TechBytes is a weekly dose of tech gathered into one post every Tuesday! I put the relevant tech news, podcasts, videos, and more that you need to know! This week, it’s about Android Wear 2.0 and a plethora of small news worth talking about. Here we go!
Headlines
Android Wear 2.0!
Smartwatches haven’t really taken off like smartphones did. Apple Watch made this category a more compelling one but didn’t exactly make people buy them. Despite all the smartwatches that came out with Android Wear, Google hasn’t really moved the needle here. Since they really want to push this as a legitimate watch platform with support for both iOS and Android, we have Android Wear 2.0.
What’s new in version 2.0? The gist of it is that Google made the watch more capable and more independent from the smartphone. For more details, check out this list from Wareable.com. Want to know which Android Wear watches get the update? I have that here as well. (Good job for supporting many watches, Google!)
Alongside the Wear 2.0 update, LG released two new smartwatches with Android Wear 2.0 out of the box. Those are the LG Watch Sport and LG Watch Style. The Sport has everything you can pack in a smartwatch: LTE, GPS, NFC, heart rate sensor, and is water and dust resistant (IP68 rating). The Style goes for, well, the style aspect. It has interchangeable bands but is less powerful than the Sport. More details about both watches here. There is currently no news on when these watches will come out in the Philippines. I’ll keep you posted.
Xiaomi Copies Apple and Samsung Again!
Xiaomi is struggling lately. Despite being successful in India during the past quarter, they are nowhere to be found in the top 5 smartphone vendors. They recently lost Hugo Barra, mainly known for being the reason of their international presence today. In an effort to be more competitive in the market, Xiaomi is getting a page out of Apple’s and Samsung’s playbook. They are making their own chips for their phones.
The latest smartphones from Xiaomi have Snapdragon processors in them and they would like to reduce their reliance on Qualcomm. There are also inherent benefits of making your own processors yourselves: cost cutting and better optimization of the hardware AND software.
Sounds familiar? That’s because Apple mastered this skill long before others realized its potential. Look what it got them today. Despite the familiarity of the iPhone 7, the A10 Fusion Chip made it FLY.
This is why Xiaomi wants to do this as well. It wants to be known as a leading smartphone maker and creating their own processors can help them do that.
What’s Up on the Blog?
Most Anticipated Smartphones of 2017!
If you’re looking to get a new smartphone this year, then check out this list of the biggest smartphones that will come out! The well-known flagships and best midrange phones are here!
Stories from the Web
How can Apple still sell iPhones at record average selling prices?
Yeah. How? Hmmmmmm.
Huawei’s profits dropped despite record sales in 2016
This article really represents HOW HARD it is to earn money in the smartphone market. Only Apple and Samsung gets to do that these days.
‘Designed with our friends at Google’ might be the Nexus brand’s de facto replacement
I guess this is the spiritual successor to the Nexus brand. Huh.
KGI predicts wireless charging for all three new iPhones, iPhone 8 requires higher cost 3D Touch sensor
More money, more money. YEAH!
Beats X Review Roundup from 9to5Mac
I might actually prefer these over the AirPods. Might.
New Podcasts!
(Blogger Banters is currently on hiatus until we can provide a better and more meaningful podcast for you guys!)
On the latest episode of the Vergecast, the crew talks about Android Wear 2.0, whether Google’s Smart Home is any good, and the secrets of the TV industry.
Here’s a new one for all the Apple lovers out there! On the latest Apple Byte Extra Crunchy podcast, they ask whether Apple can create the “Next Big Thing” in technology.
On the latest episode of Ctrl-Walt-Delete, Nilay and Walt talk about the latest update to Flipboard, a news aggregator app.
New Videos!
That’s it for this week’s TechBytes! Are you excited for Android Wear 2.0? Do you think Xiaomi has what it takes to succeed even further in the smartphone market? Tell me in the comments down below!
I’d love to have an Apple watch but it is not necessary to me as of now. Hope someday I can have one…if I also have enough cash in my bank account. Lols!
No to wearables. They’re expensive and almost useless, really. Hahaha.
I don’t really see the need to wear smart watches. I still prefer to old watches where you can actually see the hand moving. Lol
Not a fan of smart wearables. But if hatagan ko ako i wear for sure. 🙂
I had a friend who spoke highly of Xiaomi but I dunno…it’s weird since I have an IT-related degree and yet I seem to be allergic to new tech. Okay maybe not. I do not like wearables as a consumer but seeing those Kickstarter wearable gears is really interesting as a dev.