Admittedly, the smartwatch agenda has not exactly taken the world by storm, but then again this is not a sunset industry either, as there are more and more hardware manufacturers who would like to jump aboard the bandwagon to give it a go. Well, Google's Android Wear has definitely graced a number of smartwatches in the past and continue to do so, and it will not ride off into the sunset anytime soon, either. Having said that, Android Wear will be offering an update that will expand your hands-free options in the form of voice actions and gestures.
New gestures have been introduced to be part of the mix in order for you to navigate through your timepiece, where scrolling up and down your card stream is as simple as flicking your wrist. Apart from that, if you would like to expand a card, or perhaps to bring up your apps, or even return home to your watch face, you can do so with a push, lift or shake. With these new gestures in mind, you can remain connected to what you deem as important, and at the same time, letting your smartphone remain in your pocket (or wherever you stash it) - with your other hand free to do other stuff.
Not only that, what if it is freezing cold outside, and you didn't purchase those special gloves that will work with touchscreen displays? Fret not, you can still go ahead to send messages using your voice only, now how about that? Android Wear had always allowed users to receive answers to spoken questions, but now the proverbial table has turned - in a good way, that is. One can use one's voice to send messages from apps such as Google Hangouts, Nextplus, Telegram, Viber, WeChat, and WhatsApp. For instance, if you know for sure that you will be tardy for a lunch appointment, all that you need to do is mention, "OK Google, Send a WhatsApp message to Nathan: I'll be right there." and you're good to go.
That is not all there is to it with the latest Android Wear update, however, as one can also make calls as well as listen to messages thanks to speaker support. If there is an incoming call, just take a glance at whoever is calling, and then take advantage of the speaker support in order to receive calls via Bluetooth. Apart from that, with apps such as Glide, one will be able to listen to audio/video messages, too. Just make sure that your Android Wear-powered smartwatch will have a speaker ready - and these include the Huawei Watch and the ASUS ZenWatch 2 (49mm).
Of course, the improvements mentioned are not available immediately, since they will be introduced to the rest of the Android Wear watches over the course of the coming weeks, including recently revealed timepieces (as recent as CES 2016) such as the Casio Smart Outdoor Watch and Huawei Watch for Ladies. It is a matter of patience in this case, so hopefully better late than never needs not be applied in this case.
