Update: Sorry, folks. The original video above was pulled from YouTube for copyright violations. Thankfully nothing is ever deleted from the Internet and someone reposted the video. It’s embedded above, but could be eventually pulled as well.
The video above is a hands-on report with a beta unit of LG’s upcoming Android Wear smartwatch. Not a lot is shown. Hopefully that’s because it’s in beta and not the true depth of Android Wear. Google Now’s card-based UI is prominently featured. Apparently, like earlier shots also show, users scroll through a list of cards. However, even if this is just a beta unit, the user interface leaves a lot to be desired.
Of course this is par for the course with Android. Historically it takes several software incarnations to properly translate Android into different form factors. Google TV and Android’s venture onto tablets took several significant updates before it was worthwhile. Android’s open nature also allows each OEM a bit of wiggle room. There’s a good chance that Motorola’s Android Wear watch could be significantly different (and better) than LG’s.
As early product shots have shown, the hardware seems polished enough. It looks a touch thick, but that’s to be expected from a first-generation device. Charging appears to be done through a proprietary connector instead of microUSB, allowing the device to be dust proof, as LG previously announced.