The search giant is trying to make smartwatches more useful, letting you
see how many unread emails you have or how many calories you’ve burned –
right from the watch face. UnderArmour's watch face lets you see how many calories you've burned.
Google wants to make it quicker to get information from a smartwatch.
To do that, the search giant on Thursday announced new options for watch faces on Android Wear devices, which are powered by Google-made software tailored specifically for wearables.
The
new watch faces will let people immediately see information like the
weather or a step counter right when they glance at their smartwatch,
instead of having to change to a different screen. The feature will be
available in the coming weeks, Google said.
"With
just a tap, your watch face can change its design, reveal more
information, or even launch a specific app," Flavio Lerda, an Android
Wear software engineer, wrote in a statement.
The
move indicates Google is responding to users' requests to more easily
see information their watches can display. When the first Android Wear
watches were released last year, Google at the time opted for simpler
watch faces, likely trying not to overwhelm users who are not used to
wearing a computer on their wrists. Apple, with its Apple Watch, allows
people to do some things from its default screen, like launching an
alarm or the watch's fitness features. But, true to Apple style, the
watch faces have largely remained simple as well.
