GOOGLE ANDROID WEAR

THE WEARABLE OPERATING SYSTEM

Every major hardware manufacturer is clamoring for its share of the smartwatch action. This year alone, Motorola, LG, and Apple joined the fray, yet a true leader in wearables has yet to emerge. Instead of stepping into the hardware battle, Google leveraged what it knows best: code. In the past, each smartwatch ran its own proprietary operating system (OS), limiting the number of apps and functionality available to users. Android Wear gives Google an edge on the competition by standardizing the operating system across most manufacturers—much like Android did with its smartphone OS seven years ago. A unified OS means developers can create thousands of apps that easily sync with Android devices. With them, users will be able to place calls, control Netflix and other media players, track steps, and navigate an unfamiliar route, all from a tiny screen on the wrist. Oh, yes, and they’ll be able to tell the time too. Android