts of features that showcase the brand new refocused Android Wear 2.0 software. This is the launch product for what Google hopes is a new wave of excitement about Android wearables, and that means it has to get it right with the $349 LG Watch Sport — see how it all comes together in our complete review.

About this review

I (Andrew Martonik) am writing this review after one week using the LG Watch Sport, connected to a Pixel XL over Bluetooth and with an active AT&T SIM in the watch. For testing purposes I was using pre-release version of some Google apps; the watch’s software was not updated during the course of the review. The LG Watch Sport was provided to Android Central for review by Google.

Moving pictures!

LG Watch Sport Video review

Sometimes video shows it best. To see a condensed version of the LG Watch Sport review in video form, check out the video up above! Once you’re finished, keep reading to see all of the details about this new smartwatch from LG and Google.

New big watch

LG Watch Sport Hardware

LG was there in 2014 for the original release of Android Wear, trotting out the boxy LG G Watch, and has also been one of the most active Android Wear partners since. So it’s only fitting that it is the sole company kicking off Android Wear 2.0’s introduction to the world. If you’re an Android nerd like me you’ll recognize the Watch Sport as a clear member of the LG Watch family, building on the history of round watches that it started with the G Watch R.

Before we get any further, here’s a quick note on color options. The Watch Sport shown in this review is the “silver” model, which will be available everywhere this watch is sold. But there is also a “dark blue” model (looks black depending on the light) with black straps that will be available exclusively from the Google Store.

The LG Watch Sport is circular, thick and crafted out of a nice chunk of metal with a simple mix of lightly textured finish on the sides and a flat brushed finish encircling the display. Even though it packs a large 1.38-inch circular display, the metal casing keeps the bezel quite small. The two-tone brushed metal keeps the understated look going, making it less bulky feeling when compared to the likes of the Samsung Gear S3. LG has made the transition from metal to plastic on the back much smoother and less noticeable than Samsung as well.

This is definitely still a big watch, though, further necessitating the simultaneous launch of the thin-and-light LG Watch Style for the two-thirds or so of the market who just can’t handle a watch as big as the Sport. At 14 mm thick it still sits up off of your wrist a considerable amount, making it tough to even stretch a long sleeve over it.

More: Complete LG Watch Sport specs

Of course that thickness isn’t just empty space — there’s a sizable 430 mAh battery inside, as well as dedicated LTE, GPS and NFC radios and a heart rate sensor. It also gives you enough room on the case for three hardware buttons: a crown that also rotates for software interaction, and two customizable shortcut buttons.

The other part of the story with the LTE and NFC on the Watch Sport is that they necessitate having integrated TPU (Thermoplastic polyurethane) bands that aren’t user-replaceable, as LG has tucked necessary radios into the bands themselves. Not only does that limit the flexibility of the band attachment points if you’re trying to crank down the watch onto a smaller wrist, but some will also be put off by the lack of customization options. Again, this is where the LG Watch Style takes over with its standard swappable 18 mm lugs.

On the front of the watch, you’ll find a typical great LG display. The P-OLED panel comes in at 480×480 resolution, and has a really small bezel that only slightly cuts into your screen real estate. It also offers an ambient light sensor for automatic brightness, without an unsightly flat tire. The display gets very bright but also very dim when needed, and generally looks great all around.

Refocused, redefined

LG Watch Sport Software

Android Wear 2.0 is a massive departure from previous releases, as it completely rethinks what’s important on a smartwatch. Speaking ahead of the launch with David Singleton, VP of Android Engineering at Google, he explained that user feedback programs showed there were really three areas that consumers wanted their watches to be really great: watch faces, notifications and fitness tracking.

Focusing on the core experience … but also, look at all of this other stuff!

Watch faces are now proper useful pieces of information rather than simply “form over function” displays that sit there waiting to be covered by notifications and apps. With the introduction of an API structure for complications, developers of both watch faces and apps can build to each other’s benefit. Watch faces can have slots for a number of complications, which are user-customizable with various system-level utilities and third-party apps alike. App developers can choose what data to surface when a user places their app in a complication slot, and watch face developers can choose how they want to display it.

Notifications have also been simplified to require fewer swipes and taps. Apps can surface their most-used function to be visible at the bottom of a notification, saving you an extra swipe to perform that common action. For example, messaging and email apps surface simple one-tap buttons for actions like replying to or archiving messages. These new actions can be seen surfaced at the bottom of many parts of the Android Wear 2.0 experience, saving you time while also hiding fewer buttons from view.

Our complete Android Wear 2.0 review!

Android Wear 2.0 is a complete overhaul of Google’s wearable platform, from interface and design to apps and functionality. For the complete breakdown of everything that’s new in the latest release, be sure to read our complete Android Wear 2.0 review.

Read our complete Android Wear 2.0 review here!

Interestingly, Android Wear also puts in many deeper levels of interaction for those who want to do more with their watch. The ability to add a standalone LTE connection to your watch is a great indication that Android Wear devices are now designed to operate (at least sometimes) independently of your phone. App developers can now create watch apps that don’t require a companion app on your phone, and at the same time when you install an app on your phone it doesn’t automatically push a companion app on your watch. I far prefer this approach, particularly if you’re someone who won’t be using a ton of apps on the watch itself — you can keep things clean, on your terms.

Google has also brought over a somewhat-limited version of Google Assistant to Android Wear 2.0. Through either a long press on the crown or a mention of “OK, Google” you can launch Assistant, and ask it just about anything you’d ask of your Pixel or Google Home. Integrations with things like smart home devices aren’t yet here, but simple queries about the weather, navigation, messaging, search terms or simply launching an app all work just fine. There’s a considerable speed difference between the watch and a Pixel performing the same task, though, limiting its realistic usefulness to situations where you don’t have a phone or Google Home nearby.

Perhaps my favorite part about the Android Wear 2.0 update is its new emphasis on “rotational input.” The new interaction method lets companies create smartwatches that can use other forms of input than just the touch screen, like LG did with a rotating crown on the Watch Sport and Watch Style. Rotational input isn’t simply translating spinning hardware into touch, either — it’s a whole new form of interaction that developers have to specifically target and choose what to do. For example it’s used for scrolling throughout the interface, but zooming on Google Maps — developers can run with it.

The rotational input isn’t just limited to crowns, though — it could perhaps be a fully rotating bezel, or something else entirely. I absolutely love using the crown throughout the interface — it makes getting through long lists a breeze, while at the same time making it easier to move precisely through an app without covering the content you’re trying to navigate. And yes, I have to give the nod to the Gear S2 (and to a lesser extent, Apple Watch) for getting to this idea first.

Big improvement

LG Watch Sport Experience

The combination of this refreshed Android Wear software experience and new hardware that actually feels modern gives me a renewed sense of hope about Android Wear. The new wearable-tuned Snapdragon Wear 2100 processor pairs up with 768MB of RAM to give you a slick and smooth experience, and if you keep to basic tasks you won’t ever be waiting for something to load longer than you would expect. Heavier tasks like some full-blown apps (like Google Maps) or those that need heavy network access (like Google Assistant) take a few extra beats, but this is a few massive steps ahead of the performance on older models using a Snapdragon 400.

As someone who really has little desire to use the more advanced features of Android Wear (or really any smartwatch) because they quickly become frustrating on a tiny screen, I’m very happy with the way the LG Watch Sport performs.

Android Pay

Yes, you can finally pay for things with just your watch! Android Wear 2.0 introduces the mobile payments for devices that choose to include NFC (like the LG Watch Sport, but not the Watch Style). Setup is quick, assuming you’ve already configured Android Pay on your phone. You can set a default payment card on the watch, and see a payment history when you tap into each card.

Finding the tap-to-pay point is extra awkward when you’re using a smartwatch.

You can quickly fire up Android Pay by opening the app or assigning it to one of the customizable case buttons, and it’s immediately ready to pay. In the case of the LG Watch Sport you place the top portion of the watch — where the band meets the case — to the terminal, and it gives you a satisfying vibration to let you know the payment went through.

Paying with your wrist is nice if you live somewhere that has finally started to adopt new payment terminals with NFC. Just be prepared to get a few awkward looks as you figure out where, exactly, the tap-to-pay areas are on some of the newer terminals. It all looks so much more awkward when you’re trying to do it with your smartwatch.

Fitness tracking

The “Sport” designation means this is a smartwatch suited for working out and generally sticking with you as you stay active, and that has come with a solid improvement to the default Google Fit app. By default Fit is mapped to the top button on the watch, which can launch you into a workout with a single tap. Of course all of the data syncs back to the Google Fit app on your phone, tracking your activities over time and breaking down all of your actions.

Google Fit received a much-needed update to cover most of your fitness needs.

With minimal setup you can get tracking right away with the LG Watch Sport, even if you don’t set up the Fit app on your phone first. You can enter your height and weight, then be off to the races with tracking your daily step count, as well as your heart rate through a higher-end and more accurate PPG heart rate sensor. Google Fit can handle walks and runs pulling GPS data from your connected phone, or if you want to stride freely you can use its integrated GPS instead. Without starting explicit workouts Fit will track your movements and estimate when you went on a walk or run, but won’t kick in the GPS without your permission. At the end of the day you get a nice breakdown of your steps, active time, calories burned and distance walked, if you’re interested.

You can, of course, go beyond just walking and running with Fit — from standard gym machines to body weight exercises, Fit can help you track everything if you tend to vary your workouts. The size of the Sport could be a hindrance for some gym workouts, but that will be up to your personal preference. If you decide to bring the Sport with you, it can pair to Bluetooth headphones and play music without your phone — a forthcoming Google Play Music update will let you stream music over LTE and Wi-Fi as well.

Battery life

I recently reviewed the Samsung Gear S3 Frontier LTE, and quickly saw how much stress LTE and GPS could put on a smartwatch. Now I’m using an Android Wear watch with the same features, and am of course seeing the same results. Keeping LTE turned on significantly cuts into the battery even if you’re primarily connected to a phone over Bluetooth, as the mobile data has to be idly available for incoming calls and connections.

Battery life is great, provided you don’t actually use LTE.

On my first couple of days using the LG Watch Sport, getting settled in and using it more than typical to get acquainted with it, I hit 15% battery — which triggers “battery saver” mode — at around 4 p.m. after having taken it off the charger just before 9 a.m. that morning. That included a couple of walks pulling GPS from my connected phone, transferring some tracks that I downloaded in Google Play Music and several requests to Google Assistant — all with LTE and Wi-Fi turned on (they idle when Bluetooth is connected), and notifications pinging my wrist.

That’s pretty good considering it’s what I’d call above-average use, but that still means I’m putting the watch on a charger at dinnertime rather than making it the “full day” that LG claims. Further on in my week of testing when I was using the watch a bit more normally and trialed turning off LTE (as a majority of people will experience it), battery life improved dramatically. Standby battery was great, and I regularly went to bed after 14 hours off the charger with 30% battery left. So, not enough to get 2 days without charging … but plenty left in the tank to always make it through a full day — again, so long as you don’t use LTE.

LTE on your wrist

Mobile data on a smartwatch isn’t something that everyone is clamoring for, and definitely isn’t a feature you’ll find everywhere in the market, but after dipping its toe in with the LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition LTE (that name …) it’s back at it again here. Just like Samsung’s last few smartwatches, you can get a distinct data plan from your carrier — AT&T and Verizon at launch — that gives your watch its own connection that can be used for calls (yes, over the watch loudspeaker) and texts, all synchronized with your phone.

Few will be willing to pay $5-10/month for LTE on a watch.

You can also use that connection to operate the watch independently outside the range of your phone’s Bluetooth connection. That means you can use Android Wear’s new standalone apps to load maps, send and receive messages, stream fresh music from Google Play Music and generally keep up with the world. Adding LTE to the equation doesn’t mean you have any more room to work with on the watch, though, so remember you’re still dealing with a limited operating system on a 1.38-inch display.

Even though you can buy the LG Watch Sport from AT&T or Verizon, that doesn’t mean you have to. You can buy it unlocked for the same $349 price from Google (and other retailers) directly, and simply use it with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth (including GPS) as you would any other smartwatch. In the end I expect a small minority will see the value in paying $5-10 per month for LTE on their watch — I sure don’t see the value in it myself.

A new era

LG Watch Sport Bottom line

Google still has an uphill battle ahead trying to get a notable number of people interested in smartwatches. Comparing to the scale of Android phone sales, Android Wear is just a tiny blip on the radar — and it’s going to take many iterations of this platform to improve adoption. Android Wear 2.0 and the LG Watch Sport are a great combination pushing toward that goal of getting Google-powered wearables on more wrists around the world.

Many technology enthusiasts will still be wooed into considering the LG Watch Sport, even at $349. The allure of a fresh smartwatch that fixes many pain points of previous Android Wear watches will be strong. It has a great display without a dreaded flat tire, a nice case that is unfortunately a bit too thick but has great build quality, and every feature you could want crammed inside. It’s a proper antithesis to its launch companion, the LG Watch Style, and when viewed together as a product portfolio they both make more sense.

Sure, the LG Watch Sport won’t be the watch for everyone — in fact, the cheaper and simpler LG Watch Style is perhaps more likely to succeed — but it’s a great piece of hardware to put all of Android Wear 2.0’s capabilities on display. The new software incorporates two years of feedback on how we use smartwatches, and in general does a good job of hitting the features we want most on our wrist. Quick and functional interactions with the basic features, along with a few extras for those who need to do more, make this a clean separation from Android Wear of the past.

The LG Watch Sport is for the wearable fan who wants to experience Android Wear 2.0 to the fullest right from the start, and see the latest Google has to offer on some great hardware from LG.

More: Where to buy the LG Watch Sport

Where to buy the LG Watch Style

The sleek and beautiful LG Watch Style is available for an affordable price.

At just $249 and with a size that appeals to a wide range of buyers, the LG Watch Style has the features for success. The final part of the equation is where to buy it — and thankfully, Google has a big partner on board in Best Buy to supplement availability online from the Google Store.

The LG Watch Style doesn’t fully go on sale until February 10, but thankfully we have all of the details already. Here’s what you need to know.

More: LG Watch Style review

Best Buy

Best Buy will carry all three color combinations for the LG Watch Style, and you can take your pick for $249. If you’re looking to buy in-store you may not find all color options right away, so shop online if you have a specific color in mind.

See at Best Buy

Google Store

So long as you’re okay buying online, the Google Store is a solid choice for the LG Watch Style. Not only does it offer the same color choices, but you can also buy new MODE swappable bands at the same time to give you extra options right out of the box. You can get leather bands for $59 or silicone ones for $49 to fit in with any occasion — as a reminder, you want the 18 mm band to fit the LG Watch Style.

See watches at the Google Store

Android Wear

• Everything you need to know about Android Wear 2.0
• LG Watch Sport review
• LG Watch Style review
• These watches will get Android Wear 2.0
• Discuss Android Wear in the forums!

Where to buy the LG Watch Sport

At launch you have three places to buy the latest LTE-connected Android Wear watch.

The new LG Watch Sport is here, and Google is giving you three different places to buy it at launch: its own Google Store, as well as AT&T and Verizon.

To simplify things, every LG Watch Sport includes an LTE radio is sold unlocked — meaning you don’t have to make up your mind about a carrier decision at the time of buying. That means you can find the retailer that makes the most sense for you, knowing that it won’t come back to bite you later.

The LG Watch Sport doesn’t actually go on sale until February 10, but we do know where you can buy it and the details for each store. Here’s all of the information you need.

More: LG Watch Sport review

Google Store

The Google Store should be your first choice for the LG Watch Sport, so long as you’re willing to buy online. Not only does it save you from having to go to a carrier when you’re not interested in a data plan, but it also gives you access to a limited edition color combination: a “dark blue” case with a black band. The Google Store will also offer you 12-month zero-interest financing for the $349 smartwatch, if you so desire.

If you do want a data plan later on, you can always go into a Verizon or AT&T store to have it added to your existing plan.

See at the Google Store

Verizon

Going to Verizon you’ll have the same silver color choice, but pricing is a tad different. It’s putting the price at $379, but will knock $50 off for signing a two-year contract (don’t do that, please).

To get an LTE connection on your LG Watch Sport, Verizon charges an extra $5 per month to add it to your existing plan. This includes Verizon’s Message+ service that lets you make and receive calls and messages using your primary phone number.

See at Verizon

AT&T

AT&T will charge the same $349 for the LG Watch Sport, but once again you’ll be limited to just the silver version.

If you choose to get a data plan for your watch through AT&T, it will set you back $10 per month extra on your existing plan. That includes the carrier’s “NumberSync” tech that lets you make and receive calls on the watch using your phone’s number.

See at AT&T

Android Wear

• Everything you need to know about Android Wear 2.0
• LG Watch Sport review
• LG Watch Style review
• These watches will get Android Wear 2.0
• Discuss Android Wear in the forums!

Verizon is now making its own Android Wear smartwatch, the Wear24

Verizon is offering its own smartwatch, because why not?

Riding on the news of the the LG Watch Sport being announced, Verizon is also releasing a self-branded exclusive smartwatch running Android Wear 2.0 called the Wear24. Much like its own Ellipsis tablets, the Wear24 watch is a less-expensive option that Verizon can offer without managing a partnership for a big brand name company.

Unfortunately we don’t have a ton of details on the watch just yet, which isn’t so surprising as the focus will land on the LG Watch Sport — which is also available from Verizon — for a while. We know the Wear24 will be available for $299 with a two-year contract, $30 less than LG’s watch.

The Wear24 is waterproof and of course has LTE, and in many ways shares design traits with the LG Watch Sport like its large, circular display and metal case with large band attachments. Beyond that, Verizon isn’t dropping details on us.

Flipboard streamlines your feed with ‘Smart Magazines’

The latest update from news aggregation service Flipboard aims to further unify and organize users’ online feeds by introducing “Smart Magazines.” The new feature creates topic-specific publications that readers can customize by selecting their favorite websites and social feeds.

Previously, Flipboard users had to rely on an overwhelming 34,000 topics and 30 million magazines as the primary way of navigating the platform. The Cover Stories section simplifies this chaos, but it’s not organized by topic. Smart Magazines bridge this gap by filtering the noise and giving users more control over how their news is presented.

“Where do I go if I just want to see photography stuff?” Flipboard CEO Mike McCue told TechCrunch. “I might follow 50 different magazines and 12 different topics [related to photography], so how do I see it all together? There hasn’t been a good way to do that until now.”

Users begin creating Smart Magazines with the Passion Picker, a one-screen tool that prompts users to select a broad topic of interest. Then they pick more specialized subcategories and follow sources like Twitter feeds and hashtags, YouTube channels, and specific websites. The resulting magazine features major stories as well as more niche news within the topic.

For example, a sports Smart Magazine might include the day’s biggest news and highlights, then get into finer details like the Los Angeles Lakers or NBA trade rumors. The Smart Magazines also aim to improve their content selections over time with machine learning as the reader likes and adds stories. The update is rolling out to iOS, Android, and web users today, so watch the video below to check out the new features in action.

Source: TechCrunch

E3 will ‘officially’ open to the public this year

E3 has traditionally been a media-only event — at least in theory. But starting in 2017, you won’t even need a WordPress account to get access to the latest and greatest in gaming. The Entertainment Software Association, which organizes the event, announced on Wednesday that it is reserving 15,000 tickets for the general public to attend the show. Each pass will cost $250 ($150 if you buy it before next Monday, February 13th) but they’ll grant you access to the show floor, panel discussions and other stuff from Tuesday to Thursday of E3.

The event organizers are also offering a new class of business passes. Aimed at lawyers, analysts and other stuffed shirt types, these passes will get you into the business lounge and grant priority access to the convention center.

This move comes after years of clamoring to open the event to the public. The ESA performed a small-scale experiment at last year’s event with E3 Live. This year takes it a step further with genuine public access. However, the ESA can’t guarantee that they’ll continue it next year so if you really want to see E3 but don’t want to blog about it, now may be your only chance.

Source: Gamestop

Google Debuts Android Wear 2.0 Alongside Two New LG Smart Watches

Google today announced the all-new Android Wear 2.0 operating system update for its line of Android-based smartwatches, alongside two new devices debuting this Friday, February 10: the LG Watch Sport and LG Watch Style. The LG Watch Sport includes a number of features that aligns it as a direct competitor to the Apple Watch, including a new “rotating power button” akin to the Digital Crown, NFC and mobile payments features, 4GB of internal storage, and more.

The biggest difference between Apple Watch and the new LG watches is their circular OLED display, which measures 1.38 inches on the LG Watch Sport and 1.20 inches on the LG Watch Style. The two new LG watches differ in a variety of other categories as well: the Style is thinner and has more strap customization options, but it lacks cellular connectivity, GPS, NFC, and has a smaller battery.

Specifically, users can purchase the Style in three design finishes — silver, rose gold, and titanium — and choose from a collection of “snap and swap” 18mm leather and silicone band options. Even though the Style lacks the Sport’s richer features, users can still bring up Google Assistant and perform other basic app-launching functions, according to Google.

That sets up the LG Watch Sport as the new flagship smartwatch from the company, with a built-in gyroscope, accelerometer, cellular connectivity, heart rate sensor, and GPS sensors to fuel a fitness-focused lifestyle, as well as NFC for Android Pay. There are also dedicated buttons for Google Fit and Android Pay so users can more quickly access these features, with Google calling it “Android Wear’s most powerful watch yet.”

The LG Watch Sport is available in titanium and blue with a high performance elastomer strap, but it’s non-customizable beyond this set-up. Those interested in the U.S. will be able to buy the LG Watch Style at Best Buy and the Google Store for $249, while the LG Watch Sport will be available at AT&T, Verizon, and the Google Store for $349. Both smartwatches launch on February 10, and more countries will begin selling the devices in the coming weeks.

Debuting alongside the new watches is Android Wear 2.0, which brings personalized watch faces, workout improvements, Google Assistant, and more to Android smartwatches. Users can now customize an always-on watch face to include more helpful information to glance at, which can be chosen from downloaded and supported apps. A quick swipe will bring up another watch face that can be pre-set with different information, similar to Apple’s watch face carousel update in watchOS 3.

You can now personalize your Android Wear always-on watch face with information and actions from your favorite apps. Simply glance at your wrist to check your next appointment, stock performance, progress on fitness goals, or whatever is important to you.

A quick tap on your watch face lets you instantly order an Uber ride, start a workout, or get in touch with your significant other. Interested in different info throughout the day? Just swipe to switch your watch face as you go from the office to the gym to dinner with friends and home again.

A cellular-connected Android Wear watch can also fuel better workouts, according to Google, thanks to the ability to stay in touch with calls and messages, stream Google Play Music off the watch and through Bluetooth headphones, and the addition of weight-lifting, push-up, sit-up, and squat rep counters. When a message is received, users can dictate or handwrite an answer, and “Smart Reply” includes intelligent, contextual responses based on the incoming message.

A number of sites have published reviews for both new smartwatches and Android Wear 2.0 today, including TechCrunch, The Verge, TIME, and more. The current consensus on Android Wear 2.0, as well as the LG Watch Style and LG Watch Sport, appears to be that the new products are a welcome addition to their respective categories, but still feel lacking. As The Verge pointed out in regard to the 2.0 update, “in a lot of ways, it’s just Google playing catch up to what Apple and Samsung were already doing.”

For Apple, an update to watchOS is in the works with an expected launch date sometime this year, although it’s still largely a mystery as to what might be included in watchOS 4. In the nearer future, watchOS 3.2 plans to introduce users to a “Theater Mode” that will mute sounds and disable Raise to Wake, preventing the screen from lighting up with arm movement and potentially disturbing other theatergoers.

In terms of hardware, Apple is expected to launch a third-generation Apple Watch alongside the tenth-anniversary iPhone in the fall of 2017. Apple Watch rumors remain unclear with the launch date so far out, with some suggesting the first major design overhaul is coming to the Apple Watch this year, while others have pointed to another minor update in 2017 with a focus on performance over design changes.

Tags: LG, Android Wear
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LG Watch Sport preview: The crown prince of Android Wear 2.0

Android Wear has so far been a middling story of wearable devices. The best iterations have been sold on a brand’s strengths – like Polar’s integration into its M600 giving you a great Polar Flow experience, or Tag’s premium reworking on the Tag Heuer Connected – leaving rivals like Apple and Samsung to do a lot more on the user experience at a core level.

That’s all set to change with the launch of Android Wear 2.0 and its hero device, the LG Watch Sport. This is looking like the best designed Android Wear device we’ve seen from LG so far, ushering in a new Android Wear experience that’s more mature, more engaging and more fully featured.

We had the chance to spend some time with the new Android Wear watch prior to launch, but we’re still confirming some of the technical details.

LG Watch Sport: Design

• 45.4 x 51.21 x 14.2mm
• 316L stainless steel case
• Titanium or blue colours
• IP68 water protection

Design hasn’t been the strong point of LG’s previous watches, but the LG Watch Sport takes things in a new direction, one that feels more considered and more serious than before. Landing with the Sport name, this is a watch that’s designed to carry sporty looks, with aesthetics closer to popular diver’s watches than LG’s previous efforts.

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This is a big watch, but not the biggest Android Wear watch out there. Some might baulk at the 14.2mm thickness, but it actually wears comfortably and if you’re used to wearing a watch with substance, that won’t be a concern – in fact you might say the display could be a little bigger than the 1.38-inches it offers.

The body is cool stainless steel, anodised and finished in a dark blue or titanium colour. The back is plastic, but unlike the flimsy feels of the LG Watch Urbane, this feels solid.

There are three buttons on the LG Watch Sport, the centre of which is a digital crown that rotates as well as pushes. This lets you interact with Android Wear 2.0’s most exciting new feature – rotational control. That’s been showcased by Samsung and Apple on their respective devices and it’s a welcome addition to Android, helping mature the platform with new interaction.

The other two buttons are given over to Google Fit and Android Pay, a new feature in Android Wear 2.0, supporting the NFC function.

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The rear of the LG Watch Sport is interesting. It has a pronounced section that houses the optical heart rate sensor which sits securely against your skin to ensure a good connection – we’re yet to test that out, but we’ve experienced great results from the TomTom Spark which employs a similar technique – and doesn’t lead to any discomfort when wearing it. 

That whole back section can be removed to put the nano SIM card inside to power the LTE connection – another interesting addition to the wearable space. The antenna for this is integrated into the strap, so there’s no switching straps here. That might bring a fashion limitation to some, but hopefully means you’re connected wherever you are. We found the strap be comfortable and feel like good quality in our brief time wearing it. 

LG Watch Sport carries an IP68 water protection rating, which should protect it from sweat, rain and showers, but we were told that it’s not designed for submersion like swimming. That’s going to be left to other devices like the Nixon Mission (also on the list to get Android Wear 2.0), which is proofed to 5ATM.

LG Watch Sport: Hardware and specs

• 1.38in 480 x 480 pixel POLED display (348ppi)
• Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100, 768MB RAM, 4GB storage
• 430mAh battery
• Heart rate monitor and GPS
• NFC, LTE

The LG Watch Sport has a 1.38-inch POLED display with a 480 x 480 pixel display, giving it a cracking 348ppi. The display itself is fully round – there’s no flat tyre here like the Moto 360 Sport and this watch looks a lot better as a result. 

In the brief time we had with the watch the display looked good, but on first impressions it lacks those deep blacks and punchy colours of the Apple Watch – but that could be down to brightness settings or pre-release hardware, or just the screens that we were looking at. 

Certainly, once you dive into the details, like scrolling through apps in the menu, you’ll notice lots of details in the visuals, a benefit that comes from the higher resolution.

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We didn’t have the chance to test the HRM, GPS, NFC or LTE, but in our first-hand briefing we were told that there have been no problems using those functions.

The inclusion of NFC unlocks contactless payment via Android Pay and accessed via the bottom hardware button – but that advantage this offers to runners is that you can leave the house with a fully connected device – you can stream music and you can pay for the bus home when you get lost.

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The LG Watch Sport is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 chipset, hardware designed specifically for wearables, with a boosted 768MB RAM. The 4GB storage is standard, providing some local space for storage of your music.

The 430mAh battery is said to last “all day” with the LTE modem active, but we’ll be sure to thoroughly test the endurance, both with LTE on and off, when we get the chance. 

LG Watch Sport: The latest software

• Android Wear 2.0
• Rotational apps menu using digital crown

Launched along with the announcement of Android Wear 2.0, the LG Watch Sport has been designed partly to show off the new features of this updated wearable mobile platform. Where Android Wear was gawky and slightly cartoonish, the updates in AW2.0 bring maturity, practicality and a refinement of the most-used tasks.

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Watch faces are now more customisable with the facility to add complications. This means that rather than using a default watch face that comes from Google, LG or an app, you’ll be able to open a template and add the elements to the face that you want to see. This is also open to developers, with those elements pulled in to fit the style of the watch face you’re using. 

You can now switch faces with a swipe – as you can on Apple Watch – there’s a new quick settings shade for instant actions, as well as deeper focus on fitness. The top hardware button takes you straight to Google Fit’s activity tracking mode, where you can fire up a run or other sport and track your progress. 

Included in the fitness app are things like challenges, so that you can set yourself sit-up or squat challenges, with your watch monitoring your progress. There’s also some clever self-calibration for runners. The stride length will be calculated when running outside using the GPS and the accelerometer and this will then give you a more accurate result then running indoors on a treadmill.

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This all ties into Google Fit and it’s good to see this fitness focus, although the elephant in the room is that generic fitness apps aren’t always hugely popular. Google Fit has been around for a number of years but has never really been very exciting. Take the Polar M600 for example: that’s a great sports watch not because of the Android functions, but because of the Polar Flow platform that it offers. We suspect that Android Wear apps from other platforms, like Strava or Endomondo, might emerge as the more popular options.

The final thing worth talking about is the rotational control. Pressing the button will open the app menu, presented with round icons around the display. The crown will scroll through these apps (you can favourite apps to keep them at the top of the list), to make it easy to get to things – it’s much more dynamic than the old flat list.

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We’ve see the crown out to good use by Apple and we’ve experienced the bezel rotation control offered by Samsung on the Gear watches too, and we think it’s a natural and great addition to the skills of Android Wear. 

First Impressions

Our time with the LG Watch Sport has only been brief, but in that short time, we’re left with the impression that the hardware is well designed. This looks like an attractive Android Wear watch, much more appealing that previous watches from LG, Huawei or Asus. 

What really underpins this new device, however, is the new software. That will be coming to a wide range of devices (from 15 February), but this is one of the few devices that will offer that rotational control. The software is more mature, more useful and better designed than the previous Android Wear experience and that should help this platform grow. 

With LTE and Android Pay also in the mix, this is a completely connected device that opens up new opportunities for smartwatch wearers. We’ve not been this excited about an Android Wear device for some time.

The LG Watch Sport will be available from 10 February in the US, priced at $349. It will be available from AT&T, Verizon, Best Buy and on Google Store.

The LG Watch Sport will be coming to Canada, Korea, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Taiwan, UAE and the UK in the coming weeks.