Android Wear for Sports – Important Trend Continues

Sometimes we get a little too tied up thinking about the ‘closed’  operating systems of Garmin, Polar, Suunto, Tomtom, Epson and others. One interesting chain of thought would be to debate if ANY of these can survive in the long term.

Garmin, Suunto and others realise that they can’t produce hardware/software for EVERY single sports use. So they create an environment in which others can do it. Garmin’s Connect IQ platform is still evolving and Suunto’s apps seem now to be back on course for the Spartan later in the year.

So a great example, or two, are STRYD and BSX who have specialist devices that are integrated with some Garmin devices and that integration will get deeper this year.

HOWEVER

Looking at your iOS device or your Android smartphone you quickly realise that there are WAY more apps on those platforms. WAY more.

So you think a bit further ahead and you see that the Apple Watch platform has some way to go in both the sports field and in the areas of many other apps too. Once Apple’s hardware is good enough it could be a ‘player’.

Then we look at Mr Google who has been busy beavering away with the AndroidWEAR equivalents. Most have them are largely under the media’s Apple-radar but the platform is continually evolving; growing and improving.

Android WEAR sports devices to date include Casio’s CES-launched and interesting WSD-F10, the Motorolla Moto 360, Tag’s Heuer’s CONNECTED and the Sony SmartWatch 3. There are lots more too from Huawei, LG, ASUS, Nixon, Fossil and even New Balance are supposedly jumping on the bandwagon this year based on Intel hardware (remember the Basis Peak…that’s by Intel) and further partnering with Strava for the accompanying app (we’ll see).

Anyway back to the opening. Will any of the likes of TomTom, Polar and co SURVIVE. and by that I mean survive in the current use of their proprietary OS.

I can say for certain that we will hear more from Androidwear fairly soon in the sports space. NEW NEWS. And news from an established player. New Balance? or new mover?

Who do you think?