Wearables
Wear OS 4 (One UI 5 Watch) to bring animated tiles, golf tracking
Google’s Wear OS 4 is available for developers via an emulator, while Samsung is about to drop the first Beta for Galaxy smartwatches. It’s almost confirmed that One UI 5 Watch will be based on Wear OS 4, thanks to the close collaboration between Samsung and Google.
Ahead of the rollout, Google introduced animated Tiles on Wear OS 4, which are coming to various apps including Poleton, Spotify, and WhatsApp. In addition, the next big upgrade to the platform will also introduce native golf tracking.
Animated Tiles
Similar to smartphones, both firms appear to be focusing on the user interface’s interface and transitions. Wear OS 4 will bring animated tiles for various applications from Samsung and third-party devs. According to Google, it’s working with WhatsApp, Spotify, and Poleton to bring Tiles to their apps.
Version 1.2 of the Jetpack Tiles library lets developers add animations to Tiles.
There are two types in particular:
- Tween animations “create smooth transitions on changes to part of your layout,” like the goal/status ring often used by fitness apps
- Transition animations will “animate new or disappearing elements from the tile,” like when a weather forecast updates
Golf Tracking
Developers are now able to use data from the sensors via Health Services API, which unlocks the possibility of new activity and health-tracking apps. This will benefit the Wear OS with the integration of features like faster and more frequent heart rate data fetching and native golf tracking.
Google revealed that it has developed the Golf Tracking feature in collaboration with Samsung. The Wear OS 4 Golf Tracking to monitor the number of golf shots and the size of the golf swing. It will be a pretty impressive addon for those who love playing golf!
Huawei’s HarmonyOS smartwatch is growing quite fast in China. Counterpoint Research, in its latest report, predicts that Huawei smartwatch sales will further grow in the country, seizing a whopping 61% market share in 2024, up from 48% last year.
Whenever Huawei grows, it comes as a red alert for global tech titans like Apple and Samsung. As the company now has its own operating system, Google is also on the list of affected vendors. HarmonyOS is also aiming to cross China’s boundaries right after reaching the app ecosystem milestone.
Samsung and Google’s collaboration continues to benefit the Wear OS ecosystem. Whether it’s Watch OS Format or third-party app support, both companies are effectively investing in the ecosystem. Meanwhile, Huawei’s growth in Europe would hurt Samsung, Apple and Google too.
Huawei’s HarmonyOS-powered smartwatches are popular in China. Local consumers who don’t prefer Apple’s watchOS opt for HarmonyOS watch rather than Google’s Wear OS. Apart from innovations, this growth is powered by the sentiments of Chinese citizens.
Image: Huawei
Last year, the overall HarmonyOS shipments grew almost 2x, surpassing Apple’s WatchOS. HarmonyOS’ shipment share is further estimated to reach 61% in China in 2024, up from 48% in 2023, Counterpoint Research report highlights.
The report predicts growth for the entire smartwatch ecosystem including Wear OS and WatchOS. However, Huawei’s resurgence is a potential threat to Google’s Wear OS and Samsung’s Galaxy Watch segment – the same way as HarmonyOS Vs Android smartphones.
Huawei is pushing the boundaries of innovation with next-gen features in wearables. The company’s recent smartwatch offers a satellite SOS feature, which is one of its kind in the industry. At the same time, HarmonyOS is smart, smooth, and fluid that readily attracts users.
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Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 could pack an AI-powered Blood Sugar tracking feature. Recently, Samsung’s MX Division head talked about the role of AI-based wearables with Samsung Health advisory committee members, mentioning Blood Sugar tracking.
The discussion this time mentioned the possibility of adding a blood sugar monitoring feature. It is highly likely to be installed in the Galaxy Watch 7, which will be released in July this year. The method is expected to be a non-invasive method that does not cause wounds.
The US Food and Drug Administration has maintained the position that “non-invasive methods are less accurate.” The authority hasn’t also approved such kind of technology, however, Samsung is expected to solve this problem using AI (artificial intelligence).
This year, Samsung is also bringing the first Galaxy Watch Ultra alongside the usual models. The company might keep the Blood Sugar monitoring feature limited to the most premium variant. However, it remains to be seen whether Samsung will ship it this year or not.
“There’s increasing interest in understanding what behaviors affect glucose levels. Since health metrics are interconnected, combining glucose data with sleep, blood pressure and activity level insights initiates profound conversations about individuals’ lifestyles and experiences.” – Dr. Klonoff.
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Another report reveals that Samsung is going all Ultra this year. Samsung might debut the Galaxy Watch Ultra this year, alongside the rumored Galaxy Z Fold 6 Ultra. In a recent development, the existence of Samsung’s first Ultra watch has been noticed.
According to AndroidHeadlines, Samsung is working on Galaxy Watch Ultra. The rumor of three watch models could become true, but with a major change. There won’t be any Pro model as the company reportedly readying the first Galaxy Watch Ultra.
Galaxy Watch Ultra listing:
- SM-L705UZ – USA
- SM-L705N – Korea
- SM-L705F – Global
Samsung skipped Classic model in the Watch 5 series, which returned with Watch 6. This year, the Classic variant is expected to hit shelves, whereas Ultra will join the party as new member. We only know that a mysterious Galaxy Watch, probably Ultra, would feature 578mAh battery.
Apart from the Ultra Galaxy Watch, the South Korean tech giant is also working on Watch FE. This would complete the FE lineup; phone, tablet, and earbuds, with foldable also rumored. FE smartwatch will share Galaxy Watch 4 specs, while launch expected later this year.
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