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Google Wallet can now automatically add your movie tickets and boarding passes
Per Google's release notes for Wallet this week, the app can now pull some movie tickets and boarding passes from users Gmail inboxes automatically. Once a confirmation email has shown up, the pass should be added to the user's Wallet.
Android can now 'remix' emojis and help with reading practice
Google has listed a bunch of features rolling out to the Android ecosystem starting today, June 1st, and one of them can help new readers improve their diction and vocabulary.
Google built a completely new Wallet for Android and Wear OS
Digitally store your cards, vaccine passport, air travel information and more.
Spotify's latest Wear OS app supports direct streaming and downloads
With the launch of Samsung's Galaxy Watch 4 series and latest Wear OS version, Spotify has introduced a significant update to its Wear OS app
Apple's SignTime brings up a sign language interpreter on demand
A host of new accessibility tools will make using Apple devices easier for all.
Tag Heuer's Connected watch now has its own wellness app
Tag Heuer has unveiled its own wellness app app to make its devices more useful (and exclusive).
Google now owns Fitbit
Both Park and Google’s Rick Osterloh also reiterated that this deal was always about “devices, not data.”
Oppo's new smartwatch runs Wear OS but with better health tracking
Oppo officially unveiled its second smartwatch, simply called the Oppo Watch. Just like the original version which launched in China in March, this thing is an almost exact replica of the Apple Watch. Three models will be available -- a 41mm WiFi only version, a 46mm size with WiFi and a 46mm one with LTE via eSIM.
Oppo will debut a Wear OS smartwatch on July 31st
You may not remember that Chinese phone-maker Oppo released its first Android-based smartwatch earlier this year, especially since it was only available in China. Unlike the original Oppo Watch, which ran very basic software, this upcoming device will use Google’s Wear OS.
WatchOS 7 is Apple’s best chance to get me to switch from Android
I actually Slacked my colleague that as I watched Apple’s WWDC keynote. Meanwhile, Samsung’s faces are limited to discovery within its Wearable app, while Fitbit’s options are pretty basic.
Apple buys Dark Sky weather app
Apple has bought weather app Dark Sky, which is highly regarded for its radar maps and accuracy of its hyperlocal, by-the-minute weather predictions. It'll still be available on the iOS App Store, as you might expect, but the Android and Wear OS versions will shut down on July 1st. You'll no longer be able to download the app on those platforms, and people who are still subscribed to the service when Dark Sky pulls the plug will receive a refund.
Here's how Fitbit can help fix Wear OS
Now that Google's acquisition of Fitbit is official, the question is what the search giant will do with it. When the news broke on Friday, Google's Rick Osterloh said the company sees the deal as an "opportunity to invest even more in Wear OS, as well as introduce Made by Google wearable devices." For the time being, then, it looks like Google plans to leverage Fitbit's expertise to another push into wearables.
Google Wear OS at five: Older, wiser, but unpolished
Half a decade has passed since Android Wear debuted. During that time, we've seen in-screen fingerprint readers, rollable TVs, self-driving cars, super-smart AI, phones with folding screens and more. In the midst of all that technological advancement, Android Wear has remained relatively unchanged. In its five years, Google's OS has grown smarter and more useful and has even undergone a serious makeover. But the system, now known as Wear OS, still doesn't feel fully matured.
Google said to plan first smartwatch, budget phones for 2019
If Google introduced a lot of hardware in 2018, it might have a veritable avalanche in store for 2019. Nikkei sources claim to have details of Google's roadmap for the year, which includes a few firsts for the brand. To begin with, the insiders appear to corroborate rumors of lower-cost Pixel phones. The scoop doesn't include many details, but suggests the budget Pixel line will sit below the $749 price of the iPhone XR. Earlier rumors pointed to mid- and large-sized devices with 1080p LCDs, Snapdragon 670 processors, 32GB of storage, a 12-megapixel rear camera and a lone front shooter.
What does Google get out of buying Fossil’s smartwatch tech?
Yesterday, Google announced that it would be paying $40 million for intellectual property related to smartwatches from one of its closest partners: Fossil Group. As part of the deal, a portion of Fossil's own R&D workers who were supporting that IP will join Google. To be clear, this isn't a merger, nor is Google buying all of Fossil's smartwatch business. It's just a specific piece or pieces of tech that Fossil had been working on. But it begs the question, what exactly did Fossil have that Google didn't and wanted to pay that much money for?
Google will buy Fossil smartwatch tech for $40 million
Google's commitment to improving its smartwatch platform is about to extend beyond overhauling its software. The internet giant has agreed to buy some of the intellectual property behind Fossil's smartwatch technology in a $40 million deal. While the two aren't specific about the technology trading hands, the arrangement will see a "portion" of Fossil's research and development team sign on with Google. The purchase is expected to complete before the end of January.
Michael Kors' Sofie 2.0 smartwatch is about more than just fashion
When Fossil's Michael Kors label unveiled the first Sofie smartwatch, it had eye-catching looks... and not much else. You can't say the same for the just-unveiled Sofie 2.0, at least. Michael Kors has updated the wristwear with the same posh-looking exterior, but much more functionality under the hood. It now has heart rate monitoring, NFC payments, GPS tracking and the latest version of Wear OS. Much like a few other Fossil upgrades in recent months, the Sofie 2.0 is now far more functional.
Kate Spade's second Wear OS watch gets a serious tech upgrade
Fashion brand Kate Spade has made a second smartwatch and this year's offering comes with a serious tech upgrade. The Scallop Smartwatch 2 packs GPS, NFC and heart rate sensors onboard -- all things its predecessor didn't have. But it still retains the scalloped edging around the face like before, and further incorporated the pattern to the edges of this generation's straps. I wasn't sure I'd like the new design from the press pictures Kate Spade provided, but after seeing the watch in person, I actually think it's nice.
Whirlpool will let you control appliances with your Wear OS watch
At CES last year, Whirlpool announced Alexa and Google Assistant support for its smart appliances, and noted it was working on an Apple Watch app. This time around, the company has revealed plans for more ways to control its smart home products with Wear OS support, which will arrive later this year.
Google adds challenges to Fit just in time for New Year's resolutions
It's almost January 1st and you are once again promising yourself that this will be the year you finally get into shape. This time around, Google is looking to help with new challenges in the recently redesigned Google Fit app. The 30-day long events task you with earning points by staying active and will keep you moving enough to meet your New Year's resolution.
