As expected, Google took advantage of the Google I/O event to present its first smart watch. The Pixel Watch is finally official and the product presented today by the American does not differ from what the rumors already told us.
Rick Osterloh, vice president of products and services at Google, was the bearer of the good news. Today we know the first details of the Pixel Watch, however, its formal presentation will only be in the fall, when the Pixel 7 arrives.
Google finally shows the world the Pixel Watch
As rumors suggested, today’s unveiling of the Pixel Watch looks more like a puzzle to the product Google brought the gadget to the stage to reveal its design and some of its features.
As for the design, the images that Jon Prosser first released in April 2021 are confirmed. In fact, we have a smart watch with a round shape like conventional watches.
The body of the Pixel Watch will be constructed from recycled stainless steel and will feature proprietary straps. This is inconvenient and means that it will not be easy to find bracelets on third-party channels for the Google smart watch.
Google did not provide more details about the colors and sizes with which the Pixel Watch will hit the market. However, rumors suggest that this smartwatch will hit stores in two sizes.
Pixel Watch brings an improved Wear OS 3
Looking now inside the Pixel Watch, Google begins by revealing that it will hit the market with the Wear OS 3 operating system. It will be an improved version, with a new interface, better navigation and smarter notifications.
The integration of Fitbit algorithms into the Pixel Watch was also confirmed. In addition to being able to sync data between your account and Google and Fitbit, the Pixel Watch will benefit from the former’s software to improve the readings its sensors take.
It is already confirmed that the Pixel Watch will be able to evaluate parameters such as heart rate, sleep monitoring and Active Zone Minutes. Also the sports department of the Google watch will benefit from Fitbit’s algorithms in its measurements.
With the exchange of information between Google and Fitbit accounts, the American technology company took the opportunity to reinforce its commitment to the privacy of user data. In fact, the metrics collected by the Pixel Watch will not be available to Google.
With this enhanced Wear OS 3 come two new apps designed for the operating system. First, we have a new digital wallet so users can leave their physical wallet at home while wearing the Pixel Watch.
Second comes a dedicated Google Home app so users can control their smart home directly from their wrist. Namely, the Pixel Watch will serve as a command center for smart products like lights, plugs, smart doorbells and more.
You will need to use a smartphone running Android 8 or higher
Google also took the opportunity to clarify that the Pixel Watch will only work on smartphones with Android 8 or higher. In addition, the user must have a Google account to be able to configure their watch.
Such dependencies reveal that Google wants to follow a similar path to Apple with its Apple Watch. In other words, the Pixel Watch is a product designed for Android users and will not work with an iPhone.
Finally, Google reveals that the Pixel Watch will hit the market with a price “premiumThe company has not wanted to go into details, leaving a lot of data for the formal presentation of its watch that will take place in the fall.
