I've been following this since day 1. It's a really nice project, but it has little manpower.
I'm hoping it ends up serving as a drop-in replacement for Android Wear that provides more standalone features. I know hardware is the limiting factor too, but it seems we are getting there.
As a really casual smartphone user, I think I'd be much better served by a smartwatch. Most of the time, I'm next to a computer. So I never use phone browsing capabilities. Also I never make calls out of my office. Thus, I'd love to have a standalone smartwatch that tracks my heartrate & activity, offers some maps & navigation and allows for emergency calls and SMS without the need for a smartphone. I don't want to carry one, and I think I'm not alone. They distract me.
This seems to be a growing sentiment, perhaps in response to the enormity of modern smartphones. They're no longer a convenience but a payload.
Check out the variety of standalone smart watches coming out of China now, some even run full Android 5. I'm thinking of one which could act as a 3G-to-wifi hotspot for a tablet for when I do need to work on the go. That also gives much more flexibility in selecting a tablet without a SIM.
Continuously running the 3G/4G connection and sharing it over wifi would run down the batter pretty quickly. Watches need small batteries so they can fit on your wrist.
The upcoming version of Android Wear brings pretty much full standalone capabilities for app developers. And there are already watches on the market with GSM radios.
I'm hoping it ends up serving as a drop-in replacement for Android Wear that provides more standalone features. I know hardware is the limiting factor too, but it seems we are getting there.
As a really casual smartphone user, I think I'd be much better served by a smartwatch. Most of the time, I'm next to a computer. So I never use phone browsing capabilities. Also I never make calls out of my office. Thus, I'd love to have a standalone smartwatch that tracks my heartrate & activity, offers some maps & navigation and allows for emergency calls and SMS without the need for a smartphone. I don't want to carry one, and I think I'm not alone. They distract me.