On the third floor of the Moscone Center in San Francisco, CA, Android Wear devices are starting to come out of the woodwork. The latest: the LG G Watch, perhaps the default Google-powered smartwatch for the moment. We’ve had a few minutes to test one out and do everything but put it on our wrists (which was strictly forbidden by a shockingly stern blonde man), and one thing seems already clear: the first batch of Android Wear smartwatches is as good as it is uniform.
A first look at the LG G Watch
is editor-at-large and Vergecast co-host with over a decade of experience covering consumer tech. Previously, at Protocol, The Wall Street Journal, and Wired.
The G Watch is an incredibly simple device. Drab, even. It’s just a black square, a screen and very little else. Its 1.65-inch screen dominates the device, and it looks good enough, though not anything special. There’s also a gray rubber strap that’s essentially like a cheaper version of your average watch strap, not the strange clasp-y mechanism on the Gear Live. Once again, the device’s software worked only in “retail mode,” meaning it could do a few things and recognize a few commands but hardly offered the full breadth of the Android Wear experience.
Like the Samsung Gear Live, the LG G Watch is available for pre-order today. It’ll be $229 when it ships July 2nd.
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