Google gets serious about wearables: New Android SDK to be released in two weeks

When it comes to the next level of technological innovation, there’s no denying that it is going to be in the wearables segment. From Google Glass to the rumoured Apple iWatch to fitness trackers, wearables are the future.   Now Google is getting serious about making sure that at least at the platform level, it has strong control on new and upcoming wearables. According to The Verge, Google’s SVP of Android and Chrome Sundar Pichai has said that in two weeks the company will launch a developer SDK (software development kit) aimed at wearables.   Pichai made the statement at the ongoing South by South West festival in Texas (SXSW). The SDK will make it it easier for companies to create wearable devices that run on Android. Pichai didn’t give any hints about new wearables that Google was working on said that he is looking at wearables from “a platform level.”   Essentially Google is trying to make sure that new hardware makers turn to the Android OS when creating wearables, thus giving Google the edge in the segment without actually creating new hardware.   Recently Samsung launched its Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo smartwatches and has chosen to run them on the Tizen OS. Tizen, which Samsung has supported in terms of development, is said to be Samsung’s backup plan. The move is seen as step taken by Samsung to reduce it’s dependence on Android, which runs on nearly 80 percent of the smartphones in the world and on nearly 63 percent tablets, according to the latest numbers.   For Google, winning the OS war will be crucial in the wearable device race. But whether all manufacturers see the appeal of Android for wearables is still questionable. Some, like Samsung, could try and develop their own platform, so as of now the future for Android-based wearables is still fuzzy.