Wear tried Android 5.1.1: maturity is still far – Hypertext

recently it has completed a year of the launch of the Android SDK Wear. At the time we were hopes of many, because it meant bringing “uniformity” of Android to a market in which there was much fragmentation (betting Sony, Samsung, Pebble …). Apparently with high quality products like the Motorola Moto 360, the hype and wanted to try it increased with the passage of weeks, as the above added a pretty decent hardware for the first time. However, in its analysis because we could see that the system was still very green against expectations . And Google launched Android 5.1.1 Wear.

And from here affirmed that day Android Wear went from Eclair to Froyo become , ie which would make the new products , although much remained to reach maturity, they were integrated into the system functions necessary above all, they make the most intuitive experience. Let’s see what they have achieved from Mountain View to try to improve poor sales of Android Wear

Wi-Fi

The tests I’ve done with Android 5.1.1 Wear were taken with a Sony SmartWatch 3. During them, I noticed that the Bluetooth connection between the clock and the smartphone is lost sometimes, but it was not relevant to the experience, for being the first connected to the Wi-Fi home network and sengundo connected to the network with data, notifications and cards kept coming, and above all, being operable.

The new support for Wi-Fi will give us greater autonomy from the smartphone, but less than the desired

can be acknowledged in a domestic environment, but more in athlete big cities where people want to go running with the SmartWatch (this Sony, for example, includes GPS), is connected to a public network and can continue, while receiving notifications mobile that is at home. Unfortunately, the clock yourself (you need at phone) is not able to connect to networks with password or need to login, so the functionality away from the phone is still limited.

New interface layout

The old organization Android Wear was that even after two or three weeks wearing a SmartWatch on the wrist, it was not able to not wrong very often to run certain actions or to move around the interface. The new provision itself is intuitive, and it was after a short time.

• If we swipe from the top, we found a menu to enable or disable notifications, enabled the cinema, or go to settings mode.

• If you click on the watchface, now we are directed by default to the new launcher application compatible.

• And if you finally do lateral swipe from right to left, we get back to the launcher. If once there we continue sliding, we contact list or menu voice control and suggestions of tasks that make Android Wear.

As I say, this new dispoisición seems much more orderly and logical , and also they add small additions. For example, sliding a card we can dismiss it, but now we can undo if watchface slip on the bottom up. Introducing emojis patterned seems impractical, I prefer a menu emojis widely used in the smartphone, for example.

Also interesting is the new way of submission of applications the mode Consumption . As Google said, the developers can make, when an application is in the foreground and the user dims the screen, it can show that interface with black background . If pressed, we return to normal mode. Interesting, as I say, but so far I’ve only found in Google apps, Maps and Keep.

The last thing added Google Android 5.1.1 Wear was the ability to control interface gestures wrist to move between cards without touching the screen. By the latter I find useful, but in my opinion, is a rather uncomfortable gesture forward, and backward.

Conclusion

No doubt, Android is 5.1.1 Wear much better than previous versions. We can say that, if we look at the approach that Google gave Wear, had certain problems have now been solved. But I think the biggest problem is that this approach is not correct, and everything that comes later are patches need to be removed to build from 0. Today, my experience with Wear remains frustrating , but increasingly less guilt by Google. Now are the apps that have to improve.

Wear Android applications shortcuts usually with little functionality, although the platform allows

Many users feel that smartwatches should serve to very few things . I partially agree, but not worth me that, in most applications task managers in Android Wear can only introduce new tasks or notes, but unless they are notifications of reminders, can not access dos.

Also worth me that even with Hangouts (integrated in the system) can not refer to recent conversations if not, again, as notifications. Neither this app nor allow Telegram or send WhatsApp messages from scratch. No, for me, meaning that integration of contacts, therefore except SMS, I can not send anything else. Some tell me emails, but dictate to trial is not the best for long texts. Interestingly, even Gmail can be consulted. Errors yesterday, following today . Patience.