Android Wear apps: To be or not to be?
During its last week I/O developer conference, Google announced that Android Wear will be “more than a notifications pusher on a user's wrist.” The Android Wear apps are for those who own (or just plan to) an Android Wear smartwatch controlled with a smartphone. But hardly had Google pushed out the first Wear apps on Google Play, when they were removed.
The apps were supposed to run both on Android devices while sending notifications to Android Wear and solely on Wear smartwatch. But third-party developers might use APK as well to create apps for different platforms.
The applications were developed by Argentinian Marian Zorilla. They are exactly what they sound like: Wear Compass, a digital compass with directional sensors on a wearable device, and a simple calculator called Wear Calc.
However, taking into account that Android Wear already has a built-in compass, there is no need for users to download another app with similar functions.
Wear Calc, on the other hand, could have good chances to become a useful app as it allows crunching numbers from the comfort of the wrist, no smartphone needed. Using Wear Calc is simple: users can download it from the Play Store and tap Start to launch the app.
However, there are still some drawbacks using Wear Calc. For example, although the app can be voice-activated by the command Start Wear Calc, Android Wear mistakes this for "Where Calc" and often gives wrong search results. It has apparently caused predictable results: launching Calc with voice commands might not work correctly, so users had to manually launch it by going to Start > Wear Calc.
Furthermore, a lot of users might find that the screen is too small to adjust their fingers. "There's no visual problem when you press the buttons," says Jacob Tabak."It's hard to tell what you've pressed. So if I press plus, for example, it doesn't... it just doubles the current number, which is not what I wanted."
We can only guess why Google has removed both apps from the Play Store. Hopefully, to add some improvements based on what the first few users have already said. Well, anyway the motto of the day is: You snooze you lose.
Comments