| Cult of Mac

Google’s Apple Watch rivals to land in early 2017

By

Photo of two alleged Google Nexus smartwatches
They'll bring the Google Assistant to your wrist.
Photo: Android Police

Google stepped up its fight against the iPhone when it launched its new Pixel smartphones earlier this month, and now it’s preparing to take on Apple Watch, too.

According to the latest whispers, the company will launch its first Android Wear watches — complete with Google Assistant — in early 2017.

iPhone 7 won’t play nicely with Android Wear watches

By

how-to-connect-a-moto-360-to-your-iphone-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201505iPhone-Moto-360-Android-Wear-jpg
Android Wear fans should avoid iPhone 7 for now.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

If you decided to pick up an Android Wear device instead of Apple Watch, you may have trouble using it with iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.

Those who have upgraded to one of Apple’s latest smartphones have found they just don’t play nicely with Google’s wearable platform, despite the fact that their predecessors have no trouble connecting after being upgraded to the same iOS 10 software.

‘Leaked’ Google smartwatches look absolutely boring

By

Learn to draw like Leonardo with Apple Watch Digital Touch Sketches
Apple Watch's design is lightyears ahead of Google.
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

The design of Google’s first-ever Nexus smartwatches may have just been revealed months ahead of schedule thanks to a new leaked image that claims to show the company’s wearable.

Google is planning to take on Apple Watch later this year with not one, but two smartwatches powered by its new Assistant technology. However, if this leak is the real deal, it doesn’t look like Apple has much to be worried about.

The first Google wearables look totally drab:

Google’s round wearable will take on Apple Watch

By

Watch out Apple Watch, Google is coming for you.
Watch out Apple Watch, Google is coming for you.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Alphabet-owned Google is planning to take another step toward becoming a genuine hardware company later this year with the release of its own smartwatch.

The search engine giant plans to take on Apple Watch directly, with not one, but two Android Wear smartwatches that will be deeply integrated with Google Assistant. Plus, it will pack some hardware features Apple Watch can’t match.

Android Wear 2.0 plays catch up with Apple Watch

By

Screen_Shot_2016-05-18_at_11.24.12_AM
You can add third-party complications to your favorite face in Wear 2.0.
Photo: Google

Google today gave us a glimpse at its upcoming Android Wear 2.0 update, which is going to make your smartwatch even smarter. It’s the biggest update to the wearable platform so far, with brand new features and big improvements — some of which were snagged from Apple Watch.

Samsung’s Gear Manager app for iPhone leaks out early

By

samsungs-gear-manager-app-for-iphone-leaks-out-early-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201603Gear-S2-with-iPhone-jpg
Soon!
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android
Soon! Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android
Soon! Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android

Samsung’s new Gear Manager app for iOS, which will let you pair an iPhone with the Gear S2 smartwatch, has leaked out ahead of its official debut.

Testers say the app will bring a surprising amount of functionality, allowing users control music from their watch, and even sync new faces to it.

Samsung Gear S2 to gain iPhone support this month

By

samsung-gear-s2-to-gain-iphone-support-this-month-2-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201603Gear-S2-with-iPhone-jpg
iPhone is getting a new companion in Gear S2.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
iPhone is getting a new companion in Gear S2. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android
iPhone is getting a new companion in Gear S2. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android

Samsung’s Gear S2 smartwatch will get an update that adds iPhone compatibility by the end of this month, according to a new report.

The move will allow Samsung to compete with the Apple Watch in its own backyard, but some features — such as Samsung Pay — will be lost when the wearable is connected to iOS.