LG’s new mystery smartwatch actually runs webOS
CES 2015 has been an insane ride, but the craziest news out of the show wasn't even an announcement: the LG smartwatch that Audi was using to control their autonomous car runs webOS. Yes. webOS. On a watch. In a week that brought us the news that TCL is resurrecting the Palm brand and the latest webOS TV's from LG, we also get webOS expanding to a new platform: the wrist.
Yes, at CES 2015, we're writing about Kodak, Palm, and webOS. It's like a tech episode of the Twilight Zone. The reveal of the smartwatch came as a surprise, with an Audi executive revealing the watch as being from LG and using it briefly in his demo, but not saying much more about it. The assumption was that it was running Android Wear, but our friends at Android Central decided to dig in to the watch and found that it was in fact not Android Wear.
Google's imposed strict restrictions on the customizations that can be made to Android Wear, so the more we looked at it the more curious we became. It was clearly not Android Wear, and then we ended up deep in the settings and saw something amazing: webOS Version Open webOS.
It. Runs. webOS.
LG's teased webOS smartwatches before, but never made a public statement on where they would next expand webOS beyond their TVs.
Most interesting is that the watch has a number of LG's custom apps built in, including apps for calendar, dialer, messages, email, and more. It even sports NFC and a cellular radio. Yes. This thing is a ready-to-go webOS portable.
We hate to be speculative (that's a lie, we love it), but everything here indicates that LG is working hard to make a device that's thoroughly capable of operating independently, and has the makings of a proper modern webOS smartphone.
In a world where Samsung's ported their Tizen OS from smartwatches to smart televisions, LG is bringing their webOS smart TV OS to portable devices. It's a mad mad world, and we're excited to find out even more about what LG has in store for webOS.
CES 2015: The Audi smartwatch made by LG is a thing of beauty
Don’t you love it when things are unintentionally spotted and turn out to be absolute gems? During Audi‘s presentation at CES 2015, at some point, an Audi executive demonstrates the ability to control a car with a smartwatch. That device, a Audi smartwatch shall we say, is something we’ve never seen before, nor does it resemble […]
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Mystery LG smartwatch reportedly spotted at CES 2015 [updated]
Update: Android Central has confirmed that the watch was made specifically for Audi by LG. It is running a custom version of Android Wear, but only to show off Audi’s software. That’s really too bad, because this is probably the classiest smartwatch we’ve seen so far.
No matter how much we expect to see certain products at CES, we’re always blindsided by at least a few product sightings. So far, CES 2015 has been full of device and smartwatch announcements, and we’ve even seen both Hyundai and Viper show off remote car starting, just using an Android Wear smartwatch. During Audi’s press conference earlier today to announce their new advancements in the automotive world, something caught the eye of a few tech writers out there. The Verge reports that when Audi’s Ulrich Hackenberg called a self-driving car up to the stage, he was using an LG-made smartwatch. Judging by the photos, this smartwatch definitely isn’t anything LG has announced thus far, and we’re not even sure if it’s running Android Wear.
Judging by the looks of it, the watch definitely seems like more of a high-end device, even looking more premium than the company’s recently-released LG G Watch R. It looks to have a similar design to the G Watch R, thanks to the circular display and big brackets on the top and bottom to hold the watch strap in place. Aside from that, we don’t have any other details regarding the watch. There was no mention of Android Wear or smartwatch integration in Audi’s press conference, so it looks like we’re just going to have to wait until more details surface in the future.
So, what do you think? Could it be a new Android Wear device? Or LG’s rumored webOS smartwatch? Let us know what you think!
CES 2015: The stainless steel Sony SmartWatch 3 has just been announced
One of the complaints of the Sony SmartWatch 3 at its launch was that while it was a nice simple device, it didn’t quite feel like it warranted a big investment like some of the flashier, subjectively better built wearables like the Moto 360 and LG G Watch R. Sony has addressed this complaint by today […]
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CES 2015: The Magellan Echo Fit is Magellan’s latest smartwatch attempt and it looks pretty good
Smartwatches are the name of the game at CES 2015 so far, with wearables coming all corners of the tech industry. Another company that has just added a new entry is GPS powerhouse, Magellan, who has just announced their latest smartwatch, the Magellan Echo Fit, at CES 2015. The Echo Fit sports a healthy amount of internal equipment that […]
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CES 2015: Lenovo announces two new high performance Android phones, a smartband, and a selfie flash
Lenovo is a name that has been coming up more and more these days, particularly after acquiring Motorola from Google. So it’s no surprise to see that the Chinese-based manufacturer is announcing quite a few devices at CES 2015, tablets, PCs, phones and even a smartband. So let’s run through a few of the new […]
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CES 2015 Lenovo Hands-on: P90, VIBE X2 Pro, VIBE Band VB10 and VIBE Xtension Selfie Flash
Thanks to our man on the ground, Stormy Beach, we’ve managed to get some great hands-on photos with the new Lenovo products that were just announced at CES 2015. These include the two new handsets, the P90 and VIBE X2 Pro, the VIBE Band VB10 smartband and the VIBE Xtension Selfie Flash accessory – check out all […]
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CES 2015: The Alcatel Onetouch Watch works with both Android and iOS and costs less than you think
We got an early look at the Alcatel Onetouch Watch before CES 2015 started and it intrigued us to say the least. The Verge has just gotten an exclusive early look at the device, so we won’t mind if we do too. The operating system of the device has yet to be officially specified, but […]
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Neptune Promises “Killer” Wearable in 2015
Canadian firm Neptune, which in 2013 crowdsourced development on Pine, the world’s first “standalone” smartwatch (i.e. doesn’t require a phone to function), now appears to have a successor in the works, described as a “killer” by Neptune CEO Simon Tian:
“Wearables in general have so far struggled to achieve mass appeal, largely because there hasn’t really been any clear value propositions offered that are actually meaningful for the general user. Most devices on the market today are limited to very basic applications like fitness tracking or receiving notifications from your phone. We at Neptune believe that we’ve come up with a device – a ‘killer’ wearable – that provides genuine and unique benefits for the average user. It has the potential to finally bring the product category to the mainstream.”
Pine raised over $100,000 on Kickstarter in a single day, ultimately raising over $800,000. The bulky smartwatch shipped in summer 2014 to mixed reviews.
So what will Pine’s successor entail? What defines the “ultimate” wearable? Neptune is mum on specifics at this point, but if you want to receive updates via their newsletter, you can grab it at getneptune.com.
Source: PRWeb
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Omate adds two new circular smartwatches to its affordable collection
Omate’s well-known for bringing stylish smartwatches to the mass market, as we’ve seen with last year’s $129 X (pictured left) and $169 Lutetia (second from left). To kick off 2015, the company is leveraging the same MediaTek Aster chipset (MT2502) plus the Lutetia’s near-circular, always-on color transflective touchscreen to bring out two new designs: the Panerai-inspired Roma (second from right), and the Racer which is the “sport-oriented alter ego” of its round siblings. As before, the two new models will function mainly as notification watches with basic activity tracking plus customizable watch face, so they should offer the same week-long battery life.
For those who want to give the rugged Racer a spin (we have a 360-degree view of it after the break), Omate’s website will be taking pre-orders for just $99 per unit between January 5th and 15th, and after that it’ll be bumped up to $129 until January 31st, with shipments expected in as early as end of February. There’s no info regarding the metallic Roma just yet, but Omate’s new partnership with the Richline Group will be offering these watches in US and UK retailers — including jewelry stores — this March.
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Filed under: Wearables
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