ASUS releases ZenWatch FaceDesigner for their DIY watch face makers
One of the benefits that Android fans enjoy with the operating system is the ability to customize so many parts of what is displayed on their smartphones. Launchers add several customizable options and an untold number of widgets give users the ability to get just the look they want, all without involving programming or graphic design skills. It should be no surprise then that similar capabilities are starting to expand through the Android ecosystem, like the ZenWatch FaceDesigner from ASUS that gives users the ability to design their own watch faces for ZenWatch smartwatches running Android Wear.
The ZenWatch FaceDesigner follows a three step process to customize the watch face. Users choose the base watch face, they choose a clock type, and then finish with an information widget. Each step gives users the ability to do things like choose images, colors, icons, and choose from a variety of pre-built information widgets. Users can even select their own image for a background.
The app may not be to the level where users could virtually replicate a Rolex or some of the more polished designs that are available for Android Wear devices, but it is a start and is likely a sign of things to come for the market.
If you have an ASUS ZenWatch or ASUS ZenWatch 2 device, head on over to the Play Store to grab the app and start work on designing that watch face that you have not had any luck finding elsewhere.
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Asus ZenWatch 2 available in Google Store now
If you have been waiting for the Asus ZenWatch 2 Android powered smartwatch, the 49mm version in Navy Blue is available for purchase in the Google Store now. It is one of the cheaper options at $149.99, but still offers the same functionality with Android powering the device. The smaller 45mm version is still listed as “coming soon” but it should be available soon.
The case is made from stainless-steel and should be available in three colors. So if black with a blue strap isn’t your first choice, you still can wait for the silver and gold crown options. Nine easily changeable straps will also be available in the near future.
Specs
- Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 1.2GHz
- Operating System
Android Wear
- Memory
512 MB RAM
- Storage
4GB eMMC Flash
- Display
AMOLED 1.63″
320×320,
278ppi Touch Display - Sensor
6-Axis (A+G) with Sensor-hub
- Audio
Built-in microphone
- Battery
400mAh
- Features
Cover Lens: 2.5D curved Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3
Water Resistance: IP67
Communication: Bluetooth 4.1+WiFi - Dimensions
49.6 x 40.7 x 9.4 ~ 10.9 mm (LxWxH)
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ASUS’ new FaceDesigner app lets you create custom watch faces for your ZenWatch
If you’re the owner of a first or second-generation ASUS ZenWatch, there’s a new application in the Google Play Store that may be worth your while. ASUS has just released an app called ZenWatch FaceDesigner, which will give you the ability to create custom faces for your ZenWatch.
Once you download the FaceDesigner app, creating a new watch face is pretty easy. You can choose between five different watch face styles. Once you make your selection, you’ll be able to customize your background image and color, tick, icon, text color, date information, weather information, and even missed call info. You can also choose an image to set as your watch’s background.
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The stock watch faces that come on the ZenWatch and ZenWatch 2 aren’t necessarily the greatest, so the added benefit of customizing watch faces is sure to make ZenWatch users happy. Oh, and it should be noted that the app is only compatible with the ASUS ZenWatch and ZenWatch 2.
If you’d like to jump on the Android Wear bandwagon, the ZenWatch 2 is a great place to start. It’s available now in the Google Store for just $149.99, which is an absolute steal for a brand new Android Wear device.
Download ZenWatch FaceDesigner from Google Play
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ASUS’ ZenWatch 2 is being sold through the Google Store
Another Android Wear device has been made available through the Google Store. ASUS’ ZenWatch, the smartwatch that was announced way back in June, is being sold by Google for $149. The Google Store is offering the ZenWatch 2 in two sizes, each with its own color option. The 45mm size comes in Light Aqua with a rubber strap while the larger 49mm size is Navy Blue and has a leather strap.
The ZenWatch 2 features all-day battery life and is said to take sixty minutes to reach a charge of 80%. This is in addition to powering the built-in biosensor that measures a user’s activity and relaxation levels for the ZenWatch Wellness Manager app to analyze. For smartwatches with square-edge displays, ASUS definitely has one of the nicer models.
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Reminder: Samsung’s Gear S2 smartwatch launches today
Samsung announced its Gear S2 smartwatch at IFA awhile back, and we’ve been waiting in much anticipation ever since. Today is the day the device officially launches, and those interested, with a compatible smartphone, should be able to pick it up at most major retailers in the United States, Germany, Singapore, and South Korea.
Those in the United States should be able to buy the Gear S2 from Amazon.com, Samsung.com, Best Buy, Macy’s, and others for $299. The Gear S2 classic will set consumers back an additional $50 at $349 for the Gear S2 Classic. Some may want to hold off buying one in hopes of carrier availability being added soon.
As a quick refresh, the Gear S2 sport a 1.2-inch circular 360 x 360 (302ppi) display, a 1GHz dual-core processor, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage, and a battery said to last up to 3 days. In addition to being available in Dark Gray and Silver, some premium bands from Italian designer Alessandro Mendin should be available soon.
Anyone plan on picking one up today?
source: Samsung
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LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition first look
LG just announced the steel-bound V10, but that’s not the only ferrous beauty coming from the Korean company today: the Watch Urbane 2nd Edition brings a classy look and cellular connectivity – a first for the Android Wear ecosystem.
We had the opportunity to check out the Urbane 2nd Edition, with a caveat: we couldn’t play with the software at all. With this warning out of the way, here’s our first look at the LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition.
Design and functionality
While the Urbane 2nd Edition is the first Android Wear watch with cellular connectivity, LG has dabbled with the concept before, on the webOS-powered Watch Urbane LTE. There is where the Urbane 2nd Edition takes most of its design cues, and, in particular, the three buttons on the side.
The Urbane 2nd Edition is definitely more sportsy than the Watch Urbane, especially when you choose one of the rubber bands. There will be several bands options available, but you won’t be able to use a standard one, because the bands incorporate the antennas required for cellular connectivity.
The watch is thick compared to other wearables, but it doesn’t look too large and it’s quite comfortable even on my tiny wrists, thanks to the curved bands.
The color accents of the buttons match the band, which is a nice touch. The top button allows you to bring up your favorite contacts, the main one has the typical Android Wear functionality, while tapping the bottom button will open up LG’s Health up. The device can monitor your heart rate, workout intensity, and stress levels, though we suspect the latter two features are based on simple readings of the heart rate.
Hardware features and connectivity
The Watch Urbane 2nd Edition packs the best specs on any Android Wear smartwatch to date. These include a 1.2GHz Snapdragon 400 SoC, 768MB of RAM, 4GB of storage, Bluetooth 4.1, Wi-Fi, and GPS. The display is 1.38 inches with a 480 x 480 pixels resolution, for an excellent 348ppi; for comparison, the next best display is on the Huawei Watch, at 400×400 pixels.
The battery is much larger than the norm as well. At 570 mAh, it’s almost double what you get on the Huawei Watch or the Tizen-powered Gear S2. Of course, the LTE/3G modem will consume a lot of that power, but LG claims the Urbane 2nd Edition should be good for a full day of use, or more.
You will be able to connect to the internet wirelessly from anywhere in the world. The LTE/3G device takes a nano-SIM and should work with many carriers. More details will be offered when the device launches in the US.
Software?
It appears that LG has announced the Watch Urbane 2nd Edition before Google has finalized the latest Android Wear version needed to enable the new features on the device. That’s likely the reason we weren’t allowed to shoot the software during our briefing. That said, an announcement from Google is probably imminent.
Wrap up
LG is really stepping it up with the Watch Urbane 2nd Edition, which joins a growing collection of beautiful Android Wear smartwatches of mostly circular design. We’ll need to wait for the Android Wear update and a test of the cellular support before offering our verdict, but signs are pretty encouraging.
Tell us what you think!
LG reveals the new Watch Urbane, the first Android Wear smartwatch to go tether-free
LG’s full of surprises tonight, announcing the V10 ahead of the company’s New York event tomorrow and now a refresh of the Watch Urbane. The device sports a bigger screen, smaller form factor, and is the first Android Wear smartwatch to sport a cellular radio, making it tether-free.
Normally you’d need to tether your smartwatch to your Android device by way of the Android Wear application, but it seems that the new Watch Urbane can work as a standalone device, thanks to the newly added cellular radio. Interestingly, it has LTE capabilities as well.
It can also take calls, which is an intriguing feature to add. Either way, receiving calls is there for those who’ll use it. There’s also now two new buttons above and below the main button the Watch Urbane. These new buttons will help users get quick access to things like contacts, LG Health, the apps list, and so on.
Click here to view the embedded video.
It also has the aforementioned bigger display, toting a 1.38-inch 480 x 480 circular P-OLED panel with 348ppi along with the standard built-in GPS. Included is a 570mAh battery and a new Power Saving Mode to get you through the day and beyond.
As with the LG V10, the company hasn’t provided any pricing details. They haven’t offered any information on availability either, indicating that we won’t see it at least for a couple months, as was similar to Samsung’s Gear S2.
Probably the most disappointing thing about the new LG Watch Urbane so far is that the bands can no longer be swapped, which is largely due to building some of the hardware into the bands in order to get the smaller form factor.
Android and iPhone owners alike will be able to enjoy this new smartwatch when it arrives. We’ll for certain hear more details on it tomorrow.
source: LG
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TAG Heuer will launch its Android Wear smartwatch on November 9
Android Wear didn’t feature much during Google’s Nexus announcement yesterday (which you can catch up on right here), but it’s still managing to garner some headlines for itself. This comes courtesy of TAG Heuer, who has revealed it will launch its Android Wear running smartwatch, the Carrera 01, in November.
The TAG Heuer smartwatch is scheduled to go on sale in New York on November 9 at 11am with a price tag of $1,800. The Carrera 01 is said to appear just like a normal, TAG Heuer watch. TAG Heuer CEO, Jean-Claude Biver, had this to say about the company’s upcoming smartwatch:
“That was our biggest challenge,” Biver said. “How can we make a connected watch that looks like a normal watch with the normal DNA of the Swiss watchmaking?”
Instead of the usual Snapdragon 400 processor used by most of the other Android Wear devices (except the original Moto 360, of course), the TAG Heuer wearable will be sporting a chip produced by Intel.
Source: Bloomberg
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The most expensive Android Wear watch yet is coming on November 9 from Tag Heuer
The Tag Heuer smartwatch could look like this traditional Carrera 1887 model.
Android Wear is going up scale. Tag Heuer’s first smartwatch is officially launching November 9 with an $1800 price tag.
We first heard reports about Tag Heuer joining the Android Wear ecosystem back in March, when the Swiss watchmaker confirmed it would release a smartwatch in partnership with Google and Intel by November.
Yesterday, Tag Heuer CEO Jean-Claude Biver announced the precise date of the launch, along with an updated price tag. Biver said in March that the device would cost $1,400, but the price is now said to be $1,800, and, apparently, we have Apple to thank for it, at least in part. In a CNBC interview, Biver declared himself “very, very pleased” with the Apple-Hermes tie-up for the Apple Watch, which allows Tag Heuer to sell its own luxury connected watch at $1500 or more.
We now have a launch date and a price tag, but other details about the Tag Heuer Android Wear device are hard to come by. Biver, who leads Tag Heuer and Hublot, both parts of luxury giant LVMH, previously teased a 40-hour battery life; Intel’s involvement could bring us the first AW device to run on a non-ARM SoC. As for appearance, Tag Heuer’s smartwatch is reportedly a digital replica of the watchmaker’s original black Carrera model.
With prices starting at $125 and heading into luxury territory thanks to the involvement of the Swiss watch industry, Android Wear becomes increasingly diverse. The initiative is still far from the vastness of the Android phone ecosystem, but customers in a wide range of categories now have an Android Wear option and that’s very healthy for the ecosystem’s long term growth.
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Watch Google’s San Francisco event live stream right here!
It’s the moment we’ve been waiting for all day, the live-stream coverage of Google’s Nexus announcement. This is where we will see the LG Nexus 5X and Huawei Nexus 6P handsets revealed, the second-generation Chromecast devices and app, and, if that isn’t enough, the new Pixel tablet. And who knows, maybe Google has a surprise up its sleeve that didn’t leak yesterday. You can check out the live stream coverage of the Google announcement right here.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Let us know which Device you are more excited about in the comments below.
Come comment on this article: Watch Google’s San Francisco event live stream right here!
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