Hasta La Gadget!

Google showed off its Android Wear platform earlier this year and talked about it in great detail during its I/O 2014 keynote yesterday. Two Android Wear powered smartwatches, one from LG and the other from Samsung, are already up for pre-order and slated to ship early next month. So far the new wearable platform provides a “pure’ Google experience and it looks like manufacturers don’t have the same leeway as the have with Android smartphones and tablets. Nonetheless Samsung says that it will differentiate its Android Wear smartwatches by adding unique features and services.

The internet search giant allows manufacturers to slap their own custom UI on top of core Android for smartphones and tablets. It appears that they aren’t being extended the same courtesy on Android Wear. Samsung executives tell CNET that they won’t be slapping on their custom UIs such as Magazine UX or TouchWiz on their new smartwatch to set it apart from the rest.

Instead they said that Samsung would work with Google’s open software development kit to create unique features and services for the smartwatch, as well as any other potential Android Wear devices that it might release in the future. ”It would be our goal to build, like we do on our phones, some of our own services for the Wear environment,” says Christopher Belter, the director of marketing for Samsung’s U.S. mobile business.

Android Wear will need some time to take off. Only three manufacturers have developed devices based on this platform for now and it remains to be seen how they are received by the public.

Out of the lot, Samsung happens to be the only one with the most experience in smartwatches. Samsung Gear Live comes merely months after the Korean juggernaut released the successor to its Gear lineup, which is now powered by Tizen.

Samsung Android Wear Smartwatches Will Get Unique Features In The Future , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

A few months back Motorola teased its first Android Wear smartwatch. It quickly caught the world’s attention given that it has a beautiful round design that unlike most smartwatches available in the market. Motorola was expected to officially unveil it at Google I/O 2014 and while other Android Wear manufacturers made their devices available for pre-order yesterday, Moto 360 launch was pegged for later this summer, an announcement that drew boos from the crowd. Nevertheless the company has now posted the Moto 360 official demo video online.

The two-minute long demo gives us a good look at the intriguing smartwatch. We’re offered a glimpse of the different watch faces, how notifications work and more.

The way the display works has also been detailed in this video. Moto 360 has an “always-on” display, much like the LG G Watch. So when its not in use it is dimmed down just enough to allow the user to view the time at a glance. Pressing a button on the side or tapping the screen wakes up the display. Other Android Wear features are also detailed in the video, including but not limited to cards, voice recognition and notifications.

Initially the Moto 360 will be launched with a small collection of watch faces but more will be added after the launch. Motorola hasn’t broken its silence on pricing and availability so we must wait a bit longer for that information.

Moto 360 Official Demo Video Released , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

Life has been nothing short of a rollercoaster for WebOS. Last year it was acquired from HP by LG and the Korean giant made its intention of using the software in its smart TVs public. At this year’s Consumer Electronics Show back in January we did see LG smart TVs powered by WebOS. The company is now detailing its plans for the future. It says that a major upgrade for WebOS is on the cards for next year, and that all 2015 smart TVs will come with it baked in.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, senior vice president of LG’s TV business Lee In-kyu said that all of LG’s high end smart TVs will run webOS next year. The company believes this platform will give it a leg up on rival Samsung, which is believed to be developing or searching for a permanent platform for smart TVs. Samsung is reportedly considering expanding homegrown Tizen OS to TVs as well.

LG also has plans to extend the usability of this platform to other consumer electronic devices most likely to be used in a home. It will give the platform a different name every time there’s a new release, Lee said, the version running on existing LG smart TVs is called Afro, after the popular ’70s hairstyle.

The company didn’t reveal exactly when it will show off the next major WebOS update and when exactly customers can expect smart TVs powered by it in the market next year. Looks like LG is sticking with the platform for now and not dumping it in favor of Android TV.

LG Promises Upgraded WebOS For All 2015 Smart TVs , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

Microsoft-owned Skype today announced that some new features are being added via the Skype 2.19 update to both Windows Phone 8 and Windows Phone 8.1. Apart from video upgrade preview improvements for the latter, this update also brings Cortana integration. Fast app resume, increased language support and improved notifications for both WP8 and WP8.1 are promised in this update.

Earlier this year we started hearing rumors that Microsoft was working on a digital personal assistant for its Windows Phone devices. It was believed that this personal assistant would be called Cortana.

A couple of months back at the BUILD 2014 conference Microsoft formally unveiled Cortana alongside Windows Phone 8.1. Its a powerful digital assistant that has deep roots within the Windows Phone platform. No wonder Skype is one of the first apps getting Cortana integration, its a Microsoft property after all.

Cortana integration in Skype on Windows Phone 8.1 means that users will be able to start video and audio calls by simply asking the assistant. So simply saying “Skype get XYZ on the screen,” will start a call with that particular contact. There’s just one limitation. Cortana is available only in the U.S. for now and on Windows Phone 8.1, though Microsoft has said that it will be launched in other markets very soon.

The updated Skype application is now available for download in the Windows Phone store. The public release of Windows Phone 8.1 is expected over the coming weeks.

Skype For Windows Phone Updated With Cortana Integration , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

It looks like Adidas is gearing up to launch a new fitness tracker. Over the past week countless little tidbits about its new tracker have appeared online. We’ve seen the device pop up for certification at the FCC and have even spotted it at retailer Keller Sports. This is pretty much proof enough that Adidas is about to launch this device soon. It is called the Adidas miCoach Fit Smart. Even though it looks a lot like a conventional smartwatch its more likely going to be a bona fide fitness tracker.

Instead of the LCD display that was found on the Adidas Smart Run the miCoach Fit Smart appears to have an LED dot display. That’s the same display as the Nike FuelBand, a similar fitness tracker that the miCoach may compete with at launch.

Leaks reveal that the Adidas miCoach Fit Smart is going to have a heart rate sensor built-in apart from a pedometer and perhaps a couple of other sensors for fitness related data gathering. The FCC filing showed that it will use Bluetooth 4.0 LE to beam information to a connected device.

This timing of these leaks are interesting given that at the I/O 2014 keynote yesterday Adidas was named as one of the initial Google Fit partners. Google Fit is a new platform that aims to be the primary source of health related data for users. Developers and manufacturers will be able to use its APIs to send data to Google Fit.

Since this is also the first time that Adidas has used the word “Fit” in a wearable, this may very well be one of the first Google Fit compatible fitness tracker. Adidas hasn’t revealed as yet when the miCoach Fit Smart is going to hit the market and for how much, but I suspect it won’t be too long before that information is made public.

Adidas miCoach Fit Smart Band Leaked , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.