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Android Wear 2.0 is ready for a bunch of new watches
It's a bit beat up, but my OLED-equipped LG G Watch R is still going strong (and bright) after nearly two years. So it's good news that, after being delayed by glitches, Android Wear 2.0 is rolling out this week to that model, the 2015 LG Watch Urbane and the more recent New Balance RunIQ.
Android Wear can switch to LTE, works without your smartphone
Your next (or first) Android wearable needs not for Bluetooth or Wifi. Android Wear's cellular support has finally arrived, just as the first compatible watch starts to ship. LG's Watch Urbane 2nd Edition crams an LTE radio beneath its circular 480 x 480 screen, with models that'll work on AT&T and Verizon — carriers that are both selling the watch in the US this week.
LG dresses its luxury smartwatch in a gold suit
LG's Watch Urbane was a pretty watch, but it was hardly going to impress the super-rich with its sub-$300 price tag. That's why the Korean company has teamed up with Reeds Jewelers to craft the LG Watch Urbane Luxe, a shinier version of the hardware for the most conspicuous of capitalists. The insides haven't changed, but the outside has been dipped in 23 karat gold, while the strap is now made of gen-u-ine alligator leather. In addition, the timepiece comes in a piano gloss lacquer case and will be produced in a limited run of 500. As the company's Chris Yie says, "Wearable devices shouldn't be thought of as an extension of one's smartphone, but as an extension of oneself." Presumably the part of yourself that really likes spending $1,200 on a $300 smartwatch.
Killing time with LG's Watch Urbane and Watch Urbane LTE
LG's been none too secretive about its latest pair of wearables -- hell, the Watch Urbane and the Watch Urbane LTE were revealed before MWC even really started. Both of them aspire to be what LG calls "smartpieces," proper luxury watches that also pull double-duty as digital companions, but do they actually live up to those high-minded aspirations? I strapped both of them onto my wrists for a little test drive ahead of their launch in a few months, so let's find out together.
