Google Wants To Keep You Connected

Google recently made two related announcements on what the company is planning next in terms of keeping people connected. Maybe there's an opportunity here for the manufacturing industry.

Google recently made two related announcements on what the company is planning next in terms of keeping people connected. The first announcement centered on its new Android Wear operating system. This operating system, released Tuesday, is an altered version of Google's popular software that powers more than 1 billion of the world's smartphones and tablets. The new software will run on an array of smartwatches scheduled to be released later this year.

Google has already created a number of uses for Android Wear, a system which appears to be related to its Google Now product. To stand out from other smartwatch initiatives from other companies, though, Google is reaching out to developers to find more uses.

Take a look at this video reaching out to programmers:  

Google’s second announcement concerns its subsidiary Motorola. It seems that the first Android watch to use Android Wear may come from Motorola Mobility, which had already built a prototype called Moto 360. That watch is set to go on sale this summer.

Check out the design process behind this modern timepiece:

LG Electronics, a frequent Google partner, and Fossil Group will be releasing details on their Android watches in the coming months. Other device makers working on Android watches include Asus, HTC and Samsung Electronics, according to Google.

Smartwatches have been around for a while now — Sony SmartWatch, Pebble and Samsung Gear, to name a few. Some of those watches have hit the market in response to long-held rumors that Apple is planning some sort of an iWatch, in order to beat the iPhone maker to the market. While smartwatches haven’t been a mainstream success so far, maybe part of the reason is the lack of a real need for the product. How is this product going to make my life better?

It’s still too soon to tell if smart watches are going to be the next big thing, or slowly fade away like 3D televisions to a niche market. It would be interesting to see how a smartwatch could help manufacturers with production, efficiency and plant operations. How would you use it?


To read more by Jon Minnick, sign up for our newsletterYou can also follow Manufacturing Business Technology on Twitter @MBTwebsite

More