Android Wear Smart Watches for Notifications Only Not Full Apps [video]

Google has a clear vision for what it wants with Android Wear, and it is being very very clear in its message to developers on this point. The first round of Android wearables are not aiming to be complete smartwatches in the sense that many would hope they would be. Rather, these are planned to be companion devices which are mainly used for notifications, and don't really offer much as far as advanced functionality.

Google put out a video on "What Developers Need to Know" via Mashable's Ask a Dev YouTube channel, and explained the number one focus of Android Wear: simplicity. Android Engineer Sagar Seth gives some design tips, like using landscape images is the best practice, all notifications should have an image in the background, and to make good use of Google Now voice commands. He also reiterates the core ideas that Android Wear devices should be focused on notifications and glanceable information which requires little to no interaction. He really drives this home by saying, "remember one thing: it's not a full-fledged application sitting on the wearable itself, it is just notifications. It is making the information available when you need it to be."

You can see what Pocket App has done with the Android Wear SDK, you can save articles links from a tweet or a notification directly from your Smartwatch, to read later (on a Smartphone, Tablet or Desktop).

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