Android Wear: What went wrong?

The first watch with Android Wear on board began to arrive on the shelves of Russian stores, collecting along the way press reviews and the first buyers. What have we got? I consider telling this review from the notorious Eldar Murtazin:



Even experienced gikovaty journalist with a great passion for wearable gadget does not look at least a little interested in a new class of devices from Google. As to the first Android loyal customers? Also not very impressed with the acquisition:





Average user tablets and smartphones seems to be on Android Wear did not even take a look. What are the main challenges of hours?

- The first problem: Hours are useless for the majority of customers

All Android Wear ideology is built on two things - Google Now and alerts from your phone. If you've ever used Google Now, I notice that the service works only in very specific cases: the road to the airport, watching cinema posters, viewing traffic jams to work. Even in these rare cases, the information needed to see only 3-4 times during the day. What's to stop people to check this information with the phone is unclear.

With alerts situation is a little more interesting. If you look at the way people use the phone, you'll see one very obvious fact that people almost do not produce smart phones out of the hands. They go with them to the bathroom, put them on a table in a cafe, run them, and God knows what else to do.

Let's look at an amusing Statistics:

- 20% of young people do not leave with smartphones even during sex;
- 70% of tablet owners use them while watching TV.

Hold the device in his hands became everyday habit, conditional relief from which there will be a motivator for the purchase of the device, because this man will not even think about.

In theory, smart watches have an advantage in places where it is difficult to take a smart phone, but the ideology of the current device is extremely prevents at least some separate from the smartphone work hours. In oprelennyh situations, people would prefer to take only hours, leaving the phone in a safe place. If you've ever been in a large water park, you will see me.



The second problem: Hours ugly

For wearable electronics can be only two options: either a stylish device, or nezamentnoe. The device is hanging on the wrist is very noticeable when wearing short sleeves, so that the second option is eliminated. That's what we have now:



Clocks look like a cheap Chinese toys, which can not boast even slightly interesting design. "But what about the Moto 360?" - You ask. The device is very large and has a peculiar appearance. I can not imagine such a fragile girl with the clock, well, or an athlete in the gym:



The third problem: How is it working?!



Let's be honest, in some situations, voice control is unacceptable. The lecture, library, meeting or any other situation where one has to be in the silence makes to interact with Android Wear exclusively by means of the screen. For starters, you obviously can not respond to a message or enter a search query. And if for some reason you need to open a third-party application, then welcome to the holiday unintuitive interface, in comparison with which Windows 8 is just the top of usability. Watch out for your hands: To open the settings, press the search button to click on (?) And scroll through the list of all available actions on the watch to the end. Normal user with such beauty just do not understand. True Desperate developers have already started to create the first launcher for Android Wear, so only they work extremely crooked.



What to do with Android Wear?

Despite the above problems, the platform will evolve over time. The strategic goal for Google, and the industry as a whole, will report use of smart hours to ordinary consumers. It is necessary to make the interface more intuitive, allow the clock to connect to mobile networks without the phone (we're talking about the Internet of things, is not it?), As well as to increase the variety of shapes and sizes of watches. A key role, I think, is to play third-party developers, who will be able to more flexibly adapt the real needs of users to watch from Google.

PS. So far, the easiest to use for consumers wear, so to speak, the device remains iPod Nano 6G. Just explain to the customer that the 'clock' allow you to listen to music without having to carry the phone in your pocket or any bag. I wonder what will Apple's October, and if they can convince customers again.



Do you like the idea of ​​"smart watch"? Yes, I want to be really smart gadget on hand No, I have enough smartphone Only registered users can participate in the survey. Sign , please. Voted 1542 man. Abstain 203 people.

Source: habrahabr.ru/post/229857/