Category: Android Wear 2.0

Let’s be honest:  It is difficult to justify a smartwatch.  Yes they are helpful and handy and with things like Android Wear 2.0, these devices on your wrist have certainly become even more user friendly.  Perhaps the biggest justification on an Android Wear watch is the cost.  There are a lot of watches that are at or near the $300 mark and that, for something people just aren’t sure they will use, is hard to stomach.

Then there is the other end of the spectrum.  There are smartwatches out there that are less than $200 but, as is often the case with technology, you get what you pay for.  Many of these watches haven’t and won’t be upgraded to Wear 2.0 and their overall design and build quality is less than ideal.

That, to me, is what makes the Mobvoi Ticwatch E so fascinating.  It is a watch that runs Android Wear 2.0, has an upgrade in the works for Android Oreo, is fast, has GPS built-in, a heart rate monitor, and has a great 44mm display.  Add to that it is comfortable to wear thanks to the soft silicone wrist band – which you can interchange – and extremely impressive battery life.  It’s the complete package and the best part?  It is under $130.

A few weeks ago I was sent the Mobvoi Tichwatch E to review and I have to say, it has rekindled my interest in Android Wear in general.  This is a great smartwatch and it is hard to beat for the price.  Here’s my review.

A couple of assumptions before reading the review after the break.  I’m assuming in this review that you are familiar with Android Wear as a product (it is Android running on smartwatches) and the Android Wear app for your phone.  I won’t be cover those elements in the review but if you have questions about them, feel free to drop a comment at the end of the review or contact me via the Contact page.

One of the more popular and well designed Android Wear watches of the past couple of years has been the Huawei Watch.  The watch, which is still readily available, has outstanding specs, comes in a variety of styles and most of them were priced reasonably well (there are a few higher end luxury models too).  It seems fitting then that the Huawei Watch is one of the first watches already out there to get the Android Wear 2.0 update.  The update has started rolling out to owners and while it will take a few days (or even weeks) for everyone to get it, know that the update is coming and bringing all the new features of 2.0 with it.  It should be noted that the roll out is very limited right now and only a few people have reported seeing it.  The official statement from Huawei is that it will be out at the end of the month – but clearly it is either leaked or being rolled out slowly.

If you haven’t kept up, Wear 2.0 brings a lot of changes to the user experience, stand alone apps, Material Design, improvements in the use of Wi-Fi and sensors and Messaging.  It is a significant

update.

If Evan Blass is right, and he usually is, we can expect Android Wear 2.0 to launch on February 9th.  Evan took to Twitter in the wee hours of this morning to tell everyone to mark their calendars and get ready for the release.

Mark your calendar: Android Wear 2.0 launches on February 9th.

— Evan Blass (@evleaks) January 17, 2017

If you don’t follow Mr. Blass on Twitter, take a minute and do so. He is deadly accurate on most rumors and leaks and is a great source of information.